A few years ago, we were running clinical trials with a certain Ayurvedic drug formulation. This drug was a plant-based immunogen; it was supposed to boost the immune system. Two female patients reported side effects. They were in their early thirties, of similar weight, the same marital status, and with a similar lifestyle. One of them said the drug caused diarrhoea, while the other reported constipation. While these reactions were possible, they were unusual and entirely unexpected.
We examined their eating habits. There were no anomalies. They ate moderately and healthily. In fact, they ate almost identical foods. Most notable was their regular consumption of buttermilk. We zeroed in on buttermilk. The combination of buttermilk and our drug was causing diarrhoea in one patient and constipation in the other.
Another drug was preventing hair loss in one set of patients, while the same drug had no such effect on a different set of patients. Even more intriguingly, it caused hair loss in a number of subjects.
Why were the same drugs acting differently on similar people? Why did buttermilk cause diarrhoea in one patient and constipation in the other? Why was a drug that was supposed to strengthen hair, trigger hair loss in some patients?
One of the most outstanding aspects of Ayurveda is its teaching that nothing is absolute. The utility, value, and effect of anything are relative. Hence, the efficacy of its healing is dependent on the receiver, the time, and the environment. It is this profound understanding that makes Ayurveda a complete science.
Food that may be good for you could be catastrophic for another person. You may feel healthiest during the spring season, whereas another person may have the most allergies during the same period. Your medicine could well be the poison for another person.
Charaka, and other sage-physicians of his time, understood that the unique constitution of an individual was the decisive factor in how he responded to the consumption of food and medicine. One’s constitution determined how one would respond to the external environment. They classified elements of the constitution with three humours: vata, pitta, and kapha. The basis of Ayurveda is the understanding and application of the three humours. The sage-physicians also labelled the constitution of each individual based on the dominance of a humour or humours in his body. So, a person could be vata, pitta, or kapha, or a combination of these. In this chapter, I’ll elucidate the three humours, and in the next one, I’ll focus on the physical constitution of a person based on them.
Literally, vata means wind, pitta means bile, and kapha means mucous. These are not the complete meanings, though. Vata, pitta, and kapha are not merely three physical humours; they are also three forms of energy. Vata is kinetic energy, pitta is magnetic energy, and kapha is potential energy. The three humours are forever keeping your body cells in motion and your mind engaged. Vata refers to the movement of energy in your body. It controls the flow of chyle, blood, excretions, and more.
Pitta, in modern terms, is metabolism. Your body has four types of digestive fires (covered later in this book). Pitta is the collective vitality of those four fires. Pitta is also the primary force behind the functioning of enzymes. Internal secretions from all glands are handled by pitta. Your body has a process of excretion at every level, from the cellular to the more prominent. Kapha is the force that is responsible for all excretion, be that perspiration, defecation, urination, ejaculation, or discharges from other bodily orifices such as ears, nostrils, and eyes.
The three humours are called dosha in Sanskrit. Literally, the word dosha means fault or inconvenience. It also means alteration and morbidity. The sage-physicians carefully chose the word dosha for the three humours, because when the humours are in equilibrium, your body is healthy and normal. When one or more of the humours go out of balance, the body loses its equilibrium. The same humours become the originators of ailments. Hence the word dosha: the fault, the culprit. It is impossible for a body to be diseased when the doshas are balanced. It is only when any one of these is vitiated does a disease sprout in the body.
Equilibrium or imbalance between the doshas dictates your physical health or lack of it. Irrespective of whether a patient has a common cold or colon cancer, the cause and the cure lie in the balancing of the three humours. Complete healing, however, is not just about the three humours. The three physical humours operate in conjunction with the three mental humours. I will cover that later in this book. In the English language, no matter how long, complicated, or difficult a word may be, it cannot exist outside the alphabet; it must consist of its vowels and consonants. Similarly, regardless of the stage, gravity, and nature of a disease, it can only relate to the three causative humours.
