Network Pharmacology Perspectives on Cerebral Palsy: Mechanistic Insights From Ayurvedic Formulations With Emphasis on Kalyanaka Ghritam.

Cerebral palsy is a non-progressive neurodevelopmental disorder arising from early brain injury and characterised by persistent motor dysfunction accompanied by cognitive, sensory, and behavioural impairments. Current management strategies remain largely supportive and symptomatic, reflecting the limited availability of interventions capable of addressing underlying molecular and network-level pathology. Increasing recognition of cerebral palsy as a multifactorial condition involving neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, synaptic dysregulation, and impaired neurodevelopment underscores the need for multi-target therapeutic frameworks. This narrative review adopts a structured methodology involving systematic database searches (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and AYUSH Research Portal) covering literature from 2015 to 2025, with predefined inclusion criteria focusing on phytochemical profiling, molecular targets, signalling pathways, and translational relevance to neurodevelopmental disorders. Particular emphasis was placed on studies integrating network pharmacology approaches to map compound-target-pathway interactions relevant to cerebral palsy. This narrative review aims to examine network pharmacology perspectives on Ayurvedic formulations, with emphasis on Kalyanaka Ghritam, to elucidate mechanistic relevance in cerebral palsy. A narrative synthesis of literature published between 2015 and 2025 was conducted using biomedical and traditional medicine databases, focusing on phytochemical constituents, molecular targets, biological pathways, and translational evidence. Phytochemical constituents relevant to this disease context include flavonoids (e.g., quercetin, kaempferol, luteolin) with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties; alkaloids and glycosides involved in neuromodulation of cholinergic, glutamatergic, and GABAergic systems; terpenoids contributing to mitochondrial protection and membrane stabilisation; and phenolic compounds and saponins that enhance neurotrophic signalling and mitigate apoptotic pathways. These bioactive classes collectively target key pathological processes in cerebral palsy, including oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, excitotoxicity, and impaired synaptic plasticity. Integrated analysis highlights that Kalyanaka Ghritam contains diverse bioactive compounds capable of modulating interconnected gene and protein networks associated with inflammatory regulation, redox homeostasis, neurotrophic signalling, synaptic plasticity, and neuroprotection. Such systems-level modulation aligns with the complex pathobiology of cerebral palsy and supports its potential adjunctive role within integrative care models. Network pharmacology emerges as a robust methodological bridge linking traditional therapeutic knowledge with contemporary systems biology, facilitating rational evaluation of multi-component interventions. Further experimental validation, standardisation, and controlled clinical studies remain essential to advance translational application and clinical integration.