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.jpg) Q:
The Maharishi Ayurveda
concept of detoxification appears to be much more comprehensive and thorough
than other methods, in addition to being more natural. What are the steps
for detoxification in Maharishi Ayurveda?
A:
Every Ayurvedic
detoxification programme has three steps: preparation, cleansing and
post-cleansing therapies. Preparation is the most important part of the
Ayurvedic detox programme. To prepare the body for detoxification, it's
important to first balance the agni, or digestive fire. If someone has high
or sharp agni, they need to take herbs or eat foods to reduce their agni. If
the person has low agni, they need to take agni-enhancing herbs, or drink
agni-enhancing herbal water. A third situation is irregular agni, meaning
sometimes it's high and sometimes it's low, generally associated with a Vata
imbalance. For this situation, we need to balance the agni first so it
becomes more even.
Preparation also takes into account the imbalances of the person. If you
have more Kapha and are overweight, you will need a Kapha-pacifying diet and
herbal water with more warming herbs. If you have a Pitta imbalance, you
will need a Pitta -pacifying diet and herbal water with some attention to
clearing the channels. For a thin person with Vata aggravation, a
lubricating and nurturing diet and herbal water is needed. Lubricating and
nurturing foods and herbs help pacify Vata and normalize an irregular agni.
This careful preparation is unique to Maharishi Ayurveda. The general
prevalent understanding is that before detox the only thing you need to do
is increase the agni, and many detox programme advise one and all to
heighten their agni, regardless of the differences in their constitutions
and current imbalances. But you can see that given the different imbalances
and levels of agni that is not a healthy or even a safe idea.
For instance, if someone has a sharp digestive fire--tikshnagni, it's
extremely important to pacify agni first, because otherwise the
detoxification process could create further problems. If the agni is very
high, amavisha, or the reactive type of toxic mixture that we called "rust"
in the earlier analogy may be present. If you inflame agni in this
situation, then during detox the shrotas could be ruptured by amavisha,
causing complications and further imbalances.
A person with Vata vitiation or a very thin person also needs special
preparation for detox. Sometimes people who are very thin ask if they are
free of toxins. I tell them that they do carry toxins, only their shrotas
have become dry due to Vata aggravation, causing the toxins to dry and stick
to the shrota walls. So they do need detoxification, but they must prepare
properly. If this person starts on a straight detox programme that
forcefully squeezes out the toxins that would be inviting danger.
The Charaka Samhita even contains a verse about this exact situation. It
explains that for an underweight person, the malas (body wastes) provide a
type of strength, a type of support. So for that person it's necessary to
first lubricate, nourish and nurture the body, before embarking on any detox
programme. This will give the person more stamina and reserves of dhatus
(body tissues) so they can tolerate the detoxification process without
inviting risk of serious fatigue, mental irritation or skin eruptions.
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