Knowledge Partner – European World Ayurveda Congress
Ramaiah Indic Center for Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine is proud to be associated as knowledge partner for the 2nd European World Ayurveda Congress (more…)
Those Difficult Periods
From menarche to menopause is the reproductive age of women where physiologically all functions are optimal. A woman is called vruddha after she attains menopause. The best part of a woman’s life cycle is this reproductive phase. Ayurveda has a treasure of advise to keep this reproductive phase happy and productive.
The uterus is the primary organ of reproduction. It is safeguarded by nature with good musculature around and beneath. It is normally well protected from external pressures and influences. Keeping then uterus healthy keeps the women healthy. In the oil days tradition was to give the women complete rest and light food during these wet days. There is good scientific reason behind this. If full rest is given, bleeding will never become high and there will be no chance of blood getting into other parts of the uterus. The shedding of the mucous of uterus will also be normal. And as a result there will be normal bleeding and no inflammation to that part.
There are five major and common health problems observed in women during the reproductive age. All these are related to the menstruation.
- Amenorrhoea: the absence or highly delayed menstruation
- Dysmenorrhea: this is state of painful periods that is more common in unmarried women, especially in the earlier reproductive phase.
- Menorrhagia or Hyper-bleeding: bleeding does not stop even after three to five days.
- Leucorrhea or white discharge: with or without smell/infection in between periods.
- Pruritis: itching of the vagina
These conditions are dealt within Ayurveda very effectively.
Amenorrhoea:
A decoction made of 10gms of gingelly or sesame seeds, 10gms of horse gram, 3-5 petals of garlic , 10gms of palm jaggery boiled in 4 glasses of water and reduced to one glass , filtered and taken lukewarm at 5pm for 21 days will ensure timely menstruation. It is a very useful remedy for most conditions of amenorrhea where other etiologies like low haemoglobin, chronic infections etc, are ruled out.
Dysmenorrhea:
Unctuous oils like Dhanwantaram(101) is applied on the lower abdomen above the uterine space during periods. This helps reduction of space during pain. Internal consumption of 120ml of milk boiled with 10gms of black sesame seeds (til) is helpful in alleviating painful periods.
Menorrhagia or Hyper-bleeding:
The best remedy is complete rest. If there is no hormonal imbalance, Pravalabhasama with Ashokaristam is prescribed. Pushyanuga churnam 5gms at bedtime and Lakshaadi churnam 5gms early in the morning – both with honey – are also useful. This helps a lot as a primary remedy fir this condition. Of course this should be handled by a trained physician, but it is helpful to know that such remedies are available in Ayurveda. A paste of sandalwood with milk applied on the abdomen is useful.
Leucorrhea or white discharge:
This is common in women with vata and pitta prakriti that is those who are lean, dry and ill- built. Shatavari (asparagus rhizome) in any form is very good for this condition. Douching of the vagina with a filtered decoction of Nimba ( neem Bark) and Aragwadha bark are excellent for this condition. Women with this condition should take ample ghee in their foods and reduce spicy, deep fried food and food with yeast.
Pruritis:
Itching of vagina is very common and can be treated with daily wash of the vaginal with decoction made from the bark of the four milky spicies – Udumbara, Ashwatha, Plaksha, and Nyagrodha. Application of the vaginal suppository of Jathyaadi gritham is also prescribed. Intake of Usheerasava, Chandanasavam, Sareebadyasavam is also good.
These are simple remedies one can use at home at primary level even before consulting a doctor. Within three to five days symptoms should abate. If they persist, it would be prudent to see a doctor.
Forms of Water
For modern science water is just H2O. t is either potable or contaminated. But Ayurveda has a lot to say about water, and its effect on health. The qualities of water, based on its source, time of collection and so on, are explained in great detail.
The purest water, according to Ayurveda, is rain water that has been collected after the first two showers of the rainy season. This is to avoid the impurities suspended in the air before the rain.
