Ama ajirna – Indigestion caused by Kapha Humour (Dosha)

Ayurveda for a healthy life- 60/2025  on 16.9.2025

Increased Kapha means increased water and earth components, which mitigate digestive fire, causing indigestion.

8A.   Symptoms

1.    Nausea	2.   Vomiting
3.    Heaviness of the body and abdomen	4.   Laziness

8B.   Treatment

 1.    Induction of vomiting (vaman)

A.   One teaspoonful of vacha powder should be taken with salt water till vomiting is induced.

B.  One teaspoonful of madanaphala powder should be taken with a decoction of yashtimadhu till vomiting is induced.

2.   Fasting (langhan) till one feels hungry.

A light diet should be taken, as in fever. One should avoid oil, ghee and fried food items.

   3.    Induction of sweating (svedan)

4.   Beneficial diet : Coconut water, buttermilk, radish juice, onion juice with hot water, ginger juice with lemon water and water medicated with musta or cloves.

 5.   Medicinal recipes

A.   Pathyadi churna : A mixture of haritaki, vacha, hinga (asafoetida), indrayava, garlic, ativisha powders and sanchala salt should be taken with hot water.

B.   Triturate powders of triphala, ginger, pepper and hinga in lemon juice should be consumed with rice kanji.

C.   Take a mixture of powders of pippali, ajamoda (celery) and chavya with hot water.

D.   Take a mixture of powders of sunth (dry ginger), pepper, pippali, turmeric, daruharidra and karanjamula with hot water.

E.   Take a mixture of powders of garlic, jira (cumin seeds), saindhav, sauvarchala, sunth, pepper, pippali and hinga with lemon juice.

F.   A paste of roots of apamarga should be taken.

9.  Spiritual therapy (karmavipak)

If there is no relief from indigestion despite taking appropriate treatment, one should undertake spiritual therapy as the disease is likely to be the result of the sins of one’s previous births.

1.    If an individual does not perform Vaishvadev and other daily sacrificial fires as advised by religious scriptures, he suffers from indigestion. He should offer a meal to 100 pious Brahmans (priests) and undertake ritualistic fasting as prescribed in the prajapatya and kruchchra prayashchitta (atonement).

2.   An individual who eats beef suffers from indigestion. He should undertake ritualistic fasting as prescribed in the kruchchra and atikruchchra prayashchitta. He should also repeat (chant)
the Shrisukta (Verses in praise of Deity Shri Lakshmi) and Agnirashmi rucha (Verses).

3.    An individual who poisons the food of another without any reason suffers from indigestion. He should offer a meal to 40 pious Brahmans (Priests) and offer oblations of 100 small balls of charu, i.e. cooked rice and ghee into the sacrificial fire (Yajna) whilst reciting of the Yate Rudra sukta.

4.   An individual who steals food suffers from indigestion. He should fast for three days and undertake the prajapatya prayashchitta. He should also offer oblations of 1008 small balls of cooked rice and ghee into sacrificial fire while reciting the Agnirashmi rucha.

   5.   To maintain health and get rid of diseases of the stomach, intestines, liver and spleen, the following spiritual therapy is useful.

A.    Reciting the bijamantra‘rhum (र्‍हूं)’.

B.   Recitation of the Shri sukta.

C.  Recitation of the Yate Rudra sukta.

D.  Recitation of the Shiva sankalpa sukta.

E.   Recitation of the Jam agnivarnam sukta.

F.  Meditating on the Manipur chakra (Spiritual energy centre situated at the level of the navel).

          To maintain health and prevent diseases of the large intestine, rectum and anus, the following spiritual therapy is useful.

A.    Reciting the bijamantra ‘rhaum (र्‍हौं)’.

B.    Reciting ‘Om Yamaya namaha (ॐ यमाय नम:)’.

C.   Recitation of the Ate pitara sukta.

D.   Meditating on the Muladhar chakra (spiritual energy centre situated at the level of the anus).

FOOD POISONING AND ALLERGY

1.  What is food poisoning ?

Food poisoning is an acute upset of the digestive tract characterised by sudden nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea following consumption of contaminated food or drinks. Usually several people who have consumed the same food or drink are simultaneously affected and show similar symptoms and signs.

          Food poisoning is caused by –

A.   Poisonous food : Certain fish, mushrooms or fruits are poisonous. Hence it is better to avoid unknown food items.

B.   Chemical food poisoning : Food contaminated with chemicals like arsenic insecticides, rat poison, pesticides or prohibited food items and colours gives rise to acute or chronic food poisoning.

C.   Infected food : This is the commonest cause of food poisoning which is caused by contamination of food by germs. Salmonella, i.e. typhi group of organisms, is a common causative organism. It is not possible to know if the food is contaminated by germs by looking at it externally. If food is left open at room temperature for a few hours, germs can grow on it and lead to food poisoning.

D.  Toxic food poisoning : This variety is caused by toxins produced by germs. The toxins are formed during the growth of germs when food is kept for hours at room temperature. The germs are killed when the food is reheated before eating but the toxins are not destroyed despite boiling the food item. Thus it can lead to food poisoning. Milk products, meat, sweets and ice cream are the food items on which germs grow very fast and produce toxins. Food poisoning is more common in summer as bacteria grow very fast during summer. Hence food should be stored in a refrigerator. Food can be easily contaminated by the cook or those serving it. Hence they should wash their hands after going to the toilet and before handling food.