Description of a Few Plants Used in Vamana Therapy:
Apamarga
The leaves, flowers, seeds, and root of apamarga, also known
as the prickly chaff plant, are utilized extensively in pancha karma, with the
leaves, flowers, seeds, and root being utilized in emesis treatment. Apamarga,
which has a pungent and bitter flavor and a heating effect, is used to treat
haemorrhoids, hiccoughs, and stomach ailments.
Arka
This plant, which is also known as sadapushpi and akda in
India, and belongs to the caltrops family, is widely employed in pancha karma.
Emesis treatment uses the roots, leaves, and flowers of this plant. The plant's
"milk" is recognized for its acute strength, and a few drops are
occasionally employed as an alkalizer in purgative decoctions. Flowering buds
emerge at the base of the leaves and mature into umbrella-shaped blooms. The
fruits are white and crimson in hue and have a cottony feel on the inside. Arka
is spicy and bitter, with a warming effect. It's used as an emetic and a
purgative, as well as to prevent tumors, ulcers, skin illnesses, and stomach
problems.
Ela
These green or black pods and seeds, often known as cardamom
in English, are well-known in both the Vedic cooking and the Ayurvedic
medicine. Cardamom is a spice that is fragrant, sweet, pungent, and warming.
It's commonly used in pancha karma's nasya, svedana, and vamana treatments, as
well as a digestive, heart tonic, and to treat urinary problems.
Karanja
This plant, often known as Indian beech in English, is often
employed in pancha karma. Karanja has a spicy, bitter flavor and a strong
heating effect. Emetic medicine includes the leaves, bark, seeds, and root,
which are also used to treat psychological tension, phlegmatic illnesses,
parasites from the body, skin illnesses, ulcers, and hemorrhoids.
Madana
The fruit of the madana tree, which is native to the
Himalayas, is well-known for its wide usage in vamana treatment and has been
extensively explored by the renowned Ayurvedic triumvirate of Charaka,
Sushruta, and Vagbhatta. There are as many names for this tree as there are
Indian languages. It's also known as the emetic nut or bushy gardenia in
English. This thorny tree, which grows to be around fifteen feet tall, has huge
white and yellow leaves and blooms. Madana phala are kidney-shaped fruits with
a sweet, bitter, and astringent flavor. They are picked before they ripen in
the spring and summer seasons, wrapped in kush grass, and buried for eight days
beneath cow dung, barley grain, mung or urad legumes until the fruit is soft
and ripe. After that, they're left to dry in the sun. One seed of the fruit is
extracted and mashed with honey and sesame butter in one of Charaka's formulae,
madana pippali. After drying, the paste is utilized as an emetic in vamana
treatment. Madana is also used to treat skin ailments, abdominal distension,
swellings, tumors, ulcers, and to aid in the evacuation of flatus from the body
due to its sweet and bitter taste.
Madhuka
This creeper, also known as yastimadhu in Sanskrit and
licorice in English, is utilized in a variety of Ayurvedic treatments. Its root
and bark are employed as a supplemental element in emesis therapy and as the
principal herb in purgation therapy, respectively. Licorice, which has a sweet flavor
and a cooling effect, is used to treat thirst, toxicity, weariness, nervous
tension, and blood diseases.
Musta
The musta weed, also known as nut grass or coco grass, has a
wiry rhizome-root structure that produces tiny tubers. This beneficial plant is
mistaken for a weed in many places and is exterminated. Musta is used in
Ayurveda to treat fevers, restore circulation and menstrual regularity, and
stimulate digestion. It has a bitter, pungent, and astringent flavor with a
chilly power. It's also used as a diuretic and to treat skin conditions
including eczema, burns, and internal bleeding. Musta can also be used as a
complement to antiemetic medications.
Nimba
The leaves of this large tree, sometimes known as neem, are
renowned for their bitterness. Nimba has a bitter and pungent flavor, as well
as a cold potency. Ayurveda makes considerable use of both leaves and roots.
Emesis treatment, blood illnesses, skin problems, and agni problems are all
treated using the leaves. Nimba tree twigs are still used as disposable
toothbrushes in India. Neem is an effective treatment for preventing tooth
decay and gum disease due to its inherent antibacterial properties. Neem powder
may also be used as a pesticide. The neem plant was just brought from India for
cultivation in Florida.
Pippali
The unripe peppers, also known as long peppers, are picked,
and stored to ripen before use. They are endemic to India and Java. Pippali is
a key element in Ayurvedic medicine for treating Kapha imbalances. It has a
spicy, volatile, and spicy flavor with a strong heating effect. Pippali is a
digestive and carminative herb used in Vedic cookery. It is also widely used in
Ayurveda to treat spleen issues, asthma, diabetes, and bronchitis. It's also a
natural antispasmodic.
