Spent a bit of time in the herb garden here at Hassan. One of the difficulties when we studied Ayurvedic herbs was that mostly we could only see pictures of the plant and taste the powders (choornas), the end result of whatever part of the plant that is used for the medicines in Ayurveda. Being able to see, feel and taste the plants gives the herbs we studied more life and some context.

As most herbs in New Zealand are in the form of powders, some of the work of the Ayurvedic practitioner is to develop these into the appropriate medicines to be used by clients. One can take the powders themselves but the taste is often bitter and dry which is sometimes no so easy on use. However the potency of the herbs and the palatability can be improved by processing the herbs in oil, ghee (clarified butter) or in alcohol. These various forms also make it easier for the body to absorb the herbs and thus these are often better forms to take them in. Of course you are also able to get some herbs in tablet form and in capsules. I do prepare herbs in this way as part of my business and will be looking at bring more into New Zealand. You can see these at http://www.anandaherbs.com

It has been raining here in Hassan for the past week so there have not been as many visitors to the hospital as usual. I guess rain is a precious thing in India, so when it arrives everyone goes out and makes sure that it does not go to waste, especially the farmers. Hence it has also been a little cooler and I have found myself wearing a jersey for most of the week.

Alopecia

Watched several people with Alopecia being treated this week. Some simply had bald spots and others completely without any hair. The Ayurvedic treatment is simple enough, comprising of first stimulating the hair follicles and the blood vessels in the bald region and then applying a special herbal paste. If the client is positive and there are still signs of hair follicles then there is a good chance of the hair regrowing. I witnessed one patient who was bald four months ago and now has all her hair back. Hair lose has many causes, some are psychosomatic while it can also be due to chemicals, shampoo, anxiety or fear.

Skin conditions

Another patient was covered in a scaly psoriasis over his body (head to toe). It was very itchy and when he rubbed it, it turned powdery. (Kapha ? Vata type) The Ayurveda texts have classified skin diseases into different categories, each with its peculiar signs and symptoms. This one fitted exactly into one of them and was being treated using the proscribed method. This first part of the process of any curative treatment is to ensure that the clients agni is strong so there can be one of more days of taking some herbal medicines to ensure this. Some examples of this would be taking Chitraka or Panchatikta. Once this is done then the patient will take some medicines each day which have been processed with ghee. In this case the client took some panchatikta ghrita (ghrita is another word for ghee). This continues till there are signs that his body has completely absorbed the ghee and is usually for a minimum of three days. Just this process was already having an improving effect on the psoriasis. Once this is finished then the client will be asked to take some herbs which will start a purgative process off. It is quite gentle and usually takes around 6 hours to complete. We should see a marked improvement of the condition after this process but if the psoriasis is chronic then the procedure may have to be repeated 2 or 3 times over the course or 3 months. The end result is usually a cure or remission. It is amazing how many people have psoriasis and do not realise unless it is treated it will usually continue to get worst over time with period of remission in between. It is easy to treat in the first stages and harder as it gets more established.

Respiratory disorders

Because of the weather we are seeing lots of cases of respiratory disorders and also some asthma. In ayurveda we recognise the changes of the seasons and the effect this has on the body. Now depending on your Dosha (Vata, Pitta or Kapha) you are wise to take precautions at the changes in season. For example a Kapha person, or a person with a Kapha imbalance has the elements of water and earth which are strong in them, so when the weather gets cold these elements tend to become stronger in them in the form of mucus and often result in respiratory problems. Then as the weather warms, such as in spring they will often end up with sinus problems or colds. To prevent this, then before and during winter we would take some herbs like Tikatu which warms the respiratory system and melts any mucus that forms and thus preventing the colds happening. Vata people (mainly air) need to watch when the weather turns windy as in Autumn and make sure they keep warm during these times, wearing a hat and coat and ensuring they give themselves a daily oil massage to keep their skin in good condition as the wind dries it out. Pitta people (fire and water) are most effect by the hot summer, so keeping cool is important with cooling drinks like coconut water, peppermint tea, and keep out of the sun.

Some good home remedies for colds are:

1. Inhaling the steam over a hot pot of honey.
2. Drink a glass of warm water with the juice of 1 lemon.
3. A drink of warm water with 4gm of fresh or powered Amalaki and a tsp of honey every morning.
4. Several pieces of garlic boiled in 30ml of milk and drunk before bed.
5. No not eat bananas, papaya.
6. Eat lots of grapes.

Fertility

Another area I have been looking at is male and female fertility. This is a growing issue everywhere, perhaps because many people are choosing to have children later in life today or caused by the stress , lifestyle and our diet. In Ayurveda the planning for a child would start several months before conception. The focus of this is to ensure there is a very healthy ovary, sperm and womb to ensure the best foundations for a healthy and strong baby. If the ovary is of good quality and the sperm is strong, produced in good quantity and quality then the chances of conception are good.

