Article
:
Clinical application of Ghee in
Ayurveda Practice
The Ghee was commonly
known as ghritam in vedic period. In ancient
period, people
were using
ghee for various purposes - as food product
and also
as therapeutic aspect, unfortunately today
people are not having this therapeutic knowledge
of
this gift of nature and on the other hand due
to improper
knowledge people are having fear and myths
for its consumption. Ghee is a yellowish white
fatty
substance, obtained from the milk of mammals.
Ayurveda considers Milk of eight kind of mammals
safe for
human beings, viz, cow, buffalo, goat, sheep,
camel, elephant, mare and woman. Ghee can be
prepared from this eight kind of milk are also
safe for
human. In normal condition, cow’s milk
ghee is considered to be the best for human consumption.
Ayurveda
considers ghee as madhur rasa with Vata and Pitta
dosha
pacifying qualities. It is
good for growth of the all seven dhatus in the
body (body fluids, blood, flesh, fat, bones, marrow
and semen). It is best suited to people of every
age, children, young and old alike. Ghee makes
all sensory organs more efficient. It also enhance
the growth of hair, formation of bones (rejoins
broken bonesin injury), growth of hair and improves
skin complexion. It is made of all five elements – pruthvi,
jala, agni, vayu and aakash, which are basic
elements of the life.
Different scholars of Ayurveda has described various
uses and benefits from the Ghee. Maharshi Charak
says ghee is stimulates appetite. It balances Vata
and Pitta dosha, reduces poison in the body, increases
memory and intelligence. Ghee is considered as
the best among all fat substances and thousands
of formulas for medicated ghee are described in
Charak Samhita for the treatment of various illness.
Acharya
Sushruta says ghee is sweet, soft, gentle and beneficial
to the body
in general. It increases
jatharagni in the body, but it is also heavy
to digest. In addition to Charaka’s comments,
he suggest ghee for complexion, beauty and
glow. Acharya Vagbhatta describes its healing
properties
and special benefits in the cases of burns
and weapon wounds.
There
are four kinds of fat described in Ayurveda; Ghee,
oil,
Vasa (fat from animals)
and bone marrow.
Ghee is considered as the best among all fats,
due to its characteristics to absorb all the
medicinal properties of the herbs with which
it is fortified,
without loosing its own qualities. It
is heard that only cow's milk ghee can increase
HDL (that
is harmless to the body), all other types of
fat normally increase LDL more. Ayurveda describes
Ghee as antiseptic, antibiotic and best preservative.
There is no need for any other preservative
for
Ghee.
In
Panchkarma treatments – a specialized
branch of treatment in Ayurveda, there is one ‘Snehana’ therapy.
Under this therapy fats are normally used for therapeutic
aspects. External applications and internal uses
of different kind of fat are described here. Medicated
or plain (pure) ghee is used here according to
disease or the condition of the person. Ghee is
used here to support - the treatments of diseases,
the rejuvenative treatments (rasayana) or the aphrodisiac
treatments (vajikaran). Ghee can be used for treatments
like – abhyang – massage, Akshitarpan
(treatment for eys), Gandush (Gargle – full
mouth filled with ghee), Pichu – ghee swab
application etc. Internally it can be recommended
for 3 to 7 days in increasing doses. The dose can
be up to 10 ml to 150 ml per day, according to
disease or person’s condition of the body.
Ghee in therapeutic uses:
In treatment of Headache :
Several cases of
non-specific headaches or migraine were asked
to consume 50
to 70 gram lukewarm ghee,
early morning either plain –with milk or
as ‘Shira’ – a sweet preparation
for 7 days. Clinically after one week majority
of the patients were noted significant benefits.
Headaches due to Pitta and Vata dosha can be controlled
with ghee. Particularly in summer, Pittaj shirahshul
and Suryavart headache this simple experiment shows
very good results.
email : feelgood@ayurve.com
Subject: Ghee
Article
Ayurvedic Massage
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Subject: Ayurvedic Massage
Ayurveda and Pregnancy
General Concepts
People all over
the world are living with Stress and Strain for
many reasons.
Crime, Terrorism and
Criminal attitude has reached sky levels. Majority
of the world population live without any sense
of satisfaction or mental peace, finding it difficult
to cope up with the day-to-day stress of modern
living. "AYURVEDA" the science of life,
has always recognized this, even as far back as
the Vedic period, and recommended specific, medications
and diet regimes to boost IQ and mental stability.
This treatments need to start early on, even before
conception. According to basic Ayurvedic principles,
it is vital to prepare the body and mind before
they are involved in the divine process of 'giving
birth'. In olden days, for a variety of reasons,
these recommendations were received only to the
higher classes of society, like the ruling caste
and priests.
Ayurveda
strongly believes in the mental and physical well
being
of the child.
To attain this, the physical
and mental purity of partners are essential. If
the couple is not in a state of mental stability
and calmness, even if they are physically fit,
they cannot give birth to a healthy child. This
mental calmness and stability ("Sathwa Guna")
of mind is closely related to ones food habits
and many other factors.