Sveta bimba
The fruits, leaves, bark, and root of this plant, sometimes
known as the ivy gourd in English, are utilized in pancha karma. In India, the
ivy gourd is known as bimbi and comes in two flavors: bitter and sweet. Both
plants have a cooling effect. The sweet variety's fruit is used to treat blood
problems, swellings, anaemia, fevers, and emesis. The bitter variety's fruit is
used to treat Kapha diseases such colds, coughs, mucous, and lethargy.
Vacha
This branching rhizome, also known as sweet flag, myrtle
flag, or calamus, is a perennial noted for its therapeutic applications in
Ayurveda. The roots are reddish-brown in color, hairy, and crowded together.
Vacha root has an aromatic scent and a bitter, pungent flavor with a warming
effect. "Vacha" is a Sanskrit word that signifies
"speaking." Vacha is used as a brain tonic and to boost speaking
capability, as its name suggests. Vacha is commonly used in emesis and purgation
treatment to treat digestive and mental illnesses, as well as heart illness,
constipation, uterine issues, and infections.
Vidanga
This creeper, also known as embelia or viranga, has white
blooms and black berries. The berries are fragrant and warming and are often utilized
in Ayurveda. Vidanga is used to treat obesity and phlegmatic illnesses, as well
as to promote digestion, strengthen immunity, and remove internal parasites
including fungus, yeast, bacteria, and worms. It is also used as an oral
contraceptive when mixed with pippali.
A Few Plants Used in Virechana Therapy:
Badri
Badri is a small evergreen tree with thin scraggly branches
and stinging thorns that produces clusters of tiny star-shaped yellow flowers
and red oval leaves. It is also known as the jujube tree in English. In ancient
times, a grove of these trees high in the Himalayas was chosen as a sacred spot
for the saint Narayana, Lord Vishnu's avatar; now, Badrinath, a Hindu
pilgrimage destination, is still secluded in the grandeur of this same badri
grove. This tree's berries are used to create sherbet and preserves, and the
juice is utilized in purgation treatment.
Castor (eranda).
The eranda, or castor plant as it is known in English, is an
African plant that is now grown in India and many tropical nations. This
strongly purgative plant grows as an annual herb as well as a perennial tree
and is used to treat a variety of ailments. The castor plant has a sweet,
pungent, and warming flavor to it. The seeds and oil are largely used in
Ayurvedic medicine for purgative treatment, as well as to treat neurological
problems, pain, and heart disease, as well as to eliminate internal parasites.
The castor plant's roots are used to treat inflammatory diseases, fever,
asthma, and analgia. The leaves are used to treat Kapha problems including
asthma, cough, colds, and phlegm. The blossoms are used to treat glandular cancers,
while the fruits are utilized to restore appetite and reignite digestive fire.
Lotus (kamala).
Kamala is a Sanskrit word that signifies desired, good, or
rosy. The lotus, to borrow the English term, is regarded the birthplace of the
cosmos in Hindu mythology. It represents the universe's transformation from
formlessness to complete splendor. Lord Vishnu floats on the ocean with a lotus
flower sprouting from his navel after the universe has disintegrated. The
Creator, Brahma, emerges from the lotus and creates the universe. The goddess
Lakshmi, Vishnu's spouse, appears standing on a pink lotus, with lotus-eyed
eyes and wearing lotus garlands. Lord Vishnu and the goddess Lakshmi, who are
often depicted as the sun and the lotus in ancient Vedic mythology, are emblems
of the eternal love that binds the entire cosmos together. The lotus plant,
which is native to the ponds and lakes of Kashmir, China, and Japan, adorns the
waters around India's temples with its magnificent blue, white, pink, and red
blossoms. The lotus blossom is regarded as the most beautiful flower on the
planet. The lotus bloom is framed by huge waxy leaves that are typically used
as disposable plates for meals served at religious events in India. Ayurvedic
medicine, particularly pancha karma treatments, uses the roots, flowers,
leaves, stamens, and seeds extensively. The lotus is a sweet, astringent, and
cooling flower that is used as a nutritional tonic, aphrodisiac, and to soothe
nerve illnesses. The seeds can be used as a heart tonic.
