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Ayurveda > Panch-karma > Rakta-Moksha
By Dr. Satish Kulkarni
In this article
we will discuss Rakta-moksha
or bloodletting. This is not
practiced much in ayurvedic
medicine now because of the
advancement of science. It is the
traditional ayurvedic method
used for cleansing of blood that was common world
wide up until the 20th centuary. Ancient ayurvedic
philosophy believed that this type of
purification of blood helps in
clearing ‘impurities’
present in the blood.
Ama (toxins)
created as a result of the
aggravation of the vaat-pitta-kafa
(basic body constituents) are
absorbed in the blood and are
circulated throughout the body. This
can be the root cause of repeated
infections, hypertension and certain
other blood related problems.
In this
context, ayurvedic scholars
mainly talk about skin conditions
such as allergic disorders of the
skin, rashes on the skin, herpes,
eczema, acne, scabies and chronic
itch. One ayurvedic school
recommends rakta-moksha in a
condition like leukoderma,
considering it to be a pitta
related disorder. In these
conditions, along with internal
cleansing, elimination of accumulated
‘bad’ blood in a particular
region of body is necessary for
purification of blood. Rakta-moksha
is considered to be a radical choice
of treatment in the above conditions.
Rakta-moksha
is also advised in cases like
enlarged liver, spleen and gout. It
is recommended in case of
hypertension to relieve internal
tension in the body. It also helps in
haematoma, localized oedema,
abscesses, boils, cysts and
hydro/pyo/hematoceles. It can be
considered as a treatment in chronic
dermatitis, cellulitis, sinusitis and
swellings resulting from strain and
sprain. It is a preferred treatment
in cases of dog/ snake/
scorpion/gadfly bite if blood is
accumulated near the area of the
bite.
There are
several ways to perform bloodletting.
One way is to remove some blood
through a nearby vein. The other way
is to take parallel cuts on the skin
of the affected part of body using a
sterilized blade. It can also be done
by applying a leech (a blood sucking
worm) on the affected part of the
body. Another way is to apply a tumbadi
(i.e. a cupping instrument). All
these methods help in removing
‘impure’/ accumulated/
unwanted blood in a particular
region.
Rakta-moksha
is contraindicated in cases of pandu
(anemia), rajayakshma (tuberculosis),
kamala (jaundice), general
body debility as a result of any
disease, and diabetes. It is also
contraindicated for children (below
10 years) and the elderly (above 70
years of age). It is contraindicated
in pregnancies and in blood loss
(e.g. in menstruation, in accidents,
etc.) Rakta-moksha is not
advised for breast feeding mothers
either.
To summarize, rakta-moksha
or blood letting is a harsh
treatment. It is an attempt to remove
‘impure’ blood from the
body. This treatment is not practiced
in the modern era because modern
surgical techniques have taken the
place of this old technique. If at
all chosen, it should be performed
very carefully and with a great
caution, so as to avoid profuse blood
loss and ill effects on the body and
sudden death as a result of that.
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