Water is also reverentially known as Gangambu because the water of the river Ganga which originates in the Himalaya is said to be the purest and holiest. According to the Hindu mythology, the Ganga is pure because it is believed to have originated from the heavens.
Among water frim the running sources, the water from the Ganga is considered the best, for it is sweet to taste and aids digestion. Ganga water balances the doshas. It is because of such qualities that the Ganga is reckoned to be divine.
People think that water in any form- cold, luke warm, warm and hot- has the same effect on the body. Ayurveda categorises water into different types. Warm water is easy to digest. It can bring down temperature, improve digestion and remove toxins from the body by enhancing the excretory process. For certain of types of fever, warm water is the only remedy for three days. Drinking just warm water with light food brings the temperature down.
Warm water spiked with a little dry ginger makes it carminative and digestive. People who lack appetite should drink a cup of warm water with dry ginger every day. Warm water taken with one spoon of triphala powder everyday at dawn and at bedtime helps to bring down obesity and ease bowel movement. Drinking water regularly in the morning on an empty stomach and at bedtime works as a Rasayana- a rejuvenator of body tissues.
Seventy- five per cent of our body mass consists of water. It is hence a very important factor in maintaining the body’s dynamic equilibrium. Ayurveda says water consumed before food makes you lean, water consumed after food makes you obese and drinking water while eating is good for health generally. Water is the only substance that has never been prescribed in any condition. Water is life saviour.
Bhojanakutuhalam, a 14th century treatise on dietetics by Sri Raghunatha Suri, extensively discusses different varieties of water: from a well, a pond, lake, the river and falls. The treatise states that the physiological actions of water from various sources affect the body differently.
So water from saline earth, or from clay and marshy areas, from rainfed areas, act differently on the body.
Many of you might have noticed that when you drink water from another source in another place, you get a sore throat, indigestion, headache or a feeling of heaviness in the chest. This effect has nothing to do with infestation but with the source of water.
Water collected when dew is still falling generates [phlegm in the body. Water collected after it has basked in the sun is lighter and easily digestible. Water collected at night is heavy and difficult to digest.
The depths to which our scientists of yore went to understand and document the things they saw and observed can be noticed in a simple substance like water.
Water has been so extensively understood in Ayurveda that many new ideas emerging in modern science on water today were already known in Ayurveda. The best example that I can recollect from memory is a study on Gangetic water published in an International peer reviewed journal. It was found that there is an inherent mechanism in Ganga water that purifies it. This is why the water of the Ganga was believed to be the purest, but in vain, as this quality of the Ganga has been eroded by industrial and human waste.
RECIPE STEAMED DELIGHT
Methi Kadubu
Ingredients: Water: Sufficient quantity
Rice flour: 1/4 cup
Wheat flour: 1/4cup
Jowar flour:1/4 cup
Ragi flour:1/4cup
Salt: 1/2tsp
Green chillies:4
Methi leaves:2 cups
Onions: 2 cups finely chopped
Coconut: 1tbsp
Oil: To grease steamer
Method:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and knead in soft dough, using a little water. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions, shape into rounds and flatten by pressing between palms. Place in steamer and steam cook for 5-8 minutes or bake in a preheated greased baking dish at 200degree centigrade for 7-8 minutes. Serve hot with some tasty coconut/ mint chutney.
Benefits: Multigrain flour: Benefit from nutritive values of a mix. Methi (fenugreek) is good for digestive problems such as loss of appetite, upset stomach, constipation and inflammation of stomach. It is also used for conditions that affect the heart such as hardening of arteries and for high blood levels of certain fats including cholesterol and triglycerides. Since the dish is steamed and very little oil is used, it is good for health.
Written by Prof Dr G G Gangadharan
Absorb Nutrients
One of the challenges before modern medical science is to get the human body to absorb nutrients so that the tissues are regenerated. After middle age the rate of degeneration is quicker than regeneration. Supplements or iron, calcium and vitamin B are n`t absorbed either.
