Ayurveda emphasizes preventative and healing
therapies along with various methods of purification and rejuvenation.
Ayurveda is more than a mere healing system; it is a science and an art
of appropriate living, which helps to achieve longevity. Panchakarma is
Ayurveda's primary purification and detoxification treatment.
Panchakarma means the "five therapies". It is a comprehensive
system of knowledge and practices to purify the body of toxins and
restore it to balance with natural law. These 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). Panchakarma is
ineffective if special detoxification diet is not given along with the
treatments. Panchakarma plays a vital role in Ayurvedic medicine, both
in health as well as in disease. Although panchakarma is often thought
of as the entire procedure, it really is only one part of a group of
therapies belonging to a class of cleansing procedures called shodan.
There is also a group of milder techniques called shaman for those not
strong enough for shodan.
In today's world when more and more people are falling prey to the
adverse effects of stress and anxiety, which is leading to diseases like
improper digestion, lack of sleep, allergies, chronic fatigue, cancer,
heart diseases, diabetes, osteoporosis etc. The importance of pancha
karma in ayurveda is borne out by the fact that it is applicable to all
cases covering a wide range of preventive, curative, and promotive
conditions. These diseases are caused mainly due to deeply seated
toxins. With the process of Panchakarma it eliminates these toxins from
the body, allowing healing permanently of tissues, channels, digestion
and mental functions. In Ayurveda, the treatment is broadly divided into
two categories: Shodhana and Shamana. Curing the disease by cleaning out
the impurities is called Shodhana chikitsa, which is the principle of
Panchakarma. It involves the clearing of vitiated doshas (vata, pitta
and kapha) which cause the disease and thereby the restoration of
equilibrium of doshas.
Panchakarma includes the following five purification therapies:
