AYURVEDA – 3 Dhoshas – Part 2

TROUBLES CAUSED BY VATA

• blood from the nose
• pain to the feet and the calves
• insensibility to the legs
• sciatica
• atrophy of the inferior limbs
• rectal prolapse
• rigid joints, deformations of the backbone (hump etc.)
• dwarfism
• rigid jaw
• fragile teeth
• muteness
• aphasia
• dryness of the mouth
• inability to the taste and the sense of smell
• pain to the ears, deafness
• all the pains to the head
• facial paralysis
• tremors and pangs
• dryness and hardness of the skin (local or general)
• insomnia
• anxiety
• depression and anguish
• disturbed intelligence or limited
• the hair’s loss 

TROUBLES CAUSED BY PITTA

• fever, inflammations, feelings of local burning
• acidity
• excessive perspiration
• marked bodily odors
• cutaneous eruptions
• jaundice
• bitter taste in mouth
• stomatitises
• excessive thirst
• insatiable appetite
• eyes, urine, faeces of yellow / greenish color 

TROUBLES CAUSED BY KAPHA

• satisfaction
• idleness and increase of the sleep
• heaviness of the body and the mind
• sweet taste in mouth
• increase of the oral secretions
• big faeces
• heaviness to the breast
• tonsillitis
• cervical adenitis
• obesity
• bad digestion
• eyes, urines, faeces more white of the normal one

REMEDIES AND THERAPIES FOR VATA

• massage with oil
• Turkish bath, sauna, warm bath and similar
• busy and active mind
• alcoholic medicinal preparations
• digestive
• nourishing diet (well cooked, warm, greasy, liquid foods, from the sweet or acid or salty prevailing taste)
• good humor

REMEDIES AND THERAPIES FOR PITTA

• internal and external use of ghee (clarified butter)
• light laxative
• fresh diet (fresh foods, liquid foods, from the sweet or bitter or astringent prevailing taste)
• cold bath
• pleasant environment: fragrances of flowers, music, friends etc.
• don’t sleep during the day

REMEDIES AND THERAPIES FOR KAPHA

• strong laxative
• light diet (warm, light, dry foods, from the spicy or bitter or astringent prevailing taste)
• aged alcoholic drinks
• dry massage (without oils or creams)
• less sleep
• sex
• physical activity
• emetic, honey and few comforts are essential

CHART OF THE CONSTITUTION

(PRAKṚTI)

	VATA	PITTA	KAPHA
Guna:	Sattva	Rajas	Tamas
Origin:	Prana	Tejas	Ojas
Power:	Movement	Transformation	Establishment
Kosham Involucre:	Blessed Mental	Energetic Intellectual	Physical
Elements:	Ether Air	Fire Water	Water Earth
Physical Structure:	Not harmonic, too high or too low, prominent lineaments	Balanced	Heavy, big, strong
Stature:	Very high or very low	Medium, balanced	Low
Bones:	Thin	Moderate	Thick, large
Skin:	Dry, rough, cold, with wrinkles	Soft, warm, oily, sensitive, irritable, with freckles	Soft, smooth, soft, fresh, moist
Color:	Dark	Red	Pallid
Hair:	Dry, rough, curly, brittle	Soft, shiny, thin, fat, gray hair, baldness	Fat, dark, dense, soft, wavy
Nails:	Irregular, rough, brittle	Soft, tender, flexible	Big, strong, regular, soft
Eyebrows:	Thin, sparse	Medium	Thick
Eyes:	Small, sunken, with no brightness	Medium, bright, warm, red	Large, liquid, dark, sweet
Cheekbones:	Asymmetric angular	Medium	Large
Ears:	Very small or very large	Medium, pointed	Large
Nose:	Very small or very large	Medium	Harmonious
Lips:	Dry, cracked	Soft, red, long	Pale, large, well-designed
Tongue:	Small, dark	Medium, Red	Large, bright
Teeth:	Irregular	Regular, weak	Regular, white, strong
Neck:	Long or short	Medium	Taurinus
Shoulders:	Narrow, small	Athletic	Robust
Hips:	Narrow	Medium	Wide
Arms, legs:	Small or long	Medium	Mighty
Hands, feet:	Small or long	Medium	Big
Joints:	Rigid	Loose	Large, solid
Skin phototype:	Dark	Medium	Pale
Circulation:	Low, variable	Good	Moderate
Appetite:	Variable	Good	Good, greedy, gluttonous
Thirst:	Variable	Excessive	Low
Sweating:	Low	Abundant, constant	Slow to start, abundant
Feces:	Dry, hard	Soft	Thick, heavy
Urine:	Low, clear	Abundant, yellow	Moderate, clear
Digestion, Evacuation:	Irregular	Excellent	Slow but good
Menses:	Irregular	Regular	Moderate
Sexual desire:	Variable	Moderate, balanced	Indifferent, slow to start
Sensitivity:	Cold, dryness, wind	Heat, sunlight, fire	Cold, humidity
Immune function:	Low, variable	Medium, heat-sensitive	Good, high
Tendency to disease:	Pain	Fever, inflammation	Congestion, edema
Type of disease:	Nervous	Blood, liver	Lungs, phlegm
Activity:	High, impatient	Moderate	Low, slow
Physical strength	Weak	Normal	Strong
Resistance:	Low, exhausted easily	Medium, concentrated	High
Sleep:	Irregular, scanty, sometimes deep	Moderate, easy	Deep, prolonged
Dreams:	Many, forgets	Enough, remembers	Many, remembers
Language:	Fast, prolix	Acute, sharp	Slow, poor
Thought:	Creative	Organizational	Scheduling
Mind:	Restless, active, theoretical, philosophical	Practical, rational	Stable, slow, harmonious, calm
Memory:	Good the recent, low the remote	Acute, clear	Slow but steady
Emotionality:	Uncertain, unpredictable, adaptable	Aggressive, revengeful, brave	Indifferent, attacked, loving
Governs:	Fear / Courage; Anxiety / Contentment; Nervousness / Calm; Pain / Pleasure; Relaxation / Tension	Hunger / Thirst; Weakness / Strength; Hot / Cold; Distraction / Attention; Jealousy / Generosity	Love / Hate; Desire / Indifference; Attachment / Detachment
Personality:	Intelligent, light, wise, sensible, not concentrated, research spiritual development	Intelligent, strong, intolerant, easily understood, do not forget, friendship for selfish	Quiet, stable, happy, generous, austere, humble, tolerant
Temperament:	Nervous, changeable	Motivated	Calm, stable, generous
Social relationships:	Knows many people, few close friends	Selective, create deep friendships, few enemies	Loyal, with many friendships
Faith:	Variable	Strong, determined, fanatical	Firm, slow to change
Economy:	Tends to spend on trifles	Moderate, lavish spending	Saver, spends for food

