Abstract
Background: Havan Yagya is a traditional Vedic fumigation practice involving the combustion of medicinal herbs, wood, and clarified butter (ghee) in a consecrated fire. Ethnopharmacological evidence and emerging scientific literature suggest that the smoke generated during Havan possesses significant antimicrobial properties. Objective: The present preliminary study aimed to evaluate the effect of Havan Yagya on the observable microbial load settling from indoor room air using the passive settle plate method, and to quantify the percentage reduction in colony-forming units (CFU) at 30 minutes and 24 hours post-Havan. Methods: Sterile culture-media plates were exposed in a controlled indoor room environment before and after Havan under identical conditions. Plates were incubated aerobically at 37°C and visible colonies were enumerated. Results: A baseline average of 11.0 CFU/plate was recorded before Havan. At 30 minutes post-Havan, the average count decreased to 1.0 CFU/plate, representing a 90.90% reduction. At 24 hours post-Havan, the average count was 5.5 CFU/plate, corresponding to a 50% reduction from baseline. Conclusion: These findings indicate that Havan Yagya produces a marked short-term reduction in airborne microbial settling, with a sustained partial effect persisting for at least 24 hours. The results are consistent with published literature on medicinal smoke and traditional fumigation practices. Larger controlled trials are warranted to validate and extend these preliminary observations.