The doshas provide the vital connection between the gastrointestinal tract and the dhatus, or deep internal structures of the body. It is important to remember that the dhatus comprise the dense, solid structures which do not leave the body, while the malas are the natural waste products of metabolism which are removed from their site of origin and expelled from the body.
In the case of the doshas, however, they are neither retained nor eliminated and have the unique ability to travel throughout the body. Fluids and semi-solid matter are constantly carried back and forth between the body’s hollow structures and its deeper, denser structures through the regular and predictable activity of the doshas. They transport nutritive substances from the gastrointestinal tract to the tissues and organs, and also carry unsuitable or damaging substances away from the dhatus and back to the gastrointestinal tract for elimination.
A couple of examples demonstrate the widespread effects of this back and forth movement. When we talk a lot, we get thirsty. The movement of air through the mouth exhausts kapha’s watery secretions there and the mouth becomes dry. If we stop talking but don’t replenish the moisture by drinking water, the mouth eventually becomes moist again. This is because vata dosha brings kapha from the deeper dhatus of the body into the mouth’s hollow structure, where it is needed to soothe and moisturize the mouth.
When we exert ourselves in strenuous activity, we get thirsty and our mouth feels dry. Why? Because the doshas draw the fluids which are normally in the mouth and digestive tract to mamsa dhatu to give extra moisture and lubrication to the muscles. When we drink a lot of liquids during physical activity, we generally do not urinate frequently because the doshas are constantly moving the fluids from the hollow gastrointestinal tract to the dhatus where they are needed.
However, if we drink the same amount of liquid when we are not exerting ourselves, we have a need to urinate more frequently. This is because the denser tissues have no need for the fluid, so the doshas remove whatever is excessive and carry it back into the hollow structure of the bladder to be discharged.
In each of these examples, the doshas are the components that flow back and forth, transporting fluid between the gastrointestinal tract and the dhatus. The dhatus can’t perform this function because they don’t leave their own sites or their own shrotas. The malas are also incapable of fluid transport because, when they leave their site of origin, they are expelled from the body. The doshas constitute the functional intelligences which maintain the body’s equilibrium, and sustain it by taking nutrition to the dhatus and taking away the malas.
As was mentioned previously, when ama overflows its site of origin, dosha gati moves the ama, along with nutrients, to the dhatus, where it lodges and eventually manifests as acute or chronic disease symptoms. The doshas have the capacity to convey ama to the tissues as well as conduct it out of the tissues for disposal. The doshas have intelligence. Each of them collects its own type of ama and mala and brings it to its respective seat in the G-I tract for elimination at a specific time.
Each dosha dominates the body twice in every twenty-four hour cycle, in perfect coordination with the bhutas’ cycle of dominance in the environment. The early morning, when kapha’s influence takes over, provides the best time to remove kapha-associated ama from the body. This is when kapha naturally moves from the deeper tissues to the hollow structures of the nose and throat, making these watery secretions readily available for disposal. Kapha secretions also rise from six to ten in the evening. However, because we tend to be more active at this time, the fluids are drawn away from the G-I tract to the periphery to support the activities of the dhatus.
Panchakarmas Related to Dosha-Specific Impurities
- Vaman Karma Nasya Karma – Kapha Dosha Zone
- Virechan Karma Raktamokshana Karma – Pitta Dosha Zone
- Basti Karma (A nuivasan and Nirooha) – Vata Dosha Zone
Panchakarma uses two main procedures to remove excess kapha and kapha-rela.ted ama from the body. Nasya, the inhalation of medicated substances, eliminates toxic congestion in the peri-nasal sinuses. Vamana, therapeutic emesis (vomiting), removes toxic congestion from the stomach. Panchakarma generally employs these treatments early in the morning when excess kapha is most available in the G-I tract for elimination.
During the pitta period (10 A.M. to 12 noon), the processes of digestion, transformation and assimilation are at their peak. Symptoms of abnormal pitta function become most evident during this time. The same influences are at work in the two hours before and after midnight. These are the times when pitta’s natural movement from the thicker tissues to the hollow structure of the small intestine can most easily assist the removal of pitta-associated ama. Panchakarma then uses the procedure of virechana, or purgation, during these times to remove this toxicity from the intestines.
Late in the afternoon, from about 3 P.M. to sunset, vata takes precedence and generates more activity in the body. We feel the same effect just before sunrise, when nature, under the influence of vayu bhuta, begins to wake up. Panchakarma uses basti therapy to pacify hyperactive vata and eliminate the toxins associated with abnormal vata function. Bastis, the introduction of medicated and cleansing substances through the rectum into the colon, are more effective when administered in the late afternoon.
Each dosha depends on vata for movement. We see this everywhere in nature. Jala does not contain any inherent impulse for motion. A river, for instance, flows only with the help of vayu. The same is true for agni. It is vayu that causes the flames of fire to leap and dance. Because vata dosha initiates and drives all physiological movement, it is considered by Ayurveda to be the master player in all the body’s processes. For this reason, Panchakarma makes normalization of vata’s functioning a primary objective.