DIETS

* Rasa (tastes)
* Diets for: Constitution VATA – Constitution PITTA – Constitution KAPHA
* Physical exercise for the 3 dosha

To establish of what type of constitution we are and to establish a diet is good routine to address to an ayurvedic physician.

In this section the matter is treated in general line to better understand the principles and the techniques of Ayurveda.

The diet, being of primary importance, has a big consideration in ayurvedic medicine. In western country is given more importance to the quantity of calories of the food and the classification in fat, carbohydrates, proteins etc., with little consideration on the digestive ability of the consumer, on the season, on the mental state of the individual or on the equilibrium of the energies in body and mind. According to the ancient Indian medicine the diet is above all a tool of preservation of the state of health and prevention of illness. That’s why we cannot ignore these important factors that so heavily influence our psycophysic equilibrium.

Rasa (Tastes)

SWEET –  RICE, PASTA, SUGAR, GHUR(SUGAR CANE), MILK, BUTTER, CARROTS, GRAPE, FIG, LIQUORICE

ACID – YOGURT, LEMON, VINEGAR, CHEESE, TOMATO

SALTY – SALT, TAMARI (SOYA SAUCE), SALTY PEANUTS, SEA ALGAS

SPICY – PEPPER, CAPSICUM, GINGER, GARLIC, ONION

BITTER – SPINACHES, CHICORY, GREEN VEGETABLES, TURMERIC, RHUBARB

ASTRINGENT – LEGUMES, KHAKI, ALL THE SOUR FRUIT, RAW HONEY

	ACTIVE	PASSIVE
SWEET	KAPHA	VATA AND PITTA
ACID	KAPHA AND PITTA	VATA
SALTY	KAPHA AND PITTA	VATA
SPICY	PITTA AND VATA	KAPHA
BITTER	VATA	KAPHA AND PITTA
ASTRINGENT	VATA	KAPHA AND PITTA

VATA CONSTITUTION
 IN GENERAL TO FAVOR WELL COOKED, WARM, GREASY, LIQUID FOODS, FROM SWEET OR ACID OR SALTY PREVAILING TASTE

TO FAVOR THE CONSUMPTION OF:

CEREALS: Rice, Wheat in all its preparations, Oat (cooked)

DAIRY PRODUCE: Milk, Yogurt, Butter, Cheeses of cow

VEGETABLES: Tofu (soya cheese)

