| panchakarma is Ayurveda's primary purification and detoxification treatment
The name Panchakarma comes from the Sanskrit words panch, which means "five," and karma, which means "action. The name thus incorporates a set of five systematic actions used for purification of the body: vamana, nasya, virechan, raktamokshana and basti.
Ayurveda defines health as the state where every aspect of our being is working properly and in harmony with all its other aspects i.e the digestive fire (agni) is in a balanced condition; the three doshas -vata, pitta and kapha- are in equilibrium according to the individual constitution; waste products (malas) are produced and eliminated normally; and the mind, senses, and consciousness are working harmoniously together.
An improper diet, lifestyle, seasonal changes, repressed emotions and stress factors can all affect the balance of doshas (either aggravation or derangement) which affects the agni (gastric fire) causing a toxic substance called ama to accumulate in the body It enters the bloodstream and is circulated throughout the body, clogging the channels. Ama interferes with normal functioning and the flow of energy, creating imbalances and disease. Due the imbalance waste products (malas) are not effectively eliminated from the body. These wastes tend to stick into the minute channels of the body known as the 'srotas' and start producing disease.
One of the primary goals of Panchakarma is to cleanse the body of excess ama, and to restore the body's digestive power (agni). It is used to bring the aggravated doshas into balance and to flush out the accumulated 'ama' toxins from the body using the normal modes of elimination like the intestines, sweat glands and the urinary tract.
panchakarma is considered to be the most radical way to cleanse the body and thereby eliminate, once and for all the disease causing doshas and the toxins.
The "Five" therapeutic means of eliminating toxins from the body are Vamana, Virechana, Nasya, Basti and Raktamoskshana. This series of five therapies help remove deep rooted stress and illness causing toxins from the body while balancing the doshas (energies that govern all biological functions).
The five fold therapy
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