Disease management

Shamana and Shodhana are the two concepts of disease management in Ayurveda. Shamana means alleviation. Shamana methods mitigate the disease and its symptoms. Shodhana means elimination and Shodhana methods aim at the elimination of the basic cause of disease. There are 5 types of shodana which is well known as panchakarma. Panchakarmas are vamana, virechana, nasya, basti and raktha mokshana. In shamana usually medicines are given internally where as in shodana external treatments are given. Shodana karma have 2 poorvakarma for prepraring the patients body for treatment, ie. snehana and swedana.

Tastes and effects

Ayurveda holds that the tastes of foods or herbs have specific physiological effects. Those tastes that transform after digestion (Vipaka) are more powerful.

• Sweet (Madhura) - Sweet foods nourish, cool, moisten, oil, and increase weight
• Sour (Amla) - Sour foods warm, oil, and increase weight
• Salty (Lavana) - Salty foods warm, dissolve, stimulate, soften, oil, and increase weight
• Bitter (Katu) - Bitter foods cool, dry, purify and decrease weight
• Pungent (Tikta) - Pungent foods warm, dry, stimulate, and decrease weight
• Astringent (Kashaya) - Astringent foods cool, dry, reduce stickiness.
• Hot (Jhala)