Palasha
The palasha tree, also known as the "Flame of the
Forest," is considered sacred in India. The dye powders that worshippers
of Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva apply on their foreheads are made from its vivid
red and orange parrot-shaped blossoms. Butea monosperma is the Latin name for
this tree, named for the Earl of Bute, a patron of botany, and palasha is the
Sanskrit word for both beauty and leaf. Many unique and esoteric myths have
been told about the palasha tree. According to legend, the palasha tree was
born on Earth when a falcon's feather soaked in Soma, the gods' nectar formed
from the characteristics of the moon, fell to the ground, and formed the seed
for the tree. Pancha karma treatments employ wood, fruit, leaves, flowers,
seeds, and bark, whereas earth sveda therapies employ wood, bark, and leaves,
and purgation uses fruit, leaves, and seeds. The palasha tree offers the basic
material for tanning leathers, which is a red, astringent gum. Lacquer is
created by the lac insects that live on the tree and is used in colours and as
a sealing wax. In India, its leaves are still used to produce disposable plates
and animal feed, and its roots are used to manufacture rope.
Pomegranate (dadima).
Pomegranate, the English name for dadima, is derived from
the French term Pomegranate, which means seeded apple. The pomegranate is a
sign of fertility and wealth in the Vedas. The Prophet Mohammad is claimed to
have encouraged his students to consume this fruit to cleanse their jealousy
because of its astringent, sweet, and cooling properties. Pomegranates have
long been used to fend off bad spirits, according to legend. Pomegranate trees
have reddish orange blossoms with crumpled petals that bloom at the end of
their stiff, narrow limbs. Pomegranates are a small bushy tree that comes in
both evergreen and deciduous forms. The fruit is the size of giant Macintosh
apples and has a hard skin that cracks apart or "laughing" once
mature, revealing a cluster of carmine red fleshy seeds, which are the fruit's
edible section. Every component of the pomegranate tree is utilized medicinally
in Ayurveda. The root bark is used to remove internal parasites, while the
fruit is utilized as a blood cleanser and tonic. Pomegranate juice is used for
purgation and digestion, while the fruit rind is utilized as an
anti-inflammatory for mucous membranes.
Sesame seeds (tila).
The Sanskrit term "tila" refers to a little
particle, but "sesame" is derived from the Arabic word
"sesam," which denotes plants. The sesame plant is said to have been
initially grown in the Indus Valley, and sesame seed oil was the sole seed oil utilized
throughout Vedic times. The sesame seed is reported to have grown from a drop
of Lord Vishnu's perspiration that dropped to the ground in Hindu mythology.
The sesame plant is a tall, upright annual with gorgeous white trumpet-shaped
blooms. The fruit is a two-celled pod with white, buff, or black flat
pear-shaped seeds. When the fruits are fully mature, the pods break open,
scattering the seeds. The seeds and oil are widely utilized in Ayurvedic
treatment, including virechana, vamana, and vasti treatments. The sesame seed
is utilized as a basis for a range of herbs and chemicals that are used to
treat Vata disorders. Although it is most beneficial to Vata types, it may be
taken medicinally by anybody. Sesame is sattvic in nature and creates a serene
state of mind, making it one of the original meals of the cosmos. Trikatu
(ginger, black pepper, and long pepper) is an old Ayurvedic recipe made up of
equal parts of three strong spices: ginger, black pepper, and long pepper, like
triphala. Trikatu, unlike triphala, produces a lot of heat. This ancient trio,
often known as the three pungent spices, is one hundred times more effective
when all three components are mixed. Trikatu is the major formula used to heal
digestive issues and eliminate the existence of ama in the body, and it is utilized
in both virechana and vamana treatments. Trikatu is an expectorant,
decongestant, and stimulant, and as such it is used to treat coldness, mucous,
and stagnation in the body. Each of the three spices is energizing and hot in
nature. They constitute a strong synergy that helps to restore many Vata and
Kapha disorders when taken together.
Ginger (ardraka).
In Sanskrit, ginger is known as sunthi in its dry form and
ardraka in its fresh form, and it conveys the powers of the earth's fire. The
Vedas refer to it as "vishvabhesaja," or "universal
medicine." Ginger is a sattvic or peace-producing food, despite its hot,
pungent, and sweet character. Ginger is a perennial creeper with a thick
tuberous rhizome that produces an upright annual stem that is native to
Southeast Asia. Greenish purple blooms appear towards the end of the stalk. The
root works as a heart tonic and a digestive stimulant. It relieves anorexia
when combined with lime juice and honey, and it aids digestion when combined
with lime juice and rock salt. Colds, flus, indigestion, nausea, laryngitis,
arthritis, constipation, hemorrhoids, and migraines are all treated with
ginger, as well as purgation treatment. It is ideal for Vata and Kapha
diseases, however it may be taken medicinally by people of all kinds.
peppercorns (maricha).
