Indigenous
Medicine of Sri Lanka (Hela Wedakama) is an ancient wisdom tradition of
healthcare and healing practices inherited by cultural heritage unique to
native people in srilanka .Helawedakama is the One of world oldest medical Treatment System.thousands of years ago in Sri lanka had that kind of medical treatmetn System be like Ayurveda. Agasthi And Pulasthi Rishi's are design thousand of years ago. Go through the previous life on patients and what type of matching trees places and What type of aggregate things for patients .According to tradition, the teachings of hela wedakama recollected by great kingRAWANA…
.own traditional medical system known as Deshiya Chikitsa (Sinhala Wedakama) from ancient times dating back to ove thousands years have proven to cure diseases by treating the root cause of the illness and by improving the overall immune system of the body. This is the basic premise of Indian Ayurveda as well which has many similarities with Deshiya Chikitsa.
Our traditional physicians (Weda Mahaththayas) had a great understanding about the mind-body connection. They prepared medical formulas (Oushada Wattorus) that stem from all the herbs around us that grows in this land and at times even included minerals as well as animal substances as needed. Some of these combinations were unique to each family lineage.
Their knowledge was perfected through years of proven practice, meditation and spiritual awareness. To date there are thousands of Lankan practitioners who excel in this ancient medical science but many questions arise as to the level to which Sri Lanka is conserving, mainstreaming and promoting its medical heritage. Doing so genuinely will ensure the wellbeing of the nation and the raising of the stature of the country internationally.
¯ in our human
body can be seen to exhibit three principles of funtion, called
va¯ta, pitta and kapha
Watha/Vata (pronounced Waata) consists of the elements ether (space) and air. Vata stands for movement, which can easily be imagined by watching moving air sweep across the land like a storm.
The properties of Vata: dry, light, cold, mobile, rough, fast, subtle.
Pitta/PITTA - FIRE AND WATER
Pitta consists mainly of fire and very little water. Pitta stands for the principle of combustion, which can most easily be imagined with the digestive fire that burns in every human being. Digestion, in turn, stands for the principle of metabolism.
The properties of Pitta: hot, pungent, light, fluid, slightly oily, mobile.
Kapha/KAPHA - WATER AND EARTH
Kapha (pronounced kaffa) consists of water and earth. These two elements make excellent building materials, such as clay. If you have ever built a castle on the beach with wet sand, you have already held the principle of Kapha in your hands: it is the principle of structure that Kapha embodies.
The properties of Kapha: smooth, oily, heavy, solid, cold, inert.
These three principles of function are called doshas.because they are subject to influences from both
within and without. The term dosha literally mean sblemish’ because it is the increase, decrease and disturbance of one, two or all three of the doshas that are responsible for all pathological changes in the body.Each dosha has a specific (‘quantity’), guna and karma (‘action’) in the body
In an undisturbed state their function is said to be nomal the result of which is arogya AROGGIYA PRAMALABA(the ‘absence of disease’). Foods, habits and environmental factors .
that are contrary to the qualities of a particular dosha bring about its decrease, while foods, habits and environmental factors that are similar to a particular dosha.bring about its increase.
The three doshas are traditionally correlated with three types of eliminatory products: va¯ta is synonmous with ‘wind (i.e. flatulence pitta with ‘bile’and kapha with ‘phlegm’VA,PITH,SEMA
Despite the reality that each doshas is involved in physiological processes all over the body, each also main
maintains a primary ‘seat’ of influence, or sthana. To some extent this idea is related to the often used transliteration of the doshas of wind, vata is located in the antra (‘colon’) and basti (‘bladder’), governing the regions of the body from the umbilicus downwards. As the dosha bile, pitta is located in organs such as the amashaya (‘stomach’), yakrit (‘liver’) and plı¯hava (‘spleen’),governing the area between the umbilicus and the diaphragm. As the dosha of phlegm, kapha is located primarily in phuphusa (‘lungs’) and hrdraya (‘heart’), governing the areas from the diaphragm upward
Kala (‘time’) relates to the influence of the doshas in a variety of natural cycles: over a period of time such as in a day or a lifetime, or in specific processes, such as in digestion or disease. In of digestion (in the mouth and stomach), during child
