| |
Ayurveda > Ayurvedic Treatment > Ashtang-Ayurved: Vaman
By Dr. Satish Kulkarni.
In the previous
article we discussed
Purva-karma i.e. snehan
(olation therapy) and swedan
(fomentation therapy or induced
sweating). These procedures
facilitate the release of
ama (toxins)
accumulated in the body channels thus
making their expulsion easy. After purva-karma
the ayurvedic therapist
schedules one or more panch-karma (five
main procedures) as per the need of
the patient. Vaman (induced
vomiting) tops the list and is the
most frequently chosen therapy for ama
accumulation, especially when there
is accumulation in the respiratory
and/or digestive tract.
Vaman
(induced vomiting or emesis therapy):
Respiratory conditions like
repeated attacks of common cold,
chronic cough, chronic bronchitis,
asthmatic bronchitis and bronchial
asthma need thorough cleansing of the
respiratory tract (pranavaha
strotasa) and vaman is the
preferred therapy in these
conditions.
Digestive
disturbances like acid peptic disease
(amla pitta), tendency to
indigestion (mandagni), a type
of jaundice (rudhdha path kamala)
and motion sickness also need
purification and vaman shows
good results.
Vaman
helps in relieving the aggrieved kafa
accumulated in the respiratory tract
and/or the aggrieved pitta
accumulated in the digestive tract.
This ayurvedic
treatment of therapeutic vomiting
also helps in eliminating accumulated
thoughts and tension from the mind (manovasa
strotas). It is said that vaman
is effective in psychological
conditions like feeling of
saturation, vague dizziness, anxiety
neurosis, compulsive obsessive
disorder, disturbed sleep and
nightmares. In these cases, vaman
helps in expelling suppressed or
repressed emotions. Many times people
feel they have swallowed hair or a
pin-like object or glass or that they
have consumed poison or a substance
causing irritation, unknowingly
through food. Vaman helps in
expelling random troubling,
irritating and unending thoughts in
these conditions.
Pre-procedure:
One to three days prior to vaman,
internal snehan (drinking a
measured amount of oil or pure ghee)
and/or swedan (fomentation) is
carried out. This induces nausea
which ultimately facilitates vaman.
Procedure:
Vaman is arranged
preferably early in the morning after
motion has been passed. 3 to 4
glasses of decoction of licorice (yashtimadhu)
or emetic nut (madan fal) or
simple salt water are administered
orally and vomiting is stimulated by
rubbing the tongue as this rubbing
stimulates the vomiting center in the
brain.
After a few
minutes, the patient starts vomiting
and this vomitus is collected in a
measuring pot. It mainly contains
mucous lodged in the respiratory
tract and digestive juices causing
irritation. These include accumulated
bile and other unwanted secretions.
Results:
After effective vaman the
patient instantly feels relieved and
fresh. Congestion, suffocation,
fullness and dullness disappear and
the body channels (strotasa)
become clear. This in turn restores
lost appetite and energy.
Fasting for 8
to 10 hours is observed after which
the patient is allowed to take a
light and bland diet. Drinking plenty
of water or natural fluids like lemon
juice, coconut water, rice water and
water from boiled pulses is
recommended after vaman to
avoid dehydration.
Contraindications:
Vaman is a harsh treatment
and is contraindicated in pregnancy
and impaired immunity. Also, if a
patient is suffering from hematemesis
or hemoptysis then vaman is
contraindicated.
Visit India Herbs For
Genuine Ayurvedic Medicines and
Nutritional Supplements
Back - Next |
|
|