Maricha, which means "sun" in Sanskrit, is a
powerful source of solar energy. It is a potent digestive stimulant that burns
ama and re-ignites agni. Black pepper, like the sun, is rajasic, or
energy-producing in nature. The black pepper plant is a perennial climbing
shrub with little white blooms and tiny yellow berries that become red as they
develop. They are native to South India and prefer to be in the shade. Their
tendrils frequently cling to the trunks of coconut trees. Chronic indigestion,
obesity, congestion, bodily coldness, bronchitis, sinusitis, intestinal
parasites, and toxins in the colon are all treated with black pepper. It is
ideal for Vata and Kapha diseases, however it may be taken medicinally by
people of all kinds.
peppers (pippali).
Pippali, the third ingredient in the trikatu mix, brings out the subtle fire (tejas) in black pepper and ginger. These peppers, which are native to India and Java, are harvested when still green and dried to retain maximum heat strength. The peppers are grey in color when dried, with a modest scent and a spicy flavor. Pippali is used to treat Vata and Kapha problems as a carminative, stimulant, and digestant, as well as an emetic.
Triphala (amalaki, bibhitaki, and haritaki).
Triphala is a mix of three ancient medicinal fruits from the
myrobalam family: amalaki, haritaki, and bibhitaki, which are widely utilized
in Ayurveda. These three fruits are ground into a powder known as triphala or
used to make a revitalising jam. Triphala is an Ayurvedic remedy that is both
old and widely used. The combo of these three strong myrobalam fruits gives an
infinitely powerful harmonic treatment for a thousand human ailments. Triphala
strengthens the stomach and intestinal tract, restores the immune system,
protects the tissues and organs, increases appetite, decreases internal heat
and quenches thirst, neutralises ama, alleviates urinary problems such as
diabetes, and is a fantastic rejuvenative tonic, among other things. Triphala
is a herb that is used in virechana treatment to induce moderate purgation and
is beneficial to people of all sorts.
Amalaki
The amalaki tree's fruit is made up of five parts, which symbolize
the five elements in Hindu mythology. The amalaki tree is thought to be the
universe's first tree. Its fruits are huge and pulpy, and when dried, they
become black. Although the entire tree is employed, the fruit is considered the
most essential portion of the plant in Ayurvedic medicine. Amalaki is a cooling
fruit that is sweet, sour, pungent, bitter, and astringent. It is utilized as a
nutritional tonic, blood cleanser, and for restoring tissue normality on its
own. Even though amalaki is mostly sour, it is suitable for all palates.
Bibhitaki
Bibhitaki is the third sister of the myrobalam tree family,
and it grows mostly in the and areas. The fruits of this enormous, prolific
tree are huge, spherical, and pulpy, with astringent and sweet flavors.
Bibhitaki is used for eye problems, hair loss, bronchial asthma, constipation,
skin problems, and as an anti-inflammatory and expectorant because of its
heating properties. Bibhitaki can be utilized by people of all kinds.
Haritaki
Haritaki fruits are borne on a huge tree with thick leaves
and golden blooms, as mentioned in Ayurvedic scriptures. They are brownish
black in hue and pear-shaped. Haritaki thrives in both cold and hot climes, and
is considered a sister of the amalaki tree. In Ayurveda, the type cultivated in
temperate areas is utilized more frequently. The Buddha is frequently shown
holding the haritaki fruit in his right hand, which is revered by both Vedic
and Buddhist seers. Haritaki improves lifespan, treats heart diseases, opens
physiological channels, and boosts prana when administered alone. Grief,
depression, cancer, eye ailments, skin ailments, rheumatism, and diabetes are
all treated with it. Haritaki, like amalaki, has a warming effect and comprises
five of the six flavors; only the salty taste is missing. It can be eaten with
a tiny amount of brown sugar in the summer and autumn, a tiny amount of rock
salt in the early fall, a small quantity of ginger powder in the early winter,
a few pinches of pippali powder in the late winter, and a tiny amount of honey
in the spring.
Trivrit
The trivrit plant's root is well recognized for its
widespread usage in Ayurvedic purgative treatment. Trivrit, like the madana
fruit used in emesis treatment, was referenced by Charaka and Sushruta, as well
as others.
There are two sorts of trivrit plants: one that is black and
one that is red. The root of the red trivrit plant is recommended in Ayurvedic
treatment. Trivrit is a sweet, astringent, and dry herb used in purgation
treatment to treat Pitta and Kapha illnesses such skin illnesses, fever, mental
disorders, gynecological disorders, stomatitis, anorexia, and bronchial asthma.
