What is Panchakarma Treatment?
Panchakarma Treatment is a rejuvenating and cleansing programme for the body, mind, and awareness. Ether, Air, Fire, Water, and Earth are the five fundamental components that each human is a unique phenomena that manifests through, according to Ayurvedic teachings. Also It’s important to understand that “Pancha karma” actually means “five actions or five treatments. which basically means panchakarma has five shodan kriyas”
Each person has a different balance of the three doshas (tridosha) that result from the combination of these elements: Pitta, Kapha, and Vata. Disturbances in this doshic equilibrium lead to dysfunction and eventually illness.
Since panchakarma treatment is performed uniquely for each person, taking into account their unique constitution and particular disorder, it necessitates careful monitoring and supervision. Pre-purification measures called Snehan and Svedana are the first step in the treatment process. Next, cleaning techniques called Shodanas are used.
According to its own nature, each human constitution has a special vata, pitta, and kapha (VPK) balance. The natural order is this VPK equilibrium. An imbalance, or disorder, is produced when this doshic equilibrium is upset.
Disease is chaos; health is order. Because order and disorder constantly interact inside the body, one can restore order if they comprehend the nature and structure of chaos. According to Ayurveda, disturbance can include order. In the language of Ayurveda Panchakarma, order is health.
This is the state in which the digestive fire (agni) is balanced, the three waste products (sweat, faeces, and urine) are produced and eliminated normally, the seven bodily tissues (rasa, rakta, mamsa, meda, asthi, majja, and shukra/Arava) are operating normally, and the mind, senses, and consciousness are functioning harmoniously.
“When the balance of these systems is disturbed, the disease (disorder) process begins.”
Purvakarma for Panchakarma Treatment: Pre-purification Treatments
Before the actual purification begins, there is a need to prepare the body with prescribed methods to encourage it to let go of the toxins. These two procedures are snehana and swedana.
Snehana
Snehana is an oil massage. Oil is applied to the entire body with a particular type of massage that helps the toxins to move toward the gastrointestinal tract.
Oil massage also makes the superficial and deep tissues soft and supple, thus helping to remove stress and nourish the nervous system. Snehan is given daily for three to seven days, as indicated.
Swedana
Swedana is sudation or sweating and is given every day immediately following the snehana. An herbal concoction may be added to the steam to further loosen the toxins from the individual. Swedana liquefies the toxins and increases the movement of toxins into the gastrointestinal tract.
After three to seven days of snehana and swedana, the doshas become well “ripened.” A particular panchakarma method is then given according to the individual’s constitution and disorder, prakriti and vikruti, respectively.
Five Basic Shodan of Panchakarma Treatment: Cleansing Methods
There are five Shodan Panchakarma treatments which we elaborate on below.
Vamana: Emesis Therapy
Therapeutic vomiting, or vamana, is the Ayurvedic treatment for lung congestion that results in recurrent episodes of bronchitis, colds, coughs, or asthma attacks. The goal is to clear the extra mucus caused by kapha.
Along with the accu mulated dosha, this often unleashes suppressed emotions that have been stored in the kapha zones of the stomach and lungs. The patient will experience immediate relief as soon as the mucus is discharged. Breathlessness, wheezing, and congestion should all go away, and the sinuses should clear up.
Additionally, therapeutic vomiting is recommended for long-term edoema, lymphatic congestion, diabetes, asthma, and colds. It is advised to relax, fast, smoke some herbal cigarettes, and not repress natural needs like urinating, faeces, gas, sneezing, or coughing after vamana.
When vamana is taken as prescribed, the patient should experience a calm and relaxed breathing pattern, lightness in the chest, clear thinking, a clear voice, a healthy appetite, and the disappearance of all congestion symptoms.
Virechan: Purgation Therapy
Virechan: Purgation Therapy. When excess bile, pitta, is produced and accumulates in the gallbladder, liver, and small intestine, it causes rashes, skin inflammation, acne, persistent fever, biliary vomiting, nausea, and jaundice. In certain cases, Ayurvedic literature recommends using therapeutic purgation or a therapeutic laxative. Purgatives assist to remove excess pitta, which causes bile disruption in the body.
In fact, purgatives can totally alleviate the symptoms of excess pitta. When purgatives are administered, the patient should avoid eating items that exacerbate the dominant humour or cause the three humours to become imbalanced.
Substances for Virechana
- Triphala
- Castor Oil
- Senna (sona mukhi)
- Sat Isabgol (psyllium seeds)
- Flaxseeds
- Prunes
- Raisins
- Bran
- Cow’s milk
- Cow’s milk and 2tsp. ghee
- Aloe vera
- Bhumi amalaki
- Black sesame seeds
- Salt
- Dandelion root
- Nishottara (jaipal or croton seed)
- Yellow thistle (suvarnaskshiri)
- Kutki (hellbore)
- Cow’s urine
- Mango juice
Basti: Enema Therapy
Rectal Medication Administration
Vata dosha is the primary etiological cause for the appearance of ailments, and it is typically treated by medications administered via enema. Urine, bile, excrement, and other excreta are all eliminated and retained by vata. The big intestine contains the majority of vata. Asthi dhara kala, the bone tissue membrane, is connected to purisha dhara kala, the colon membrane. The bones, or asthi, are significant vata dosha locations. Therefore, drugs administered intrarectally impact every tissue, including bone tissue.