MEATS: Chicken, Turkey, Rabbit, blue Fish

VEGETABLES: Asparaguses, Avocado, Beets, Tomatoes, Carrots, Fennels

FRUIT: Fig trees, Raisin, Dates, Orange, Banana, Lemons, Pineapple, Mango, Peaches, Melon, Plums, Pear, Kiwi, Cherries

DRY FRUIT AND SEEDS: Almonds, Walnut-trees, Filberts, Sesam

SPICES AND AROMAS: Anise, Garlic, Basil, Cinnamon, Nails of carnation, Fennel, Sage, Ginger, Nutmeg, Rosemary, Saffron

FAT: Olive Oil, Butter, Tahin (sesam butter), Gee (clarified butter)

SWEETENERS: Sugar of cane, Honey (few)

TO REDUCE THE CONSUMPTION OF:

CEREALS: Bowline, Millet, Rye

DAIRY PRODUCE: Milk and cheeses of goat

MEATS: Steer, Calf, Pig

LEGUMES: Beans, Chick-peas

VEGETABLES: Cabbage, Eggplant, Lettuce, Broccolis, Potatoes, Peppers, Pumpkin

FRUIT: Sour and not sweet

SPICE: Turmeric and Capsicum

SWEETENERS: White Sugar

PITTA CONSTITUTION
TO FAVOR FRESH, LIQUID FOODS, FROM THE SWEET OR BITTER OR ASTRINGENT PREVAILING TASTE

TO FAVOR THE CONSUMPTION OF:

CEREALS: Rice, Wheat, Bowline

DAIRY PRODUCE: Milk, Gee, Butter, fresh Cheeses, Ricotta

MEATS: Chicken, Turkey

VEGETABLES: Asparaguses, Lettuce, Courgettes, Spinaches, Beets, Broccolis, Cucumbers, Potatoes

LEGUMES: Chick-peas, Broad beans, Peas, Red Lentils, Tofu

FRUIT: All less Orange, Grapefruit, Mango

DRY FRUIT AND SEEDS: Sunflower and Pumpkin

FAT: Gee, Olive Oil (not too much), Sunflower Oil

SPICE IS AROMAS: Turmeric, Coriander, Fennel, Mint, Saffron

SWEETENERS: Sugar of cane, Honey (in the cold season)

TO REDUCE THE CONSUMPTION OF:

CEREALS: Corn, Rye, Millet

DAIRY PRODUCE: Yogurt, sour and salty Cheeses

MEATS: All

LEGUMES: Beans, Lentils

VEGETABLES: Tomatoes, Spinaches, Onion, Eggplants, Peppers

FRUIT: Orange, Grapefruit, Mango

OILS: Sesam, Corn, Peanuts

SPICE IS AROMAS: Pepper, Capsicum, Ginger (dry), Sage, Oregano, Thyme, Garlic, Mustard, Vinegar, Tamari

SWEETENERS: Honey (in the cold season)

KAPHA CONSTITUTION
 TO FAVOR WARM, LIGHT, DRY FOODS, FROM THE SPICY OR BITTER OR ASTRINGENT PREVAILING TASTE

TO FAVOR THE CONSUMPTION OF:

CEREALS: Bowline, Millet, Rye, Emmer, Tapioca

DAIRY PRODUCE: Skimmed milk, Milk and cheeses of goat

LEGUMES: Chick-peas, Lentils, Peas, Soy

MEATS: Chicken, Turkey

VEGETABLES: Beets, Chicory, Lettuce, Eggplant, Spinaches, Pumpkin, Courgettes

FRUIT: Cherries, Maracuja, Apple, Pomegranate, Fruits of wood, Papaya

OILS: Sesam, Olive

SPICE AND AROMAS: Laurel, Basil, Nails of carnation, Cardamom, Turmeric, Cinnamon, Marjoram, Oregano, Black Pepper, Sage, Ginger

SWEETENERS: Honey

TO REDUCE THE CONSUMPTION OF:

CEREALS: Laughed white, Bread and pasta white, Oat

DAIRY PRODUCE: Whole milk, Butter, Gee, Yogurt, Cheeses of cow

LEGUMES: Tofu

VEGETABLES: Avocado, Beets, Carrots, Potatoes, Tomatoes

FRUIT: Orange, Banana, Dates, Figs, Mango, Melon, Coconut, Peaches, Kiwi, Grape

DRY FRUIT AND SEEDS: All

FAT: Butter, Gee, Margarine

SPICE: Salt

SWEETENERS: White Sugar, Sugar of Cane

PHYSICAL EXERCISE

VATA	NO HEAVY ACTIVITY, BETTER WALKS OR BICYCLE
PITTA	WATER SPORTS, SKI, GOLF, SPORTS IN THE GREEN OR MOUNTAIN
KAPHA	ATHLETICS, BOATING, BASKETBALL, HEAVY SPORTS