Ayurveda Treatments

REJUVENATE LITERALLY MEANS ‘TO MAKE YOUNG AGAIN’. IN AYURVEDA, REJUVENATION OR RASAYANACHIKITSA, IS THE GOLDEN WAY TO ATTAIN LONGEVITY. A METAMORPHOSIS OF THE HUMANBODY, IT RESTORES SPIRIT AND VITALITY. AN ELABORATE DESCRIPTION OF THIS PROCESS OF REVITALIZATION HAS BEEN DESCRIBED IN THE CLASSICAL TEXTS. ACCORDING TO CHARAKA, THIS MIRACULOUS CHANGE CAN BE BROUGHT ABOUT IF ‘’A MAN WITH RESOLUTION AND PURPOSE, FULL OF FAITH AND WITH NO SINS OF THE HEART AND WHO WISHES FOR THE WELL-BEING OF ALL CREATURES’’ UNDERGOES A PRESCRIBED SIX-MONTHS COURSE OF REJUVENATION. BUT THIS RIGOROUS AND DISCIPLINED PROCESS OF CLASSICAL AYURVEDIC REJUVENATION IS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE IN MODERN TIMES.

KARNAPOORANA MEANS FILLING THE EARS. IN THIS TREATMENT, THE PATIENT IS MADE TO LIE DOWN ON ONE SIDE AND LUKEWARM PURIFIED AND MEDICATED OIL (PRESCRIBED ACCORDING TO THE ILLNESS) IS GENTLY POURED INTO THE EAR. AFTER REMAINING IN THE SAME POSITION FOR ABOUT FIVE MINUTES THE PATIENT TURNS AND THEN OIL IS APPLIED TO THE OTHER EAR ALSO. IN SEVERE CASES THE PROCESS IS REPEATED FOR A WEEK OR MORE.

HERE OIL IS POURED INTO A DAM OF BLACK GRAM DOUGH MADE ON THE LUMBOSACRAL REGION AND KEPT THERE FOR A SPECIFIED TIME. KATIVASTI IS USED TO TREAT PAINS OF THE LOWER BACK.

THE APPLICATION OF MEDICAL OIL OR POWDERS THROUGH THE NOSTRILS IS CALLED NASYA. ACCORDING TO VAGBHATA THE AUTHOR OF ASHTANGA HRUDAYA “NASAHI SHIRASOO DWARA” WHICH MEANS “NOSTRILS ARE THE DOORWAY TO THE BRAIN”. NASYA AN IMPORTANT METHOD OF TREATMENT FOR ILLNESS OF THE HEAD REGION (URDHWANGA CHIKITSA) HAS BEEN DISCUSSED ELABORATELY IN THE CLASSICAL TEXTS.

APPLICATION OF MEDICATED OIL ON THE EYES IS CALLED NETRAVASTI. HERE, AFTER THE PATIENT HAS BEEN SUBJECTED TO ELIMINATORY PROCEDURES LIKE EMESIS OR PURGATION. HE IS MADE TO LIE ON HIS BACK ON A TABLE AND THEN A TANK OF FLOUR PASTE, THREE TO FOUR CM HIGH, IS BUILT AROUND HIS EYES. NOW WHILE THE PATIENT KEEPS HIS EYES CLOSED, MEDICATED GHEE IS POURED GENTLY INTO THE DAM, OVER BOTH EYES. AFTER SUFFICIENT QUANTITY OF THE UNCTION HAS BEEN POURED, THE PATIENT OPEN AND CLOSE HIS EYES INTERMITTENTLY, FOR A MAXIMUM OF FIVE MINUTES. THE DURATION VARIES ACCORDING TO THE NATURE OF THE AILMENT. FOR SOME TIME AFTER THE COMPLETION OF THE TREATMENT, THE PATIENT IS NOT ALLOWED TO EXPOSE HIS EYES TO STRONG LIGHT.

THE NJAVARA SPECIAL TYPE OF RICE COOKED WITH HERBAL DECOTION, MILK AND CERTAIN MEDICINAL PUDDINGS, IN THE FORM OF BOLUSES TIED UP IN COTTON CLOTH IS APPLIED THE WHOLE BODY OR A SPECIFIC PART OF THE BODY HELPS THE BODY TO FOMENT , FOR PERIOD OF 7 TO 14 DAYS. IT IS USED IN THE TREATMENT OF NEUROMUSCULAR DISORDERS, HEMIPLEGIA, CHRONIC RHEUMATIC DISORDER, FOR REJUVENATION, GERIATRIC PROBLEMS ETC.

HERE,THE OIL IS POURED ON THE FOREHEAD OF THE PATIENT.