every situation theAyurveda as in a day or a lifetime, or in specific processes, such as in digestion or disease. In every situation the A¯yurvedic practitioner attempts to understand the state of the doshas. Generally speaking, kapha is dominant after sunrise and sunset, at the beginning stages of digestion (in the mouth and stomach), during child hood (balaya) and in the congestive, prodromal stage of disease. Pitta is dominant at midday and midnight,in the middle portion of digestion (in the lower fundus of the stomach and small intestine), during mid-life (madhya), and in the inflammatory or acute stage of disease. Va¯ta is dominant in the hours before dawn and sunset, in the latter part of digestion (in the colon), in the latter stages of life (jeerna), and in the chronic and degenerative stages of disease
. Agni is the fire within each of us that attends to digestion and metabolism, and in its higher form, represents vitality, perception and discrimination. It is characterised by the qualities of usn.a (‘hot’), tiks and laghu (‘light’), and in many ways resembles pitta.It is incorrect, however, to assume that they are one and the same. Agni is the pure and cleansing fire of the body, whereas pitta, as a dosha,ultimately represents the qualities of agni in a disturbed state.Agni is located in the amashaya (‘stomach and small intestine’) as the jataragni. Here the jatharagni attends to separating the food into its subtle essence (sukhama rasa, which feeds the mind) its gross nutrient portion (rasa, which feeds the body) and waste (kitta further separated into purisa and muttra, or faeces and urine, respectively). Beyond its role as the jataraggni,there are several different manifestations of agni in thebody, each having a different name that relates to distinctmetabolic processes. From the activity of post-synaptic enzymes that break down neurotransmitters, to ATP generation in the mitochondria, all metabolic processes are subsets of the jat.haragni of the amashaya. Hence,when digestion is weak, metabolic activity suffers,energy levels diminish and waste products begin to accumulate in the body.The negative effects of each dosharesults in a specific disturbance of jatharagni
visamagni, digestion that is erratic and irregular.
Tiksanagni extremely intense, with a burning sensation and thirst
mandagni (also called agnima¯ndya), characterised by sluggishness, with heaviness of the abdomen and lassitude
.Agni represents this sacrificial fire within us, and when we consume food our digestion becomes a spiritual catalyst. The act of eating therefore is a kind of spiritual ritual, where proper digestion depends upon eating in a conscious and mindful fashion. Thus meal times for the most part should be quiet, without distractions such as talking,television and books, with proper attention paid to eating slowly and chewing the food.
Sapta dha¯tus: THE SEVEN SUPPORTS
As the tridosha theory is used to explain the principle theory is used to explain the principle of function in the human body, the sapta dha¯tus, or seven supports’, is used to describe the principle of
structure. The sapta dha¯tus model is another aid for the practitioner to discover the specific actions of tri dosha and understand their function within a structural model. Just as anatomy cannot be seriously studied without an understanding of physiology, any study of the dha¯tus must take tridosa into account.
The seven dhatus
1. Rasa: plasma, kapha dosha, as mucoid secretions
2. Rakta: blood pitta dosha, as bilious secretions
3. Ma¯m sa: muscle impurities and wastes associated withthe jnana indriya¯s (i.e. nose, mouth, eyes, skin,and ears)
4. Medas: fat sveda (perspiration)
5. Asthi: bone nakha (nails), kes´a (head hair) and loma(body hair)
6. Majja¯: marrow aks´i (greasy secretions of the eyes), tvakvit (sebaceous secretions), and purisa. sneha (greasiness of the faeces)
.7. S´ukra (men), a¯rtava (women):
semen, menstrual blood
Eating
The partaking of food is the last of the morning routines, and for all meals is performed up to a capacity of one-half the stomach contents, consumed with onequarter portion of water. This means that the amount lead of food to be consumed at any given meal should to satiation, to the appeasement of hunger, leaving some room in the stomach to accommodate gastric churning.
after eating should indcate that either the quantity of food was too much (or too little), that the agni is weak, or that the food chosen is simply inappropriate (asa¯tmya). Ayurveda also recommends that small amounts of water be consumed with the meal to assist in digestion and to lubricate the food, but not in large gulps to ‘wash it down’.It is said that water taken before meals or consumed in largeamounts with the meal will inhibit digestion.
Ayurvedic medicine recommends a maximum of three meals a day
The ancient texts of A¯yurveda describe six seasons,in contrast to the four generally recognised in the west.
1. Hemañta , early winter, mid-November to midJanuary
2. Sisira, late winter, mid-January to mid-March
3. Vasanta, spring, mid-March to mid-May
4. Grisma, summer, mid-May to mid-July
5. Varsha,monsoon, mid-July to mid-September
6. S´arat: autumn, mid-September to mid-November.
While the above scheme takes into account the seasonal patterns of srilanka, India it does not reflect the seasonal changes seen in temperate regions such as North America and europe.
