If you have
been an Ayurveda follower, you have surely come across the term ‘ama’ on a
regular basis. A peculiar concept in Ayurveda, ama has no direct correlation in
modern science and can best be equated to ‘toxins’.
According
to Ayurveda, ama is the residue of undigested or partially digested food, which
is usually caused by a poor digestive fire (jatharagni). This residue can
accumulate, stagnate, ferment and cause disease. It is the earliest form of
disease manifestation in the body. Hence, controlling the production of ama is
critical to maintaining health. To be able to do so, we first need to
understand the causes behind the production of toxins in our body.
Causes of Ama Production
Even though
a poor digestive fire is known to be the main cause behind ama, there could
actually be several other reasons as well. Some of these reasons are discussed
below:
Agnimandya (Low digestive fire) – The
body’s digestive fire performs the task of digesting food in its entirety.
However, when this fire is low, the food we eat is not properly digested and
toxins are formed. When these toxins get retained in the intestine for a longer
time, they become fermented and cause health problems.
Mala Sanchaya (Waste accumulation) – When
the body liberates heat and energy, the tissues get disintegrated and certain
minute waste products are formed (known as kleda) during this process. Up to a
certain limit, the existence of this waste is essential for the body and the
excess waste is excreted. When this excretion process becomes inefficient,
these waste products get accumulated in the body, resulting in the formation of
ama.
Dhatu-agnimandya (Low tissue fire) – Tissue
fire plays an elemental role in the process of dhatu (tissue) formation from
nutrient plasma. Thus, when the tissue fire of a particular tissue is
diminished, the formation of that tissue remains incomplete and ama is
produced. Tissues containing ama are known as Sama Dhatu.
Krimi Visha (Bacterial toxins) – During
infections caused by bacteria or viruses, the body liberates toxic substances
that can cause diseases.
How to know if you have ama
In today’s
times, most of us lead sedentary lifestyles and have inappropriate eating
habits, because we do not realize that these wrong choices eventually lead to
formation of ama. Even though ama may not immediately manifest itself in the
form of a serious disease, it starts giving indications through improper
functioning of body systems and processes.
Here are
some of the basic symptoms of ama presence that you should look out for:
- Laziness,
drowsiness or weakness
- Depression
and irritability
- Slight
fever, general pain in the body or the legs
- Loss
of appetite
- Heaviness
in the stomach after eating
- Constipation
- Formation
of gas or wind
- A
coating on the tongue
- Bad
breath
- Excessive
perspiration with a strong odor
- Dull
skin and eyes
- Presence
of mucus in the stool
Controlling Ama with Ayurveda
Unfortunately,
ama cannot be biologically removed from the internal systems of the body, as
there are no srotas (channels) for its elimination. But, you don’t need to
worry. Ayurveda offers several solutions to detoxify your body and control the
production of ama.
One such
technique is Panchakarma – specialized Ayurvedic therapies that help eliminate
built-up waste materials and ama to stabilize the body’s doshas. Secondly, the
right choice of diet and lifestyle habits, along with certain herbal
medications, will help strengthen the digestive fire, reduce formation of ama
and cleanse your body channels. When the channels are clean, the agnis work
more efficiently and ama production is more easily prevented.
The Right Diet and Lifestyle
The
following tips will help you establish a healthy diet-lifestyle pattern and
minimize the production of ama in your body:
Include more of fresh, organic vegetables;
sweet, juicy fruits; whole grains such as couscous, barley (jau), amaranth
(chauli), millet (bajra) and rice; and easily digested proteins such as lentil
soup in your diet.
Increase intake of boiled or steamed
vegetables, bitter foods, vegetable soup, vegetable and fruit juices and
buttermilk.
Avoid fried foods, heavy foods such as aged
cheese, meat, rich desserts and all other items that are difficult to digest.
Avoid eating or drinking anything cold.
Drinking warm water throughout the day is a
good way to flush out ama from the body.
Don't snack between meals unless you are
actually hungry, and wait until your previous meal is digested.
In cooking, use spices such as turmeric
(haldi), cumin (jeera), asafetida (hing) and coriander (dhania) as they assist
the process of digestion.
Occasional fasting (once every two weeks)
contributes to maintaining the strength of the digestive system. On days of
fasting, have fruits and light vegetable soup and drink juices, herbal tea and
water to cleanse the system.
Go to sleep before 10pm as Pitta time
starts after that. If you stay up, you'll probably feel hungry about midnight
and will want to eat, which will tax the digestive process and create ama.
Wake up before 6am. Sleeping late into the
Kapha time (6-10am) clogs the body’s channels with ama and makes you feel
fatigued.
Eat all three meals at the same time every
day. If your body gets used to a regular routine, the digestive system will
become more efficient.
Daily exercise is highly recommended as it
stimulates digestion and helps cleanse the body of toxins. You can also try
Pranayama and Yoga.
Ayurvedic herbal preparations such as
Lavana Bhaskar and Chitrakadi Vati can be used when the jatharagni becomes
impaired.
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………………………After all health is wealth………………………..
