Textbook of Ayurveda General Principles of Management and Treatment Vo l u m e T h r e e by Vasant D. Lad, M.A.Sc. Albuquerque, New Mexico Table of Contents Foreword ~ / xv About the Author ~ / xix The Use of Sanskrit ~ / xxi 1 Chikits¡ ~ ¢yurvedic Management and Treatment of Disease to Bring a State of Balance / 1 ¢yurveda Treatment Protocols / 4 Complications, Multiple Pathologies, and Drug-Related Disorders / 13 The Four Pillars of Chikits¡ / 15 Agni and K¡ya Chikits¡ / 17 The Main Categories of Chikits¡ / 19 Detailed Categories of Chikits¡ / 21 A. Internal Shodhana / 21 B. External Shodhana / 23 C. Internal Shamana / 24 D. External Shamana / 24 Santarpana and Apatarpana Chikits¡ / 25 Examples of Santarpana (Anabolic) Therapy / 26 Examples of Apatarpana (Catabolic) Therapy / 26 Apunarbhava Chikits¡ / 27 Trividh¡ Chikits¡ / 28 Vih¡ra or ¢ch¡ra Chikits¡, Lifestyle or Behavioral Medicine / 28 Summary / 30 2 Dosha Gati ~ How a Dosha Moves During the Disease Process / 33 Downward, Upward, and Linear Gatis / 34 Adho V¡ta / 34 ¿rdhva V¡ta / 35 Tiryag V¡ta / 36 Adho Pitta / 36 ¿rdhva Pitta / 37 Tiryag Pitta / 38 Adho Kapha / 38 ¿rdhva Kapha / 39 Tiryag Kapha / 39 Multiple Gatis / 39 Blood Disorders with Adho, ¿rdhva, and Tiryag Gati / 40 Serious Dosha Disorders with Adha, ¿rdhva, and Tiryag Gati / 43 Increased, Decreased, and Stable Gatis / 45 Increased Dosha (Vruddhi) / 45 vii Decreased Dosha (Kshaya) / 46 Stable Dosha (Sth¡na) / 46 Koshtha, Sh¡kh¡, and Marma Gatis / 47 Koshtha Gati / 47 Sh¡kh¡ Gati / 47 Marma Gati / 50 Summary / 51 3 Vega Vidh¡ranam Chikits¡ ~ General Management of Disorders Due to the Suppression of Natural Urges / 53 Suppression of the Urge to Pass Gas / 53 Suppression of the Urge to Pass Feces / 54 Suppression of the Urge to Urinate / 55 Suppression of the Urge to Belch / 55 Suppression of the Urge to Sneeze / 55 Suppression of Thirst / 56 Suppression of Hunger / 56 Suppression of Sleep / 56 Suppression of Cough / 57 Suppression of Heavy Respiration / 57 Suppression of Yawning / 57 Suppression of Tears / 58 Suppression of Vomiting / 58 Suppression of Semen / 58 Summary / 59 4 ¢h¡ra Chikits¡ ~ Food as Medicine / 61 General Principles of ¢yurvedic Nutrition / 61 Sources of Food / 61 Vegetarianism / 62 Genetic Modification and Organic Food / 62 Preparation of Food and Cooking Techniques / 63 How to Eat / 64 Water / 66 The Right Quantity of Food / 66 Timing of Meals / 67 Fasting and Cleansing Diets / 67 The Qualities of Food / 69 Incorporating All Six Tastes in your Daily Diet / 69 Digestive Disorders / 70 Food Combining / 72 Improving Digestion / 75 D£pana and P¡chana / 76 Seasonal Eating Guidelines / 78 Spring / 78 Summer / 79 viii Fall or Autumn / 80 Winter / 81 Food Guidelines for Each Dosha / 81 Meal Suggestions / 83 Kitchari / 86 5 Vih¡ra Chikits¡ ~ A Healthy Lifestyle / 89 Basic Principles for a Healthy Lifestyle / 90 Diet / 92 Time / 92 Biological Time / 93 Din¡charya, The Daily Routine / 98 Daily Routine During Menses / 106 Rutuchary¡, Seasonal Routines / 106 Annual Phases / 106 Seasonal and Daily Cycles of the Doshas / 108 Seasonal Characteristics / 109 Seasonal Transitions and Cleansing / 110 Seasonal and Daily Cycles / 111 Seasonal Routine for Spring / 112 Seasonal Routine for Summer / 116 Seasonal Routine for Fall / Autumn / 122 Seasonal Routine for Winter / 126 6 Shamana Chikits¡ ~ Palliative Therapies / 131 Shamana Therapies / 132 D£pana: Kindling Agni / 132 Qualities that Diminish Agni / 133 Mental ¢ma and Emotional Imbalance / 134 P¡chana: Burning of Toxins / 136 Detecting ¢ma in the Gastrointestinal Tract / 137 When to Use P¡chana / 139 Simple Rules for Digesting ¢ma / 139 Kshut Nigraha: Fasting from Food or Eating a Mono-Diet / 140 Fasting Techniques / 142 Trut Nigraha: Observing Thirst and Minimizing Liquid Intake / 145 Water Consumption / 146 Vy¡y¡ma: Exercise / 148 ¢tapa Seva: Exposure to Sunlight / 151 Chandra Seva: Exposure to Moonlight / 153 Maruta Seva: Exposure to Fresh Air / 154 Conclusion / 155 ix 7 Shodhana Chikits¡ ~ Cleansing Therapies / 157 Introduction to Shodhana Therapy / 157 Shodhana Chikits¡ / 160 A Deeper Understanding of Shodhana / 163 P¥rvakarma: Pre-Purification Measures / 165 Snehana / 166 Main Categories of Snehana Substances / 168 Abhyanga, Generalized Oil Massage / 171 Svedana / 179 Agni Svedana / 179 Anagni Svedana / 183 Other P¥rvakarma Treatments / 188 8 Pañchakarma Chikits¡ ~ Therapies to Remove Excess Dosha / 193 The Benefits of Pañchakarma / 193 Dietary and Lifestyle Guidelines during Pañchakarma / 194 The Pañchakarma Therapies / 195 Vamana: Emesis Therapy / 196 P¥rvakarma for Vamana (Pre-Emesis Measures) / 202 Procedure for Vamana / 203 Pashch¡t Karma for Vamana (Post-Emesis Measures) / 205 Virechana: Purgation / 205 Basti: Medicated Enema or Colon Therapy / 214 How to Administer a Basti / 220 Specific Types of Basti / 221 Anuv¡sana: Oil Enema / 221 Nir¥ha: Decoction Enema / 223 Bruhana: Nutritional Enema / 224 Madhu Tailam: Honey and Sesame Oil Enema / 225 M¡tr¡: Anuv¡sana Basti / 226 Piccha Basti / 227 Uttara: Vaginal or Urethral Basti / 227 Rakta Moksha: Bloodletting or Cleansing of the Blood / 231 Nasya: Nasal Administration of Medications / 235 Specific Types of Nasya / 238 Pashch¡t Karma: Post-Pañchakarma Measures / 244 A. ¢h¡ra (Diet) / 244 B. Vih¡ra (Daily Activity or Lifestyle) / 246 C. Ras¡yana / 249 D. Pr¡yogika Nasya / 249 E. Dh¥mana / 249 External Shodhana / 250 Ksh¡ra Karma / 250 Sh¡stra Karma / Shalya Tantra / 251 Agni Karma / 251 Pralepa Karma / 252 x 9 Tanm¡tr¡ Chikits¡ ~ Subtle Therapies / 253 The Sensory Pathways of Our Inner Pharmacy / 253 Shabda (Sound) – Speech Therapy, Counseling, Sound, and Mantra Therapy / 253 ¢yurvedic Counseling / 254 Sound and the Five Elements / 255 Healing Sounds for the Chakras / 255 N¡dam in Meditation / 256 Astrological Sounds / 257 Healing the Organs with Sound / 257 Sanskrit Letters and the Five Elements / 258 Sparsha (Touch) – Massage and Touch Therapy / 260 Massage / 262 Polarity Therapy / 263 Marma Therapy / 263 Lepana / 264 Touch Beyond Touch / 264 Mudr¡ (Auto-touch Therapy) / 265 R¥pa (Form, Color) – Chromotherapy / 267 Color Spectrum Light / 267 Colors and the Doshas / 268 How to Use Color / 269 Colors, Days of the Week, and Planets / 271 Color Visualization / 272 Water and Color / 272 Colors and the Emotions / 272 Gemstone and Crystal Therapy / 273 Tr¡taka / 276 Yantra / 276 Rasa (Taste) – Taste Therapy / 277 Gandha (Smell) – Aroma Therapy / 280 Essential Oils / 282 Incense / 283 Insect Repellents / 283 Properties of Some Important Essential Oils