Season Dosha
Winte r (hemanta, sisira) Vatacaya, pittahara, kaphacaya
Spring (vasanta) Vatahara, pittacaya, kaphakopa
Summe r (grisma, sarat) Vatahara, pittakopa, kaphahara
Autumn varsha,,vatakapa,pittahara .kaphahara
Why eating seasonally is important
Each season has a different effect on our bodies. Imagine for a moment taking a big bite of ice cream while you’re bundled up in scarves and mittens on a winter’s walk in January--not very pleasant, right? What about eating a hot bowl of barley soup while you’re lounging poolside on a sweltering August day? Pretty unappetizing. There’s a reason why your body reacts to these images--different types of food help your body get back into balance during different times of the year.
Acting against these natural inclinations can actually harm you, both inside and out. When you eat out of sync with nature, even if you eat an otherwise “healthy” diet, the consequences can include a compromised immune system, unhealthy weight gain or loss, poor skin and hair quality, and even an increased risk of more serious illnesses. Eating Ayurvedically, in accordance with the seasons, doesn’t just make you feel good in the moment, but is a powerful preventative health measure, too.
n Ayurvedic thought, each of us embodies a dominant natural constitution: eithevata,pita or kapa (or a combination of any of the above). Vata types are ruled by the qualities of air and space, Pitta types are ruled by fire and water, and Kapha types are ruled by water and earth. Each season pacifies or ignites these energies within us, meaning that our systems can be thrown out of balance if we don’t take measures to adapt our bodies to the weather.
Luckily, Ayurveda lays out a set of seasonal guidelines known as Ritucharya, with “ritu” translating to “season”, and “charya” translating to “guidelines”. These guidelines serve as prescriptions for diet and lifestyle changes throughout the year, including Ayurvedic detox treatments, and help us keep clear in our minds, fulfilled in our spirits, and vibrant in our bodies.
According to Ayurveda, the year is divided into two periods, each containing three seasons: Uttarayana, the cold months, which contains the seasons of Sharath, Hemanta, and Shishira, and Dakshinayana, the warm months, which contains the seasons Vasanta, Grishma, and Varsha.
Below, we’ll explore the guidelines for each of the six seasons, so that you can live your best life all
begins in the middle of September, and lasts until mid-November. As we get one last surge of warmth and dryness after the rainy season, your agni, or digestive fire, regains its strength. Water and
year round! In the US, we typically have four seasons, but traditionally, in srilanka, India, there are six main seasons.
Sharath Ritucharya
fire are both prominent energies during this transitional time, which makes it the perfect period to begin to pacify those Pitta energies.
What to eat
The goal of this season is to transition smoothly into winter. In order to cleanse yourself and prep your digestive system for the heavier fare of the colder months, eat bitter, light, cold, astringent, and sweet foods that are easy on your stomach, and avoid foods high in fat and salt. The ideal Sharath diet includes rice, honey, green leafy veggies, tomatoes, root vegetables, pineapples, berries, plums, ghee (clarified butter), and other dairy products.
Hemanta Ritucharya
Hemanta Ritu blows in during the middle of November, and lasts until the middle of January. During this time, your agni is at its strongest. The elemental energies of earth and water are dominant, which means that fiery Pitta becomes grounded and pacified.
What to eat
The goal of this season is to keep you warm and nourished. Now’s the time to eat sweet, sour, and salty foods, as well as unctuous or oily dishes. Keep that digestive fire burning strong! Eat warming foods and lots of fermented dishes (like kimchi and sauerkraut), and avoid foods that are cold, light, and dry. The ideal Hemanta diet includes pumpkin, cabbage, spinach, corn, rice, carrots, potatoes, onions, beets, apples, dates, and dairy products.
Shishira Ritucharya
The cold settles in for a few months in Shishira Ritu, which lasts from mid-January until mid-March. This wet, cold season brings with it an increase in heavy Kapha energies, which means that your agni needs to burn even brighter to keep things balanced.
What to eat
Keep up with the diet you’ve established during the Hemanta Ritu, with lots of sweet, sour, salty, fatty, and fermented foods served with warming spices. Avoid any astringent or cold foods. The ideal Shishira diet includes lots of dairy products, root vegetables, apples, grapes, rice, wheat, beans, and sweets (in moderation, of course!)
Vasanta Ritucharya
As nature begins to stir back into life, we transition into the Dakshinayana, or the warmer months. Vasanta Ritu lasts from mid-March to mid-May, and earth and air energies combine to make this time a lively transitional period. Kapha energies start to disperse, which douses your agni and can cause a lot of discomforts.
What to eat
This is one of the more sensitive times for our body, so focus on eating easily-digestible bitter and astringent foods, and avoid cold, viscous, heavy, sour, and sweet dishes. The ideal Vasanta ritu diet includes gut-healthy foods like barley and honey, and gently stimulating spices like coriander, cumin, turmeric, and fennel.