PROCEDURE

AFTER THE PREPARATORY APPLICATION OF OIL ON THE HEAD AND THE UPPER PART OF THE BODY, THE PATIENT IS MADE TO LIE ON HIS BACK ON A DRONI WITH THE VESSEL FOR THE DHARA, HUNG SIX TO EIGHT INCHES AROUND THE FOREHEAD. A HEADBAND (VARTTI) IS TIED AROUND THE FOREHEAD JUST ABOVE THE EYEBROWS TO PREVENT OIL FROM FLOWING INTO THE EYES AND TO DIRECT ITS FLOW STRAIGHT DOWN FROM THE TEMPLES. THE WARM OIL FROM THE VESSEL IS THEN LET OUT IN A CONTINUAL FLOW THROUGH A SPOUT AT THE BOTTOM. FOR A SEVEN -DAY TREATMENT, THE PATIENT WILL BE SUBJECTED TO DHARA ONLY THREE TO FOUR TIMES, FOR ABOUT 20 TO 40 MINUTES. RECENT RESEARCHES SHOW THAT THIS THERAPY INDUCES VASODILATION WITH IN THE BRAIN AND NOURSHING THE NERVOUS SYSTEM.

HIROVASTI LIKE UROVASTI AND KATIVASTI, CANNOT BE CLASSIFIED AS A TYPE OF VASTI. THE ONLY REASON WHY THIS TREATMENT, LIKE THE OTHER TWO, HAS VASTI AS PART OF ITS NAME IS BECAUSE OF ITS SIMILARITY TO THE ACTUAL VASTI. HERE OIL IS ALLOWED TO STAY ON THE PATIENT’S BODY FOR A WHILE USING NOT A BLADDER BUT SOME OTHER KIND OF CONTAINER. IN SIROVASTI, A LEATHER CAP OF ABOUT SIX TO EIGHT INCHES HEIGHT IS KEPT ON THE SHAVEN HEAD OF THE PATIENT AND A VARTTI TIED. THEN KNEADED DOUGH IS USED TO LINE THE INSIDE OF THE CAP. OIL POURED INTO THE CAP AND KEPT ON THE HEAD FOR A WHILE. SHIROVASTI IS USED FOR TREATING CATARACT AND EARACHE, AILMENTS AFFECTING THE CRANIAL NERVE AND THOSE AFFECTING THE REGION OF THE HEAD DUE TO VATA DISORDERS.

SWEDANA IS A FORM OF THERAPY THAT USES THE HERBAL STEAM TO RELEASE TOXINS FROM THE BODY THROUGH SKIN. IT IS THOUGHT TO RELIEVE MUSCULAR TENSION, RESTORE FLEXIBILITY, CLEAR ENERGY PASSAGES, DETOXIFY THE BODY, AND HELP WITH MUSCULAR INFLAMMATION, HYPERTENSION AND CIRCULATION.

THE SHIRODHARA IS VERY EFFECTIVE FOR TREATING DISEASES AFFECTING THE HEAD, EYE, FOR CHRONIC SINUSITIS AND SOME CASES OF INSANITY. IT IS ALSO USED TO TREAT SOME DISEASES CAUSED BY VATA DISORDERS. ITS SOOTHING EFFECT ON THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM ALLEVIATES STRESS AND CALMS THE MIND, WHICH IN TURN IMPROVE THE POWER OF COMPREHENSION AND MEMORY.

IN TALAPOTHICHIL – COVERING OF THE HEAD – THE CROWN IS KEPT COVERED WITH MEDICINAL PASTE, GOOSEBERRIES FROM WHICH THE SEEDS HAVE BEEN REMOVED, ARE SOAKED IN A MIXTURE OF BUTTERMILK AND MEDICINAL DECOCTION. THIS IS THEN STORED IN EARTHEN VESSELS OVERNIGHT. THE NEXT MORNING, THE SOAKED GOOSEBERRIES ARE GROUND TO A COARSE PASTE TO BE USED FOR APPLICATION ON PATIENT’S BODY.

HERE, THE PATIENT IS MASSAGED WITH MEDICINAL OILS OR WITH DRIED, FINELY PULVERIZED HERBAL POWDER (CHURNA).WHILE THE OILY MASSAGE CURES MANY KINDS OF NERVOUS DISORDERS, THE DRY ONE IS EFFECTIVE FOR TREATING OBESITY, RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS AND MANY KAPHA DISORDERS. THE UNIQUENESS OF THIS THERAPY IS THAT THE STROKING MOTION DURING THE MASSAGE IS UPWARDS OR TOWARDS THE HEART.

UROVASTI IS ADMINISTERED ON THE URAS OR CHEST. IN THIS TREATMENT, A SMALL TANK OF DOUGH IS MADE ON THE CHEST, AROUND THE REGION OF THE STERNUM, AND MEDICATED OIL IS POURED INTO IT AND KEPT THERE FOR A SPECIFIC TIME. THE TREATMENT IS USED TO TREATING PAIN IN THIS AREA.