and Attars / 283 P¥j¡ and Meditation / 286 Meditation / 287 10 Marma Chikits¡ ~ Energy Pathways for Healing Body, Mind, and Consciousness / 289 Functions of Marm¡ni / 290 Marma Points as Diagnostic Tools / 291 Marma Points for Prevention of Disease / 291 Marma Points as Therapeutic Tools / 291 Different Methods of Healing through Marma Points / 294 Shodhana / 294 Shamana / 296 xi Ras¡yana / 297 V¡j£karanam / 297 First Aid Management / 297 Tanm¡tr¡ Chikits¡ / 298 How Marma Therapy Works / 299 Classification of Marma Points / 300 Vital Marm¡ni Points / 300 11 Yoga Chikits¡ ~ Healing through Yoga, Pr¡n¡y¡ma, and Meditation / 303 Yoga ¢sana / 304 ¢yurveda and Yoga ¢sana / 305 When to Do Yoga ¢sanas / 307 Pr¡n¡y¡ma / 309 Pr¡n¡y¡ma Practice / 309 Meditation / 323 Empty Bowl Meditation / 323 Blocked Energy in the Chakras / 325 Subtle Energy Channels / 327 Chakra Meditation / 328 12 Dravyaguna Rasa Sh¡stra ~ The Study of a Substance’ s Qualities and Tastes / 331 Methods of Herbal Preparation / 334 Bhasmas / 335 ¢sava and Arishta / 337 Times of Administration / 338 Alphabetical Listing of 24 Common ¢yurvedic Herbs / 341 Triphal¡ / 390 Oil Therapy / 390 Introduction to Oil Therapy / 392 Common Kitchen Spices as Medicine / 398 Seeds Commonly Used in ¢yurveda / 405 13 Ras¡yana Chikits¡ ~ Rejuvenation Therapy / 407 Application of Ras¡yana Techniques / 410 How to Use Ras¡yana Therapy / 411 Rejuvenation through Herbal Ras¡yana / 412 Ras¡yana for the Bodily Channels / 418 Ras¡yana for the Mind / 419 Bhasmas and Alchemical Ras¡yana / 419 Conclusion / 420 14 General Management of the Doshas ~ The Bodily Organization / 425 General Management of V¡ta Dosha / 426 S¡ma and Nir¡ma V¡ta / 428 xii Ushna V¡ta / 430 Tr¡sana Therapy / 433 General Management of Pitta Dosha / 434 S¡ma and Nir¡ma Pitta / 439 Sh£ta Pitta / 441 General Management of Kapha Dosha / 442 S¡ma and Nir¡ma Kapha / 447 Remedies for the Subtypes of the Doshas / 449 Management of Decreased Doshas / 450 Decreased V¡ta / 450 General Management of V¡ta Kshaya / 450 Decreased Pitta / 451 General Management of Pitta Kshaya / 452 Decreased Kapha / 452 General Management of Kapha Kshaya / 453 Summary of Dosha Management / 453 15 General Management of the Dh¡tus ~ The Bodily Tissues / 457 Dh¡tu Chikits¡ / 457 16 General Management of Srot¡msi ~ The Bodily Channels / 495 Sroto Dushti / 496 Management of Srot¡msi / 497 Managing the Sroto M¥la-Marga-Mukha / 500 About Mixing Herbal Formulas / 504 Treatments for Sroto Dushti / 504 17 General Management of Pr¡na, Tejas, Ojas ~ The Bodily Essences / 541 Introduction / 541 Categories of Pr¡na, Tejas, and Ojas Disorders / 543 Management of Pr¡na Disorders / 544 Managing Prano Visramsa / 545 Managing Pr¡na Kshaya / 545 Treating Pr¡na Vruddhi / 546 Managing Pr¡na Vy¡pad / 547 Management of Tejas Disorders / 548 Managing Tejo Visramsa / 548 Managing Tejah Kshaya / 549 Managing Tejo Vruddhi / 549 Managing Tejo Vy¡pad / 550 Management of Ojas Disorders / 551 Managing Ojo Visramsa / 551 Managing Ojo Kshaya / 552 Managing Ojo Vruddhi / 553 Managing Ojo Vy¡pad / 554 Conclusion / 555 xiii 18 Conclusion ~ / 557 Appendix ~ / 559 Glossaries ~ / 601 Sanskrit Glossary / 601 Medical Glossary / 611 Bibliography and Selected Readings ~ / 621 Acknowledgments / 622 Index ~ / 623 xiv .