Back to Nature with Ayurveda - part one

By Asha Devi

Ayurveda is a complete health lifestyle in a scientific way. It is about yoga, meditiation, treatments, food and herbs.

Ayurveda creates harmony in body, mind and soul, with help from nature and the five elements. In a simple way you get unique and deep knowledge about Ayurveda and lot good and practical advice how to cure health problems and keep permanent health, wealth and happiness in life.

This is part one of two of Back to Nature with Ayurveda.

• Language: Svenska
• Publisher: Books on Demand
• Release date: Jul 9, 2015
• ISBN: 9789175697932

Asha Devi

Asha Devi, Brahmacharini, before living in Himalaya, is an Ayurvedic doctor practicing in Sweden for the past 10 years. Before that she had a flourishing practice in the Indian capital of New Delhi. She has had a lifelong association with Ayurveda. Born in a family of Ayurveda physicians, love for nature came naturally to her. She has done extensive social work, focusing on women empowerment and education of underprivileged children. She has a heartfelt desire of promoting world peace and spreading the benefits of Ayurveda throughout the world.

Book preview

Dr. Margareta Andersson gave me the idea to write a book about

Ayurveda.

Thank you.

Chapter 1    AYURVEDA: A brief Introduction

Ayurveda is an ancient Indian science of healthy lifestyle. It is not only a system of treatment but a complete lifestyle. It is in total synergy with the nature and protects the mankind (also the other living beings) from unnatural and artificial disorders. The original script of Ayurveda is a part of Vedas (universal science). Ayurveda means knowledge of life (Sanskrit Ayur life and Veda "knowledge).

1.1 Dhatus (components or constituents of the body)

The physiology of the body is divided into seven categories in Ayurveda which we call seven Dhatus. According to Ayurveda, our body is made up of seven constituents:

1. Ras (chyle or plasma),

2. Rakta (haemoglobin or blood),

3. Maans (flesh or muscles and tissues),

4. Medh (fat or oil),

5. Asthi (bones),

6. Mazza (bone-marrow), and

7. Shukra or Virya (semen or sperm / ova).

Whatever diet we take is diverted into two parts after its digestion; Sar (essence or pith) and Mal (feces or waste material). Consequently, the essence (abstract) of the meal produces seven Dhatus accordingly. First of all the digested food essence produces the Ras (chyle or plasma) which converts by self in to Rakta (blood). The Rakta produces Maans (muscle tissue); Maans produces Medh; Medh produces asthi; Asthi produces Mazza; Mazza produces Virya or semen or ova; and finally, the ova and sperm produce together a new creation of mankind. Thus, our meal advances from Ras to Virya step by step.

These Dhatus also have a balanced ratio in the body. When it gets misbalanced, it creates disorders. Different disorders are caused by different Dhatus. A deficiency of a particular Dhatu is called Dhatu-dosh.

Ayurveda has a wide range of treatment with herbal, mineral, chemical, organic and inorganic etc. medicines. Mostly the herbal treatment is popular among the common people. Our expert physicians (Ayurved-acharyas etc.) do use all kinds of remedies in their treatments.

First of all, Ayurveda introduces the process of diagnosis of the disorders of the body. In this regard, the human body-disorders can be classified into three categories; such as: Vata or Vayu (wind or gas), Pitta (bile) and Kapha (phlegm or saliva or body-plasma)".

1.2 Vata, Pitta and Kapha

To acknowledge the real cause of diseases, we should follow the instructions related to all these three factors:

(a)Vata (wind or body-air):

The characteristic property of the body-air is recognized as: harsh, cool, mild, acute, dry, uneven and non-sticky. When the body-air flows properly, it manages the body chemistry well and it produces a distinct identification which is discernible to an expert. But when, there appears any disorder in the body, the wind is not in its normal state and produces different symptoms. Thus, the real condition of the body-air is diagnosed according to the symptoms of the body functions. On the other hand, the body-air causes the disorders and it cures the disorders also.

Where all the three factors (Kapha, Vata and Pitta) are counter-balanced, the body is completely healthy. And, if any disturbance appears it imbalances the Trio, and the body becomes ill. Therefore, this ‘Trio’ is the origin of disorders and it is also the remedy of the disorders.

Kinds of body-air (Vata, Vayu)

The oldest book regarding ayurveda, written in sanskrit.

According to different type of Vata (Vayu or air) and its deficiency, different type of disorders appear. Therefore, they are diagnosed and treated differently; as such:

Increase of Vata (Vayu or body-air) in the body is a kind of disorder by itself which causes different types of diseases such as: dryness, body-cramps, pinching pain, osteoporosis (weakness in bones), stiffness, weakness, senselessness in organs, constipation, spasmodic and colic pain, weak nails, dental disorders, pallor of skin and bitter taste in mouth.

