Panchakarma is a Sanskrit word that means “five actions” or “five treatments”. This is a process used to clean the body of toxic materials left by disease and poor nutrition. Normally the body has the innate ability to efficiently process and remove these waste materials, including the vitiated doshas. However due to one’s repeated dietary indiscretions, poor exercise patterns, lifestyle, and genetic predisposition the digestive enzymes, metabolic co-factors, hormones, and agnis which regulate the body’s internal homeostasis become disorganized. This can lead to the accumulation and spread of toxins throughout the physiology resulting in disease. This waste matter is called ama in Ayurveda. Ama is a foul-smelling, sticky, harmful substance that needs to be completely evacuated from the body.
Panchakarma will remove the excess doshas and correct imbalances in them as well as eliminate the harmful ama out of your system through the body’s own organs and channels of elimination (colon, sweat glands, lungs, bladder, urinary tract, stomach, intestines, etc). Panchakarma purifies the tissues at a very deep level. It involves daily massages and oil baths, herbal enemas, nasal administrations. It is a very pleasurable experience. Ayurveda recommends Panchakarma as a seasonal treatment for maintaining mental and physical hygiene and balance.
According to ayurveda, good health depends upon our capability to fully metabolize all aspects of life, assimilating that which nourishes and eliminating the rest. When we can’t completely digest our food, experiences, and emotions, toxins accumulate in our bodily tissues, creating imbalance and – ultimately – disease. Panchakarma is an elegant cleansing process that releases stored toxins and restores the body’s innate healing ability.
When our digestive energies, known as Agni (fire), are robust, we create healthy tissues, eliminate waste products efficiently, and produce a subtle essence called Ojas. Ojas, which may be envisioned as the innermost sap of our psychophysiology, is the basis for clarity of perception, physical strength, and immunity. On the other hand, if our Agni is weakened, digestion is incomplete and creates toxins that get stored in the body. This toxic residue is known as Ama.
The Foundation for Health and Well-being
When ama accumulates in the body, it blocks the flow of energy, information, and nourishment throughout the system. Ayurveda considers this build-up of toxins the underlying cause of all disease. A common example of this is the accumulation of saturated fat and cholesterol that is beyond the body’s capacity to metabolize. Over time, this leads to the blockage of the blood vessels and arteries and, ultimately, to heart attacks.
While it’s easy to understand agni and ama in terms of food, it’s important to remember that your mind and heart are continually digesting energy and information as well. Right now your mental digestive powers are working right now to break down these ideas into components that your intellect can assimilate. Similarly, your emotional agni is responsible for processing your experiences and feelings, including the smile of a loved one, unexpected criticism at work, or the excitement of a new relationship.
Restoring the Body’s Natural Balance
If your emotional agni is strong, you are able to extract whatever is nourishing and eliminate the rest. The inability to metabolize emotions, however, produces just as much toxic residue as undigested food. In fact, pent-up anger, long-held sadness, and lingering guilt are more debilitating for most people than problems with physical digestion.
If we want to experience optimal health, it is crucial to maintain a strong digestive fire and eliminate toxins from the body. Panchakarma is a time-proven natural therapy that detoxifies and restores the body’s inner balance and vitality.
Benefits of Panchkarma
The aim of Ayurveda is to ensure good health for a healthy man and to cure the disease for a diseased man. In both the cases, Panchakarma detoxification is necessary to cleanse out the Doshas (TOXINS) at regular intervals.
After Detox, ayurvedic medicines absorb better and are more effective plus the entire process improves quality of life. Some benefits are as follows:-
Removes the root cause of disease.
Balances the bodily Humour Vata, Petta and Kapha.
Improves Immunity.
Balance the Nervous system, Blood circulatory system, Digestive system and also as well as Physiological equilibrium.
Remove the Toxins situated at the week point of body.
Increases Mental and Physical efficiency.
Increases skin glow.
Reduces extra fat.
Remove insomnia, anxiety and mental problem.
Increases loss of vigour and stamina.
Try this ayurvedic cleanse at home and restore your body, mind, and spirit to a natural state of balance.
If you’d like a glimpse into the benefits of panchakarma(ayurveda’s ancient cleansing and rejuvenation practice) without the expense of going to a clinic, try this home version. Avoid this program if you are pregnant, weak, anemic, or debilitated. Otherwise, it’s safe for most healthy people.
Getting Started
First, you need to determine your ayurvedic constitution, which is composed of the three doshas. In most people, one dosha is primary, another is secondary, and the third is least prominent.
Ideally you should undertake this mini-program during a weeklong vacation so that you can escape your daily grind. If you have a hectic family life, rent a cabin in the woods where you can observe silence. Avoid excess stimulation (including sex) and spend your time resting, walking in nature, reading light material, and practicing gentle yoga and meditation. At the minimum, do days 1 to 3 during the workweek and days 4 to 8 over a long weekend.
A word of caution: This program releases old, unresolved emotions stored in our deep connective tissue. To cope, avoid the urge to resuppress them and practice regular meditation to soothe your heart and soul.
Days 1–3
Drink 2 ounces of warm ghee(Clarified butter) in the early morning (if you have high blood levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, or sugar, replace the ghee with 2 tablespoons of flaxseed 15 minutes before meals for three days). Vata-dominant people should add a pinch of rock salt to their ghee, while kapha-dominant people should add a pinch of trikatu. Follow your dosha-pacifying diet. Every night, put 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of triphala powder into a cup and add 1/2 cup of boiling water, steep for 10 minutes, then drink. This is a mild but nourishing laxative.
Days 4–5
Eat only kitchari for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Drink a tea specific to your dominant dosha, steeping 1/2 to 1 teaspoon for 5 minutes, then drink.
Vata Tea — equal parts ground ginger, cumin, and coriander
Pitta Tea — equal parts ground cumin, coriander, and fennel
Kapha Tea — equal parts ground ginger and cinnamon, and a pinch of clove
Pitta Tea — equal parts ground cumin, coriander, and fennel
Kapha Tea — equal parts ground ginger and cinnamon, and a pinch of clove
At bedtime, massage your body for 15 to 20 minutes with 8 ounces of warm organic oil (sesame oil for vata, sunflower oil for pitta, and corn oil for kapha). Rest for a few minutes to let your skin absorb the oil, then take a hot shower or bath. Scrub your body with natural soap but allow some oil to remain on your skin. Then take a dose of triphala and head to bed.
Days 6–8
Continue your regimen of kitchari and tea, evening massage and shower, and triphala. At bedtime, boil 1 tablespoon of the ayurvedic herbal compound dashamoola in 2 cups of water for 5 minutes. After it has cooled to body temperature, strain it and use the liquid as a basti. Try to retain the liquid for at least 30 minutes—overnight if possible—before visiting the bathroom.
Days 9–12 and beyond
Congratulations: Your main panchakarma program is over. On Day 9, add steamed vegetables to your kitchari. Gradually transition to a heartier diet by adding unyeasted breads and more vegetables to your meals, then return to your doshic diet.
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