Hello dear Reader,
Rutucharya:
Important Notes:
After my previous post on Rutucharya & Varsha Rutucharya with the help of my
friend Dr. Soumya Bhat, here comes second one!
Human body is a pancha boutik constitution and is of such a
kind that, anything that you give habitually, it becomes used to it! Yes,
shareera (body) gets habituated to a thing which is given to it on a regular
basis.
We have discussed about ‘Varsha Rutu/ Rainy season’ in our
previous post. Following Varsha Rutu, here comes Sharad rutu which is already in its last phase this year. This is the season of festivals beginning
with Navarathri and we are now celebrating Deepavali. Wish you a Very Happy Diwali,
festival of lights.
Now let us understand the facts of health related to Sharad
rutu.
With the Varsha Rutu, the season of monsoon, body was acclimatized
to cold temperature and changes took place in body was in accordance to that.
During Varsha Rutu, Vaata dosha was predominant in the body
and pitta dosha was having tendency to get accumulated. Varsha rutu was the season where pitta dosha
had attained ‘Sanchaya avastha’.
Like any other Rutu, Sharad rutu consists of 2 maasa which
are Ashwina Maasa & Karthika Maasa. In English calendar, it
is mid-September to mid-November.
During Sharad rutu, sun rays become intense and cold
atmosphere of the earth goes on decreasing. Body becomes hot all of a sudden
and doshas also undergo certain changes in their state. Basically Pitta, liquid
dosha may be correlated to bile juice and other hormones that secrete in our
body for various functions.
Pitta dosha which is accumulated in the body tends to
aggravate in sharad rutu & starts dislodging from its site. A simple example will be overflowing tank,
which cannot accommodate any more if supplied.
If proper care is not taken, aggravated pitta dosha may
cause various diseases.
Our food and lifestyle should be such that, they should
control pitta dosha in the body and must be helping the body to withstand the
on-going climatic changes.
There is a concept
called Rutu shodhana* in Ayurveda. That is all about removal of aggravated
doshas from the body! It is suggested to adopt one of the Panchakarma
procedures in order to remove excessive pitta dosha.
As pitta dosha is liquid in state, it is having more of
downward flow by nature. Ayurveda has two main panchakarma procedures that are
commonly used in expulsion of doshas.
- Vamana (Urdva marga nirharana): It is done by inducing vomiting
- Virechana (Adho marga nirharana): It is nothing but inducing defecation
Apart from therapeutic measures, there are several simple
and easy-to-adopt diet and lifestyle practices which we can adopt ourselves.
This requires very simple knowledge on quality of food items that we should
consider in this season. This post will
help you in this regard.
Ghee is one of the best pacifiers of pitta dosha. Using cow
ghee is recommended in this season.
The ideal Rasa (taste) here is tikta (bitter). Internally,
bitter taste helps to balance pitta. It decreases water retention and acts as
liver tonic. It is cleansing and takes away burning sensation caused by pitta.
Some food items having bitter taste are:
Turmeric
Basil
Fenugreek seeds
Aloevera
Green leafy vegetables
Barley
Pomegranate pod
Skin & tender leaves of vegetables
Neem
- Dishes having bitter, sweet & astringent taste are ideal in this season.
- Light for digestion food items
- Rice, green gram, sugar candy, gooseberry, snakegourd, honey,…
- Water from all sources (well, tank, bore well, river, stored rain water) are good enough to consume.
To avoid:
- Exposure to fog and eastern wind
- Taking alkaline diet
- Heavy food
- Curds
- Sesame/ gingelly oil
- Sun bath
- Strong alcoholic beverages
- Day sleep
To avoid adverse effects of sun rays:
- Evening – Anoint the body with chandana (sandalwood), ushira (cuscus grass/ laavancha) & karpura (camphor)
- Wear garlands/ pearl chains, light cloths
- Enjoy moonlight atop the terrace
- Reside in white mansions
Suggested Food list from this blog, Sahaja Siri:
Nelanelli Tambuli, which is best for the season
Soppu green gram Palya/ Any green leaves subzi
- *Ruthu Shodhana is a technique used to maintain health of healthy individuals. Periodically one can undergo vamana or virechana to detoxify the body and maintain good health.
- It is always suggested to undergo any of these techniques with a supervision of Ayurveda practitioner. No self-trials & should be avoided in case of other medical complications.
- This article credit completely goes to Dr. Soumya Bhat, who has referred "Ashtanga Hrudaya' text book of Ayurveda
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