Ashta Choornam
The Ashta Choornam is an Ayurvedic medicine to help provide relief from indigestion and is used as a gas relief medicine and also a churan for digestion. As the name indicates, it is a combination of eight ingredients. It is widely used as a gas relief medicine for adults. It is a digestive stimulant that also acts as an appetizer, and carminative. It is used in Ayurvedic treatments to help with flatulence treatment and possesses antispasmodic, antioxidant anti-inflammatory, hepato-protective, and anthelmintic properties. Though it is primarily an Ayurvedic medicine for digestion problem it also functions to reduce Ama formation making it an ideal supplementary medicine for other disorders that need to reduce Ama. It is also good for the treatment of fatty liver disease.
Ingredients
Trikatu (Piper longum, Piper nigrum, Zingiber officinale)
These three ingredients promote appetite and aid in proper digestion.
Pippalimool (Piper longum)
Ayurveda And Digestion
Ayurveda places great emphasis on the process of digestion. Improper digestion can cause the formation of a metabolic toxin called Ama that is the root cause of most health problems. Ama over a period of time can accumulate and become Amavisha that is very harmful. Good digestion is the key to good health as per Ayurveda. There is a great emphasis laid on the process of digestion as per the principles of Ayurvedic medicine.
The quality of a person’s digestion depends on the quality of the Agni or digestive fire. When the Agni is weak, Ayurveda treats it with medicines that improve and strengthen it so that digestion will be better. The Agni in a person’s body also fluctuates with the sun. At noon when the sun is high in the sky, the Agni is at its most potent and it is weak at night. This is why the Ayurvedic tradition is to take the heaviest meal at noon and to eat light at other times.
Movement in the body is governed by the Vata Dosha and this must be in balance to avoid gas and bloat. The Pitta Dosha when not in balance can dry up the bowel contents and cause constipation. Kapha Dosha imbalance causes too much mucus that impairs digestion.
Western Medicine’s View on Digestion and Metabolism
The Ashta Choornam is an Ayurvedic medicine to help provide relief from indigestion and is used as a gas relief medicine and also a churan for digestion. As the name indicates, it is a combination of eight ingredients. It is widely used as a gas relief medicine for adults. It is a digestive stimulant that also acts as an appetizer, and carminative. It is used in Ayurvedic treatments to help with flatulence treatment and possesses antispasmodic, antioxidant anti-inflammatory, hepato-protective, and anthelmintic properties. Though it is primarily an Ayurvedic medicine for digestion problem it also functions to reduce Ama formation making it an ideal supplementary medicine for other disorders that need to reduce Ama. It is also good for the treatment of fatty liver disease.
Ingredients
Trikatu (Piper longum, Piper nigrum, Zingiber officinale)
These three ingredients promote appetite and aid in proper digestion.
Pippalimool (Piper longum)
- Root of Pepper
- Activates Agni.
- Black Pepper
- Balances Kapha and Vata Doshas and aggravates Pitta Dosha
- Helps the digestive fire (Agni)
- Used in Ayurveda as an analgesic and antipyretic
- Aids in proper digestion
- It is called parsley or wild celery
- It is used as an Ayurvedic medicine for digestion problem
- It is used in Ayurveda as an antihypertensive, diuretic, anti-inflammatory, uterine stimulant and aphrodisiac.
- An excellent digestive stimulant.
- Promotes appetite and is an Ayurvedic medicine for bloating and gas
- Balances three Doshas
- Is used in traditional medicine as a digestive, antacid, expectorant, carminative and anti-inflammatory.
- It is used in gas trouble medicines
- It is also called Kalonji and is one of the remedies used by people with a gastric problem in India
- It is used in Ayurveda to treat gas, nausea, indigestion, chemotherapy side effects, headache, toothache, diarrhoea, toxicity in liver and kidneys, conjunctivitis, inflammation and fever
- Increases the Pitta Dosha and pacifies the Kapha and Vata Doshas
- Asafoetida
- It increases Pitta and balances the Vata and Kapha Doshas and restores the movement of Vata
- Improves digestion and relieves cramps and bloating
- It improves the digestive fire (Agni)
Ayurveda And Digestion
Ayurveda places great emphasis on the process of digestion. Improper digestion can cause the formation of a metabolic toxin called Ama that is the root cause of most health problems. Ama over a period of time can accumulate and become Amavisha that is very harmful. Good digestion is the key to good health as per Ayurveda. There is a great emphasis laid on the process of digestion as per the principles of Ayurvedic medicine.
The quality of a person’s digestion depends on the quality of the Agni or digestive fire. When the Agni is weak, Ayurveda treats it with medicines that improve and strengthen it so that digestion will be better. The Agni in a person’s body also fluctuates with the sun. At noon when the sun is high in the sky, the Agni is at its most potent and it is weak at night. This is why the Ayurvedic tradition is to take the heaviest meal at noon and to eat light at other times.
Movement in the body is governed by the Vata Dosha and this must be in balance to avoid gas and bloat. The Pitta Dosha when not in balance can dry up the bowel contents and cause constipation. Kapha Dosha imbalance causes too much mucus that impairs digestion.
Western Medicine’s View on Digestion and Metabolism
- Western medicine treats digestion in isolation and does not give it the importance that Ayurveda does.
- For proper digestion, the entire digestive tract and the allied organs such as the pancreas, gall bladder and the liver have to function properly.
- The food that is consumed should be wholesome and aid in the functioning of the digestive system. Proper intake of fibre, prebiotics and probiotics help in proper digestion.
- Some digestive troubles are caused by infection of the stomach lining and are treated with antibiotics. The inflammation of the stomach lining is treated with drugs that also protect it from further damage and also to reduce the pain that the condition produces.
- When any of the allied organs of the digestive process are faulty they are treated individually.
- In Western medicine, the process of digestion is viewed as dependent on the optimum functioning of the digestive system and the allied organs such as the gallbladder, pancreas and the liver. It is also dependent on the type of food that is consumed.
- Some digestive troubles are caused by infections of the stomach lining. Antibiotics are used to treat stomach problems that are caused by such infections.
- Chronic or long-term acidity of the stomach can damage other parts of the digestive system as well and cause heartburn and gastric reflux.
- Improper digestion can cause the person to be unable to completely or properly absorb all the nutrients in the food. This adversely impacts the overall health of the individual.
- Indigestion also causes other symptoms such as gas, flatulence, bloat, heartburn, diarrhoea, constipation and pain.
- Some autoimmune diseases such as sarcoidosis and Crohn’s disease can also cause digestive problems.
- IBS or irritable bowel syndrome is a condition where the improper digestive process causes symptoms that fluctuate between constipation and diarrhoea.
- The large intestine can have problems such as diverticulosis or piles. This also affects a person’s digestion.
- A proper intake of water is essential for digestion to happen normally.
- Too much tea, coffee, alcohol and carbonated beverages negatively affect digestion. A
- Certain drugs impair proper digestion.
- When a person is known to be sensitive to certain foods that cause bloat or indigestion, they should be avoided.
You may also like
More from Kerala Ayurveda
More from Aasaan
Recently viewed