RASAVAHASROTAS – CHANNELS CARRYING THE ESSENCE OF NUTRITION
ACCORDING TO SUSHRUTA –
Rasa vahasrotas or channels carrying the nutritive essence to every part of the body are 2 in number. They have their roots in –
Hrudaya – Heart
Rasa vahinidhamanees – the arteries carrying the rasa to every part of the body
SYMPTOMS
SYMPTOMS OF DAMAGE TO RASAVAHASROTAS –
Shosha – emaciation
Pranavahasrotasviddhalakshana – symptoms similar to those occurring due to injury to Pranavahasrotas
Maranam – death
According to Charaka –
The root of origin of AnnavahaSrotas lies in –
Hridaya – Heart and
DashaDhamanis – 10 great arteries taking their origin from heart and successively divide into small branches as they get distributed all through the body
SYMPTOMS OF VITIATION OF RASAVAHASROTAS –
Ashraddha – lack of interest in the food
Aruchi – tastelessness
Aasyavairasya – feeling of weird tastes in the mouth
Arasagnata – failure to identify any taste
Hrullasa – watering of mouth, excessive salivation, nausea
Gourava – heaviness
Tandra – drowsiness
Angamarda – pain in body parts
Jwara – fever
Tama – feeling of darkness before the eyes
Pandutva – anaemia
Srotorodha – block in multiple channels of the body
Klaibya – impotence
Saada – fatigue, stoppage of working of organs and tissues
Krushangataa – emaciation
Nashoagnehe – destruction of agni, the metabolic fire
Vali – premature wrinkling of skin
Palita – premature greying of hairs
CAUSES OF VITIATION OF RASAVAHASROTAS –
Guru aahara – heavy foods
Sheetaaahara – cold foods
Atisnigdha – excessive consumption of oily foods
Atimaatram – eating in excess
Atichintanaat – excessive thinking (stress)
MANAGEMENT OF VITIATION OF RASAVAHASROTAS –
In the management of vitiation of Rasavahasrotas and the disorders of their origin, all types of Langhana should be followed.
Langhana means lightening therapies (which produce lightness in the body). Langhana is of 10 types.
They are:
Vamana – therapeutic emesis
Virechana – therapeutic purgation
Shirovirechana (nasya) – nasal medications
Niruhavasti – evacuation or cleansing enemas
Pipaasa – not drinking water
Maruta – exposure to breeze
Aatapa – exposure to sunlight
Paachana – medicines or treatments which can digest and destroy ama (metabolic wastes)
Upavasa – starvation
Vyaayaama – exercise