Ayurveda promotes preventive and healing therapies which are accompanied by various methods of purification and rejuvenation. Panchakarma is one such therapy in Ayurveda which cleanses all toxins and Doshas from the body and revitalizes it from within.
What Is Panchakarma?
The Panchakarma therapy of Ayurveda comprises five types of advanced treatment for the elimination of impaired Doshas from the body. As the name suggests, 'Pancha' in Sanskrit means five, and Karma stands for therapeutic measures, therefore Panchakarma means five types of therapeutic measures. These are performed for the purification of the body and Ayurveda considers it necessary before the start of any other therapy.
These practices are extremely helpful in eradicating any deep-seated diseases as well as maintaining and improving physical and mental health.
The Panchakarma (five bio-purification measures) are -
According to Ayurveda, when the impaired Dosha interacts with Dhatu, the disease process is initiated. If this interaction is mild in nature then it can be managed by pacifying (Shamana) measures of treatment. But if the interaction is severe or chronic in nature then those accumulated Dosha in the form of wastes or toxins have to be eliminated; and for this purpose, five measures of bio- purification (Shodhana) are used.
Panchakarma therapy is considered better than any other therapy because it completely eliminates the vitiated Dosha out of the body, so there is a little chance of recurrence of the disease. On the other hand, the Dosha pacified by Shamana treatment may recur. Thus, Panchakarma is mainly a treatment for major and chronic diseases caused by excessive impairment of Dosha.
Panchakarma - A Rapid Acting Therapy
There is a false assumption about Ayurvedic treatment that it takes a long time to show results. But Panchakarma is a rapidly acting therapy that can be used in emergencies to eliminate any severely aggravated Doshas. In the main process of Vamana Karma, emesis starts within 50 minutes of administration. Similarly, the process of Virechana is completed within a few hours and the whole process of Nasya is completed within one hour.
The Three Steps Of Panchakarma
There are three main procedures to perform Panchakarma therapy. They are:
Purva Karma: Pre-purification preparatory measures for Panchakarma
Pradhana Karma: Main Purification measures of Panchakarma
Pashchata Karma: Post Purification care in Panchakarma