It is also essential that both parents constitution is in balance before conception as the new child constitution will be made up with elements that are predominant in the parents at the time of conception. So if the parents are in a good balanced state with a calm mental constitution also then this will be passed onto the child.

During pregnancy the mother need to also be mindful of the food that eat, their metal quality and their daily activities. It is important for the mother to be in a positive and cheerful environment and in good company. They should avoid overeating or fasting, better to have 6 light snakes than 3 heavy meals. Regular sleeping patterns are important but do not sleep during daylight hours. Do not read or watch TV programs that are sad, angry or violent. Read things which will be a positive influence on the baby. Avoid any travel with jerky motion. Avoid alcohol and smoking and do not suppress natural urges.

Drink milk regularly, fruit juice and coconut water. Nuts are also good.

In the second trimester reduce fat, salt and water intake. Rice with ghee is good along with beets, oats, dried peas, been sprouts, wholemeal bread, soyabeans, adequate protein, spinach, apples, bananas, lemon, oranges, pineapples, almonds and dried fruits such as dates, figs, and raisins. Avoid fried and salty foods. Good herbs to take are Shatavari and Ashwaghanda. However Ayurveda recommends you do not take extra iron supplements unless there are signs of anemia.

I’m into the fourth week as an internee at Hassan, SMD Ayurvedic hospital in India. Last week I spent the mornings in the panchakarmic clinic where they do the ayurvedic curative therapies for chronic illnesses. Patients need to spend from a week to a month in the hospital for this procedure which is generally divided into three steps.

1. Going through a process where to remove toxins that have been accumulated in the the bodies tissues to bringing them back into the Gastro-Intestinal-Tract. This is done through taking specially prepared medicines each day before breakfast which are absorbed into the tissues with there specific herbs to begin the process. Other treatments go along with this such as massages to loosen the toxins and help the move.

2. A one day treatment where the patient drinks some special herbs or a decoction which begins a gentle purging process eliminating the toxins which have previously been brought back into the Gastro-Intestinal-Tract

3. Lastly the patient goes on a special diet following the treatment to slowly build up the bodies metabolism again for two or three days.

Step two is of various types depending on the illness we have. Sometimes following this step there would be a series of enemas given to further clear our toxins related to the Vata dosha.

This is a very simplistic explanation but gives you a bit of an idea.

I have seen how effective these treatments are in cases of chronic psoriases, joint pains including arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, mental disorders of all kinds, obesity, stroke and diabetes to name a few.

This week I am spending fewer hours in the panchakarma clinic and focusing more in eye, nose, ears and generally problems of the head. Here ayurveda has a large set of procedure to help people with many complaints from vision impairment, conjunctivitis, dry eyes or tired eyes (especially for all the IT people), retinal detachment, polyps or growths in the nose, skin problems such as pimples, lose of hair, greyness and so on. It is early days yet but so much to learn. I have also begun to sit in on the clinics run twice a week with Dr Ashwini, one of the experts in this area, quite a specialist field of study. Amazing looking at the arteries in someones eyes which are so small that their walls are so thin you can actually clearly see if there is cholesterol coated on them. A good sign for the rest of the body which they confirm with a blood test. There are some really good herbs for treating eye conditions through a series of procedures performed over a period of one or two weeks which give positive results.

For the last week I have also been fortunate to spend time with Dr Suhas Kumar Shetty whose speciality is mental disorders. We have so far discussed in some detail depression, alzheimers, dementia and schizophrenia and tomorrow we are looking at parkinsons disease. All these were mentioned in the Ayurvedic classics which students today study. Texts which are around 3,000 years old. Not much has changed with respect to these disorders over that time. Depression for example is something most of us suffer at one time or another but can become chronic if not watched out for. Dementia is also something that often comes with old age, yet if we choose we can take a simply herbal formula which can prevent the onset.

I do have my struggles here. I am staying in the boy’s hostel which is part of the Ayurveda College here and the food takes a bit of getting used to. Rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In the first week I had a bit of the runs so skipped the odd meal but now I have got used to it and am feeling a little constipated because of all the rice. However the meals over the last week seem to have been better. I can always hop into town to a local vegetarian restaurant for a good meal. Had one there last Saturday which cost about NZ$2.60. However if I do this I need to make sure I get back in by 9pm as the boys and girls hostels (they are separate) are firmly locked by this time.

Mosquitoes are also a bit of a challenge. I was okay for the first couple of weeks but it is raining every day at the moment which is bring the mozies out at night. Nothing like having one buzzing around your ears to drive you mad. My room mate left this morning and left me his mosquito net so I will hopefully sleep in relative peace for the rest of my stay. Thanks Peter.

I look forward to seeing what the rest of the week holds.