In this context Ayurveda recommends certain herbal
medicines and diet regimes before pregnency, immediately
after conception and during pregnancy.
Before Pregnancy
According to Aurveda, the ideal age for the couples
to give birth is between 16 and 25years of age.
The recommended minimum age for girls is 16 and
for boys 20. (In India, according to the law, 18
is the minimum age for marriage.) Before conceiving
the couples must prepare mentally and physically
to become parents.
The male has to undergo general detoxification
(panchkarma purification) and has to consume certain
aphrodisiac medicines. These panchakarma techniques
eliminate all the toxins in the body and are also
rejuvenating. Women too, have to undergo the same
kind of treatment. This can enhance the spermatogenesis
and oogenesis (sperm production and egg production),
both qualitatively and quantitatively in males
and females respectively. It also leads to improved
vigor and vitality in couples. Aphrodisiacs includes
food like Phseolus mungo, Sesame seeds prepared
with ghee and herbs like Mucuna pruriens, Withania
somniferra etc. In women married after the age
of 25, this kind of preparatory procedure is most
useful and effective. Couples should rest and relax
during this period. They have to do regular prayers,
listen to music or practice some yoga exercises
to relax the mind.
Diet is very important during this period. Food
should not be spicy. The basic taste must be sweet.
Soup like nourishment will be ideal. They must
eat more pulses like Green gram, different kinds
of dals [Bengal gram, Black gram], drink fruit
juices and plenty of warm milk.
Immediately after conceiving
Ayurveda recommends some special poojas (offerings)
before sexual coitus for a child. Those who are
interested can practice this. In order to bear
a male or female child certain dates for sexual
intercourse is recommended in many basic texts,
and experience bears this out. Counting from the
first day of menstrual cycle, intercourse during
days 10, 12,14 and 16 are likely to produce a male
child days 9, 11, 13 and 15 are recommended for
female child. Many couples do practice this method
in south India. Chinese herbal medicine has a similar
concept.
Indian herbal system prescribes certain types
of herbal treatments immediately after conception,
i.e. in the first month of pregnancy to produce
a male or female child depending on our wish! (Surely
sex is already determined on conception)
This includes drinking of herbal concoctions with
milk as well as using herbal medicines to drip
into the nose. This practice exists even today
and will be interesting to conduct a study on the
effectiveness of this. These particular therapies
are included as "Pumsavana" in Ayurveda.
Common drugs used are Achyranthus aspera, Ipomea
sepiaria, Solanum melongena, Ficus bengalensis
etc.
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Ayurveda & Osteoathritis
Ayurvedic food supplements for Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis
is the most common condition, affecting the weight
bearing joints
(e.g. knees, lower back,
hips, etc.), often described as "wear and
tear" arthritis.
In human body the
ends of the bones in normal joints are covered
with a smooth,
slippery tissue
called cartilage, which provides protection to
our bones. Joints also contain a fluid called synovial
fluid, which acts as a cushion or "shock absorber" and
lubricates the joint. In people with osteoarthritis,
the synovial fluid becomes thinner and loses its
elasticity. The thinner synovial fluid does not
provide a good cushion. For this reason, the cartilage
covering the ends of the bones begins to break,
which leads to pain and stiffness in the joint.
Osteoarthritis is also known as degenerative joint
disorder, because of degeneration of cartilage
covering the ends of the bones. In Ayurveda this
condition is called as Sandhighat Vata.
This condition can be a very mild disease or a
severe disease that greatly limits everyday activity.
For example, if patient has Osteoarthritis of the
knee, patient may feel pain and swelling in the
knee area and pain gets worse during movement of
the knee. Patient may feel or hear crunching or
cracking sounds on movement of joints. X-rays usually
confirm diagnosis.
Ayurvedic Science is based on the principles of
Bio-energy. There are three types of Bio-energies
or Doshas called Vata, Pitta and Kapha, which control
metabolism and all other functions of human body.
The equillibrium of the Doshas provide complete
health and imbalance of these Doshas lead to various
disorders. Osteoarthritis (Sandhighat Vata) is
a Vata disorder in which excessive Vata energy
causes dryness in the joints followed by pain,
swelling and stiffness of affected joints.
Ayurvedic therapy in Osteoarthritis not only prevents
further deterioration in the joints but also rejuvenates
the damaged cartilages. In my private practice
I have seen Ashwagandha, Guggul and Shilajit, one
capsule or tablet each twice a day with large glass
of water for six months produce excellent results
in Osteoarthritis. These herbs do not cause any
side effect even for long-term use. As acute pain
may not be felt in every case of degeneration,
one must think of starting treatment at the very
initial stage.
Ayurvedic diets and life styles are selected as
per constitution of the individual. One should
avoid being overweight, because excess weight increases
the load on the joints. Regular exercises of knee
joints help the patient to remain fit.
Dr. Harish K. Verma*
* Delhi and author of "Secrets of Ayurveda" published
in UK.
To consult : send us an email on info@ayurveda.com.au
(Subject:Osteoathritis)
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