How Vata related disorders appear in our body

The body-air gets unbalanced due to suppression the forces and desires like urination, sneezing, love, sadness or sorrow, hunger or other needs etc. Similarly, it is negatively affected by sparing sleep, hard or laborious work, anxiety, too much of sex, over fasting, fear, over-eating, cold and frosted food.

Treatment of Vata

Massage

Panchakarma of Ayurveda is the best way of treatment of Vata related disorders. If one cannot go for Panchakarma treatment, there is a very potent household remedy too, made up of Ghee and Triphala Churna.

Take one tsp of Ghee and one tsp of Trifala Churna with lukewarm water in the morning (empty stomach). Drink until stomach gets full.

Use hot water bath or steam bath. In this process, wrap a wet towel around your head and take a steam bath until you feel the body pores starting to open up. Do this for a few days until the problem is cured. After the problem is solved, stop hot water baths and change it to a foot-bath. In foot-bath, take a bucket or tub full of hot water and put both the feet into the bucket. During this use also a wet towel over the head otherwise you can feel some inconvenience, or, it can cause the Vat to extend more. Also use a blanket to cover the body while undergoing a foot-bath. Afterward, take some bananas along with Ghee. There are some other tips for this treatment; as below:

Use Ghee with lukewarm milk

Ghee and Trifala Churna

Steam bath

Taking the hot water bath

and steam bath Enema of Amaltas-pulp and castor-oil.

Excess oils/ fats, spicy and flavored food, stale foods, heavy foods, and sour-foods etc. are harmful and indigestible.

Castor-oil and garlic are useful. Wheat breads, milk and molasses are suitable for meals.

Pitta (bile)

Characteristic properties of Pitta

Pitta is characteristically warm or hot, mildly smooth or oily, over digestive, inflammatory, acutely sour, mildly energetic and yellow colored. The patient suffering from unbalance of bile has the characteristic nature of strong nails and teeth. Also, he is rigid or drastic in his thoughts.

Following are the parts of the body where there is presence of Pitta: small intestine, liver, spinal cord, gall bladder, kidney, heart, pancreas and uterus etc. organs.

Persons whose bile secretions are unexpectedly high are known as patients of Pitta Dosh. They are also recognized by their bile-natured character. Pitta having the nature of fire can be both life-giving (energetic) and harmful too. A person with Pitta character survives and perishes both because of his Pitta. Similarly we can observe characteristic nature in Vat and Kapha also. The author has had many profound experiences in this realm in her practice of over 25 years, each experience being distinct from the other.

The bilious person is characteristically honest, sociable,

materialistic and spiritualist. He cannot tolerate excess heat because the bile is of hot nature by itself.

Properties and efficiencies of Pitta (bile)

Symptoms of excessive Pitta:

Excess hunger, burning sensation in abdomen and chest, anorexia, mouth-sores, blisters in mouth, pimples in nose, ears, neck and face, excessive sweat, insomnia, excessive anger, delusion, acidic reflux, presence of bitter and sour taste in the acidic reflux which are actually the toxins of the body, whole body pain, sore throat, phlegmic obstructions, spitting very often, poor vision-power, yellow eyes and teeth, red-eyes, enlarged abdomen and flatulence etc. are the common symptoms of Pitta Dosh.

Causes of excess bile secretions

The bilious unbalance occurs due to excessive use of: Red and dry chilly, stale and junk foods, intoxicating drinks and smokes etc., randomly taking of meal without any fixed routine, excessive sex, dry foods, taking excessive hot or cold foods, working or staying up at night, indigestion, anger, spicy, oily, fried and sour foods, fear, frustration or disappointment, meat, fishes and curd etc. stimulate excessive bile secretion or cause unbalance of bile functions.

Control of bile disorders

To control or balance bile secretion, one needs to be aware of his diet, especially during the treatment. Some useful remedies are:

1. Take Ghee along with Trifala powder;

2. Use simple and non-spicy or non-flavored diets;

3. Use enema of Amaltas-pulp along with castor-oil to clear the intestines;

4. Take milk along with Ghee;

5. Take banana along with Ghee. This clears out the abdomen and which protects from gastritis.

6. Take enough water early in the morning as to fill up the stomach.

7. One can take Amla-juice in place of water;

8. The water kept in a copper-pot is more suitable to use in this regard.

Kapha (phlegm)

The nature of Kapha is heavy, cool, mild, pungent and smooth or greasy, sweet and stable. It is whitish in color and sometimes even yellowish or white-yellow. Kapha collects mostly in abdomen, chest, pancreas, urinary tracts and testes.

Properties of Kapha:

Symptoms of excessive Kapha:

The characteristic symptoms of excessive Kapha (phlegm) are: Oversleeping, tastelessness, cold, cough, itching, congestion of mind (heavy head), headache, oily skin and serious mood.

Reasons for Kapha unbalance:

Kapha increases due to: eating excess sweets, sour, cold diets, milk, curd; unpunctuality in taking meal, unpunctuality in sleeping; taking sweet and