Ayurveda offers an answer in Rasayana. The agni in the body facilitates assimilation through 13 metabolic fires. These are present in all tissues and digestive centers, are semi- liquid in consistency and are part of the bodily fluids within the endocrine and exocrine systems. The most important of these digestive juices are in the gastro-intestinal tract, starting from saliva in the mouth to the gut microbe’s interaction in the large intestine.
Ayurveda explains that the body needs to go through a process of cleansing to absorb nutrients. Ayurveda draws a parallel with fabric dyeing. For dyeing a cloth, it has to be first washed by appropriate methods to remove dirt from the weave of the fabric so that fresh colors can adhere fast.
Sroto- sodhana- cleaning of the micro channels- is the first stage in Rasayana- chikitsa or nutritional therapy. Through this process all the 13 agnis get revitalized so that the chemical chain mechanism of the body`s absorption from gut through tissues takes place effectively. Rasayana- chikitsa follows such Sroto- sodhana, and the body is now receptive to the desired effects, treatment becomes fruitful and effective.
Describing the effects of Rasayana, the classical texts of Ayurveda say that from Rasayana one attains longevity, improved memory and intelligence, freedom from disorders, youthful vigor, excellence of complexion, pleasantness in voice, optimum strength of physique and senses, command over language, respectability and brilliance.
Broadly Rasayana is of two types, – Vatatapika and Kutipraveshika. The first is more common because it is easy to administer. The second is much more rigorous and remains a textual marvel.
Rasayana therapy is useful in particularly treating the aged. It is good for functional and degenerative disorders that are a chronic nature.
WONDER PLANT
LEMONY LEMON
The lovely lemon has extraordinary cleansing, detoxing and refreshing qualities. It is loaded with vitamins especially Vitamin A and Vitamin C. This little power house also used to make many herbal and mineral preparations.
The lemon tree needs sunshine, water, and preferably organic compost to grow. Plant it along the side of your garden since it is a bushy tree.
The lemon plant can be propagated by the air layering technique or through the seeds. In the air layering the mother plant is selected and the outer cover of a matured plant is peeled an inch or two with a sharp knife to expose the inner heart wood. A commercially available rooting hormone is applied to the exposed area. Once it is rooted it is sliced off the mother plant and planted in the soil.
In the seed route method, the seeds are collected from a mature fruit and washed thoroughly with the water to remove the oil coating on them. Bold seeds are then selected for sowing in the nursery mother bed. Water is sprayed twice a day in morning and evening for first two weeks. After that the plant required water once a day. The sprouting of the seed takes place within two to four weeks. The germinated seedlings are transferred to poly pots and taken to the shade house where they are then planted in the garden.
Self-help:
Refreshing lemonade: mix lemon juice with water, honey or sugar for a cooling drink.
Jambira panaka : mix two parts of fresh lemon juice and one part of fresh ginger juice and one part of sugar and make a syrup. Allow to cool. Take 5-10 ml of this mixture with water 30minutes before food twice or thrice a day. This drink is an effective remedy for indigestion and heartburn. It also improves the perception of taste in anorexia.
Lemon juice mixed with water, sugar and coconut grating strengthens the body and is an aphrodisiac. Lemon juice combine with honey mixed in warm water helps one sleep well if taken at bedtime.
LOOK GOOD
RIGHT SIZE
IF you are thin and want to gain weight here’s how:
- Have regular meals at least three times a day. Do not skip breakfast.
- Eat foods which is rich in protein and vitamins, for instance moong dal cooked with ghee and a little pepper.
- Avoid junk foods that are dry, fried and spicy.
- Exercise regularly. Yoga and pranayama help body and mind to be harmony and improves mental health.
- Eat ghee, butter, milk, cheese and curd in adequate quantities, but correct your metabolism before you consume such foods.
- Banana, musk melon, and dry fruits help weight gain. Eat 30gms of raisins daily.
- Herbs like Ashwagandha ( Withania somnifers), amalaki (Emblica officianalis) boost immunity.
- Chyavanaprasham is an excellent herbal tonic. A warm oil massage daily with dhanvantara tailam or balashwagandha tailam tones muscles and improves blood circulation.