Grishma Ritucharya
It’s summer! Grishma Ritu lasts from Mid-May to Mid-July. Fire and air energies dominate this season, drying things out and increasing both the Pitta and Vata energies within the body. Your agni is at an all-time low, so keeping things light is a must.
What to eat
This is the time of year for sweet, light, cold, mineral-rich food. Eat lots of herbs and drink lots of fruit juices, and avoid sour, pungent, or warm foods. Keep hydrated with lots of water, and seek out antioxidants. The ideal Grishma diet includes lots of fresh fruit, and veggies like asparagus, cucumber, celery, and leafy greens.
Varsha Ritucharya
Varsha Ritu takes place from mid-July to mid-September. This is typically a wet, rainy season, with earth and fire energies rising to the forefront. Your agni is heavily dampened during this season, so it’s time to get that fire roaring again.
What to eat
Salty, sour, and oily foods are the star of this season. Although you want your digestive fire to begin to pick up, avoid heavy foods at first and transition slowly through the season. The ideal Varsha diet avoids uncooked foods and favors warm, freshly-cooked meals. Help your digestion out with ginger and lemon, and eat a lot of thin soups
There are six rasas in Ayurveda
1. Madhura (‘sweet’)
2. Amla (‘sour’):
3. Lavana (‘salty’)
4. Kat.u (‘pungent’.6. Kas´a¯ya (‘astringent’)
5. Tikta (‘bitter’.
.6. Kas´a¯ya (‘astringent’)
Traditional ayurvedic physicians recognise that there are certain foods that influence the individual doshas.Beyond any regimen, all diets for all people should be healthy, diverse and whole some, and attempt to reflect the season and the local ecology
Sweet taste
Comprising the elements of earth and water, sweet taste balances vata and pitta dosha in the body and increases kapha dosha. Of the six types of tastes, this one is said to be the most nourishing. When taken in moderation, they are known to provide you with
Sour taste
Consisting of the elements of water and fire, it is known to stimulate pitta and kapha dosha in the body and decrease the vatadosha. Foods with sour taste are also known to increase appetite and production of saliva. Of the six different types of tastes that exist, sour taste is known to awaken thoughts and emotions and improve digestion. It needs to be taken in moderation else can lead to aggression in the body in no time. Some of the sour taste food items are lemon, vinegar, pickled vegetables and tamarind among others
Salty taste
Salty taste consists of the elements of earth and fire and leads to decrease of vata and increase of pitta and kapha doshas. Because of its hydrating nature, of the 6 tastes in Ayurveda, salty taste aids in digestion and cleansing of the tissues. But too much of it can also lead to increase in blood pressure and have impact on your skin and blood. So, it’s intake in moderation is recommended. Examples of salty tasting foods are sea vegetables, sea salt, and black olives among others.
spiSpicy (pungent taste)
Pungent taste consists of the elements of fire and air and of the 6 tastes in Ayurveda, it is the hottest and so is known to aid digestion, improve appetite, cleanse tissues and enhance blood circulation. Pungent taste also helps in balancing of kapha but if had in more than prescribed quantitates can aggravate pitta and lead to other health related issues. Vata handles pungent taste when combined with sweet, sour or salty foods. Some of the best examples of spicy foods are chilies, garlic, ginger, hot peppers and onions etc.
Bitter taste
Bitter taste is made up of the elements of air and space and is considered to be the coolest of all the six tastes. Naturally detoxifying in nature, it helps remove waste and toxic material from the body and purifies the body. Bitter taste is best suited for pitta and kapha doshas and least beneficial bodies with vatadosha. Turmeric, green vegetables, and herbal teas fall in the category of foods with bitter taste.
Astringent taste
Made up of air and earth elements, astringent taste is said to be cool, firm and dry. People with vata are advised to consume less of astringent taste as it can lead to problem of gas in them. It benefits people with pitta dosha. Unripe bananas, cranberries, and green beans etc., are said to have astringent taste.
Ayurveda is a form of holistic medicine that’s focused on promoting balance between your body and mind.have you noticed that certain foods can settleyou down or pick you up,in our journey I want to help you to understand how food affect our mental wellness by balancing certain energies,specifically,satisfaction,passion,or lassitude.
#inoka damayanthi welaratne
Ayurveda Food & Nutrition diploma in srilanka
Professional chef diploma in vegetarian and vegan cookery in kerala
Diploma di Chef Professionista saronno italy
Higher Education course in Pastry milano italy
Reference