A Few Herbs Used in Vasti Therapy are Described:
Aloe vera (kumari)
This plant, often known as aloe vera, is native to the arid,
sunny landscapes of Southeastern and Northern Africa, Spain, Indonesia, India,
the Caribbean, and, more recently, Australia and the Southwest United States.
The Indians, Chinese, Greeks, and Egyptians have all employed aloe as a medicinal
plant for millennia. Aloe vera, which has a bitter, sweet, and astringent flavor,
is used to restore normal health by modifying nutritive and excretory
processes. This plant is also used as a moderate laxative, a liver and spleen
tonic, to control the intestines' peristaltic motions, to stimulate digestion,
and to ease abdominal distension by encouraging the downward flow of wind. All
three doshas are relieved by aloe vera, which is also beneficial in lowering
Pitta problems such fevers, skin infections, burns, ulcers, and oedema. Aloe
vera is very beneficial to the pituitary, thyroid, and ovaries. Aloe vera
softens and smoothes the complexion and relaxes the tissues and body as a
general rejuvenator. Aloe vera is calming to the intestinal and vaginal
passageways and is used in douching and enema solutions. It eliminates
parasites from the colon and, when combined with other enema treatment
substances, treats intestinal TB, convulsions, and epilepsy. Aloe vera may be
used externally to treat wounds and burns, as well as as a hair and scalp
conditioner.
Ajwan
Ajwan, also known as wild celery seed, is a powerful
digestive, respiratory, and nerve stimulant used to treat high Vata diseases
such intestinal gas, spasms, and mental problems. Colds, flus, asthma,
bronchitis, laryngitis, oedema, sinus congestion, and renal dysfunction can all
be treated with Ajwan. It eliminates deep-seated ama and boosts metabolic
activity. Ajwan is a spicy spice with a warming energy that is utilized as one
of several substances in vasti treatment.
Asafoetida (hingu).
The resin from the fleshy root of the perennial hingu, or asafoetida plant, is harvested from mature plants that are more than five years old. Asafoetida is one of the strongest digestive stimulants in Ayurveda and is normally used in very tiny quantities. It is sometimes referred to as "devil's dung" due to its exceedingly unpleasant and pervasive sulphurous smell. Constipation, indigestion, flatulence, abdominal distension, intestinal discomfort, arthritis, whooping cough, convulsions, epilepsy, intestinal parasites, hysteria, and palpitations are among the Vata and Kapha illnesses for which it is prescribed. Asafoetida is utilized in vasti treatment even though it is contraindicated for Pitta disorders. Asafoetida helps to break down restricted faecal waste generated through extended ingestion of animal or unwholesome meals, as well as to remove worms in the large intestine, while increasing the intestinal flora. Asafoetida has a lot of heat in it.
Ashwagandha
The Sanskrit word
ashwagandha refers to the fragrance or vigor of a horse, or what gives the body
its "horse force." The root of the ashwagandha plant, also known as
winter cherry in English, is used to treat Vata diseases such as sexual
debility, nervous tiredness, emaciation, issues associated with old age, memory
loss, spermatorrhea, tissue shortage, insomnia, paralysis, and infertility. Ashwagandha
can help with kapha issues include trouble breathing, coughing, and anaemia.
Skin problems and glandular swellings are also treated with ashwagandha when
Pitta is low in the body. Ashwagandha, which is similar to ginseng in nature,
is a good herb for enhancing semen and fertility. Ashwagandha is also utilized
in vasti treatment, which is delivered through the vaginal or penis, to treat
urinary tract and bladder problems, as well as infertility and sperm
inadequacy. During pregnancy, ashwagandha is a good balancer for the baby. It
also promotes tissue repair while regenerating the hormonal system. Ashwagandha
is a warming herb with a sweet, astringent, and bitter flavor.
Bala
The country mallow, or bala as it is known in Sanskrit, is a
plant that provides vigor and vigor. Bala is a sweet and cooling tonic that is
beneficial to all three doshas. It affects all dhatus, particularly the marrow
and nerves. Bala, atibala, and mahabala are the three principal mallow kinds utilized
in Ayurveda. Bala is a rejuvenating tonic that is particularly beneficial in
the treatment of Vata diseases. Bala feeds the nerves, calms the muscular
system, and soothes nerve tissue irritation, making it good for the heart. Bala
oil is applied topically to relieve nerve discomfort, numbness, and muscle
spasms. Bala is also utilized in vasti treatment as one of the moderate
substances to tone the colon while improving intestinal flora and controlling
correct peristaltic movement.
You may also want to read more about Ayurveda and Holistic Healing here.