- Sleep for 30 minutes after lunch every day.
- Drink water in adequate quantity.
- If you are suffering from worms or metabolic disorders seek medical advice.
Written By: G.G.GANGADHARAN
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Three Pillars Of Health
Ayurveda touches all aspects of life – the mundane and those beyond physical existence. It perceives the gross and subtle at different junctures and proffers advice according to one’s propensity to align with them. To the seeker, Ayurveda makes available a comprehensive worldview for enriching one’s life. If one wants to limit oneself to the physical existence , the person is entitled too, knowledge available in Ayurveda is an ocean that can be accessed by the user according to his or her need and ability-sparsely or copiously.
Ayurveda perceives there human being as a combination of the body, mind and soul existing in a given space and time. Actually, this body communicates through the five sense organs that are representatives of the five great elements in nature- pruthvi, ap, tejas, vayu, and akasha. The human body is in fact, a combination of these five elements plus mind, soul, time and space. This totals nine elements that are the basis of the whole universe according to vaisesika philosophy. This also states the nexus between the living being (microcosm) and cosmos (macrocosm).
The body, which is the seat of the mind and soul, maintains its optimum health by regulating ahara (diet), svapna(sleep) and abrahmacharya (conjugal life). These are the three pillars of health according to Ayurveda which regulate the body by virtue of their actions in the body. Ayurveda delineates each of these elements elaborately.
- Ahara: The food we take is important not just for the body’s health but also for a sound mind. The gross part of food becomes the tissues and the subtle part becomes the mind. So from a non-physiological point of view, food can be classified as Satvik, Rajasik, and Tamasik. The Bhagvad Gita explains the qualities, characteristics and attributes of these three types of food which are especially important for people who pursue the spiritual path. Physiologically, food can be divided into six tastes (savdu, amla, lavana, tikta, usna(katu) and kasahya. And according to digestibility into two (guru and laghu-heavy and easy to digest). According to potentiality, food can be categorized into two (usna and sita- hot and cold). Some foods are tissue building and some are body depleting.
Food ingredients have been labeled as Sakavarga (leafy), Phalavarga(fruits), Dhanyavarhga (liquids like milk etc ), and Mamsavarga (non-vegetarian).
It is very interesting to see how meticulously our ancestors reflected on different food types. They have developed seven types of processes for changing food qualities which include heat application, pulverizing, retaining food raw with preservatives etc, food is also classified according to its action on the organs of human body. Some of these are hrudya(for heart), chaksusya(for eyes), tvacya(for skin), varnya (for colour of skin) etc.
The characteristics of the six seasons and foods suitable for consumption in those seasons are well established in Ayurveda tradition. In summer light food is preferred as the agni(digestive fire), is low. In winter heavy food can be ingested as the agni gets rejuvenated and can digest higher quantities of food.
- Svapna: Like food, proper sleep at the proper time and in a proper posture is very important for good health. Like dinacharya, Ayurveda also speaks of raatricharya. Raatricharya includes proper sleep of seven to eight hours continuously without any dreams.
- Abrahmacharya : Proper conjugal life is the basis of healthy living. Ayurveda explains how sex has to be consummated, the ideal time, the frequency, the age factor etc. this itself is a great subject for learning. According to Ayurveda, a male at 25 and a female at 18 are at for marriage. Of the six seasons except winter, sexual conjugation should be regulated to the limits of one’s strength. In winter, no limit is prescribed. Sex with proper rejuvenating agents is advised. Nights, excluding sunset and sunrise, are the preferred time for sexual union. Sex should not be indulged in sacred places, public places and unfamiliar places.
The above brief information about the three pillars of mundane life are given just to educate the common man about how elaborate and meticulous our ancestors have been in reflecting about every aspect of daily life. You can read more from a well-written book by Dr. M.S. Valiathan- “Introduction to Ayurveda”.
Written By: Prof.Dr.G.G.GANGADHARAN