To assist you with self-administering bastide, the following recommendations have been made:
- Vata hours, or early morning and evening, are the best times for basti.
- After eating, wait for at least three hours until the stomach is empty.
- Ensure that the space is tidy, warm, and cosy. The ideal spot is somewhere you can lie down close to a lavatory.
- An enema bag or syringe, measuring cup, hotplate or stove, oil, or herbal ingredient, and towels are required materials.
Management of Basti
Two phases of administration are common with bainsti: an oil stage and a decoction step. Five ounces of heated sesame oil are inserted into the rectum and left there for 10 minutes during the first stage. After that, an emulsion of oil and herbal tea is added and left for thirty minutes without draining the oil. Five ounces of sesame oil and sixteen ounces of tea—made from herbs soaked in boiling water, filtered, and chilled to body temperature or slightly warmer—combine to form this concoction.
You may hang the enema bag three feet above your body. Let all of the air out of the tube after adding the right amount of liquids to the bag. Lay on your left side with your right knee bent and your left leg extended. Apply ghee or oil to the syringe’s tip for lubrication. Make sure the anal orifice is clean, lubricated with oil, and free of haemorrhoids, fissures, and fistulas. Insert the tip into the rectum slowly and carefully. Once within, release the clip to let all of the fluid in. Then, take the tip out. Put your hands and knees together and lift your buttocks to release tension in your colon. The colon region should first be tapped, starting with the sigmoid and moving through the transverse colon, ascending colon, and caecum. Next, occasionally use this anticlockwise motion to massage the colon.
Once the fluid has been held for the required amount of time, sit on the toilet to let the fluid and waste flow through. After basti, you might want to use a sanitary pad for a few hours in case any oil seepage occurs. Eating within an hour or two after a basti is beneficial, but only if you’re truly hungry.
Outcome of a Typical Basti
- One or two bowel motions that are well-cleansed of excrement.
- a sensation of overall clarity and lightness in the abdomen.
Nasya: Nasal Administration
The nose serves as both the entrance to the brain and the portal to awareness. Nasya is the term for drug delivery through the nose.
The nose is the closest orifice and is used to expel excess body humours that have collected in the sinus, throat, nose, or head regions. The inhalation of air through the nose brings prana, also known as nerve energy and life force, into the body. The brain contains prana, which keeps the senses and the muscles functioning.
Moreover, prana regulates cognition, memory, focus, and mental processes. All these functions are compromised by deranged prana, which also causes migraines, convulsions, memory loss, and diminished sensory awareness.
As a result, nasal administration, or Nasya, is recommended for sinus congestion, convulsions, migraine headaches, prana imbalances, and certain eye and ear issues. Nasal massage is another way to enhance breathing.
The little finger is placed into the nose after being soaked in ghee for this therapy. Massage as deeply as possible along the inside walls of the nose. This therapy will support emotional opening. (Nose tissue is sensitive, thus the fingernail should be maintained short when applying this to prevent damaging the sensitive mucous membranes.)
One side of the nose will be easier to penetrate and massage than the other since most people have a deviated nasal septum. One should not force the finger into place.
The technique for massaging should be gradual, with the finger rotating in a clockwise and anticlockwise way. This will discharge the emotions that are obstructed in the respiratory system. This therapy can be used morning and evening. In this way, when the emotions are let go, breathing patterns will alter and vision will also get better.
Rakta Moksha:
An ancient Ayurvedic technique for cleansing and purifying the blood
The blood absorbs toxins from the digestive system and distributes them throughout the body. The underlying cause of recurrent infections, hypertension, and a few other circulatory disorders is a disorder known as toxaemia.
This includes recurrent bouts of urticaria, rashes, herpes, eczema, acne, scabies, leukoderma, persistent itching, or hives, among other skin conditions. Under such circumstances, the removal of toxins and blood purification are essential in addition to internal therapy. Additionally recommended for gout, enlarged spleen, and liver conditions is rakta moksha. In the liver, broken-down red blood cells are converted to pita.
Pitta and blood hence have a very intimate bond. Pitta levels may rise to dangerous levels in the blood, leading to a variety of pitta-genic diseases. Pittagenic toxins in blood cause tension that may be released by taking a little sample of blood from a vein.
Bloodletting has been replaced with the use of leeches. Additionally, bloodletting encourages the spleen to create anti-toxic compounds that support immune system stimulation.
When toxins are neutralised, many blood-borne illnesses can be radically cured. Blood may be poisoned by a number of things, including sugar, salt, yoghurt, acidic foods, and alcohol. To maintain the purity of the blood in certain blood diseases, certain chemicals should be avoided.
Other than bloodletting, blood-purifying techniques like gem therapy, colour water therapy, or medicines can be used for rakta moksha treatment. It is helpful to abstain from yoghurt, salt, sugar, alcohol, marijuana, sour, and fermented foods for any rakta moksha therapy or associated alternative treatment.