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with milk to the devotees suffering from mental disease to induce vomiting. A milk pudding
is also given which would facilitate emesis. Apart from inducing emesis, these medicines
would also cause bouts of purgation, which would last for two to three hours. Following this
a specific type of rice gruel is given to strengthen the body without any other diet
restrictions. This practice is commonly done in artificial poisoning. There are number of
such practices of emesis, purgation, bloodletting or enemas in these local health traditions.
If these methods are widely described in various traditions, one wonders what is exceptional
about Panchakarma in Ayurveda. Panchakarma has a systematic approach that includes
pre-Panchakarma techniques, a sequential approach of five methods and post
Panchakarma procedures in the form of a complete package. Persons who are suitable and
not suitable for each of these techniques, how to do Panchakarma, symptoms of effective
medication, complications of Panchakarma, treatment of these complications, benefits of
doing each of these techniques, variations to be followed in the method based on the
strength of the patient, seasons etc, different materials used, conditions in which each
technique has to be administered are discussed in detail in Ayurvedic classical texts. In the
context of vasti (medicated enema), it is mentioned "Etat chikitsardham iti pratishtha."
which means that vasti is considered half of treatment in Ayurveda. Thus, one could aver
that Panchakarma forms a major part of the treatment in Ayurveda.
THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
According to Ayurveda, body is made of 7 different types of tissues called dhatu. These
body tissues are nourished through food materials that get digested by action of digestive
fire (agni) . The digested materials are carried to different tissues through srotas (body
channels). At each tissue level, there is a digestive fire that works on the food material to
activate absorption of nutrients into the corresponding tissue.
As a by-product of this process, mala (waste materials) are formed which are eventually
eliminated. Nourishment of body tissues results in the indigestion of food in the body. This
undigested material or waste material (ama) clog the body channels and manifests in
different disease conditions. Management of these conditions has to be done by removing
of these clogged materials in the body channels when they become pakva (digested and
disintegrated), and they then move into the kostha (main channel). During Panchakarma,
these are expelled through natural orifices. As it is a mechanism to eliminate the waste
materials from the body, Pancharkarma is not only used as curative treatment but also as
preventive and promotive.
"Seetodbhavam dosacayam vasante visodhayam greesmajam abhrakale
ghanatyaye varsikamaasu samyak prapnoti rogaan rtujaan na jaatuch"
Lord of Dhanvanthari