Dominance of a dosha can lead to a physical disorder corresponding to its own nature. There are seven core properties of each dosha. See the table below:
| Vata | Pitta | Kapha |
|---|---|---|
| Dry | Smooth | Oily |
| Cold | Hot | Cold |
| Light | Buoyant | Heavy |
| Subtle | Fluidal | Viscid |
| Kinetic | Acidic | Voluminous |
| Sublime | Mobile | Stable |
| Rough | Pungent | Sweet |
An interesting question is: ‘What do these properties mean?’ More to the point, ‘What do they mean to you?’ In fact, in the ancient Ayurvedic text – Charaka Samhita, Charaka did not define these properties in isolation. In each of the verses specifying the characteristics of the doshas, the subsequent line says if you were to consume substances that are opposite to the properties of the dosha, it will immediately bring relief to the disorder caused by the dosha. For example, vitiated pitta can cause indigestion. If you look at the properties of pitta, it is hot, acidic, pungent, and so on. Now, if you consume something that is cold and alkaline, you will get almost instant relief from indigestion.
The doshas are entirely dependent on the five great elements. As long as you have a body, the five elements will be operative and active. The doshas assume a physical form when they are transformed into organic excretions due to pathogenic or pathological factors. Vata, as air, may turn into intestinal gas; pitta, bile, may result in indigestion. Together they may lead to heartburn or acid reflux. Kapha, phlegm, may turn into mucus. It could easily be more severe in the form of residual fat clogging the vital arteries.
Your body is at the peak of its health when the doshas are in equilibrium. In some people, one dosha dominates. In fact, one dosha is almost always more active than the others. When any one dosha is vitiated, a corresponding disease manifests in the body. In some cases, however, all three doshas may be vitiated. Such a condition is called sannipata. Sanna means depressed, languid, and weak, and pata means descent or death. Sannipata means the condition is severe and requires immediate attention. If the patient is not treated, the disorder can lead to an incurable chronic disease or even death.
Let me elaborate on each of the three doshas.
Vata is made up of the elements of air and ether. It is the force behind all motion in your body. Vata is cold, light, and motive. It flows in the form of the ten energies controlling all kinetic aspects of your body. When vata is balanced, your speech, your gait, your glances, and the movements of your limbs are all composed, minimal, and graceful. When it is vitiated, it leads to erratic or excessive movements. Do you know people who move their hands too much while talking? One of the reasons for this could be imbalanced vata in their bodies.
There are six flows in your body: air flow, blood flow, lymph flow, gastrointestinal flow, urine flow, and energy flow. Mental and physical exertion directly impact your energy flow. Further, other people’s energy and the external environment can also impact your energy flow.
For example, imagine yourself in a dark room. You light a blue bulb, and the whole room is now illuminated with soft blue light. Then you burn sandalwood incense. The room has a certain ambience and fragrance now. Presently, someone comes along and lights a bigger white bulb. The ambience changes immediately. Another person comes and burns strong jasmine incense. The room is the same: your bulb is just as well lit, the sandalwood scent is still in the air – but they are no longer serving their purpose. A brighter bulb and a stronger scent have veiled them.
Ayurvedic, yogic, and tantric texts place great importance on energy flow. The six types of flow in your body are controlled by vata. When vata gets vitiated, diseases that are linked to the six flows manifest themselves in the human body. The patient thinks he has a gas problem, or flatulence, so he may take a pill to curb this. That is not the problem, though. It is merely the symptom. In this case, vata is vitiated, so it is vata that needs to be treated.
Imagine a very large piece of barren land; a few million hectares. You are in the middle of that land. There is no water, there are no trees, and no cattle. Now visualize a breeze blowing. But wait – what is your mind to see and feel? If you think of a sunny day, that breeze will feel hot and arid. On a rainy day, it’ll feel colder and moist. In the same manner – and as Sharangadhara Samhita, a classical Ayurvedic text, states most brilliantly – ‘Inert is pitta, inert is kapha, inert are the mala (residue) and dhatus. Like clouds, they go wherever they are carried by the vayu (vata or wind).’
Therefore, unless pitta or kapha is already vitiated, an imbalanced vata does no damage. If pitta is disturbed and vata gets vitiated, it will lead to gas. If vata does not get vitiated, an imbalance of pitta will simply lead to indigestion or acidity. A range of symptoms, from simple twitching of the eye to permanent instability of the mind, are attributable to vata. Vata can manifest strongly and quickly. It may easily turn a small ailment into a fatal threat, just like a gust of wind can transform a small flame into a bushfire. Vata is called rogaraja, the king of all diseases.
The primary characteristic of pitta is heat. It is chiefly made up of the fire element; its secondary element is water. Pitta is hot, acidic, and pungent. It is responsible for the production of enzymes and hormones. All glands in the body secrete on account of pitta. In modern medical science, pitta represents metabolism in its entirety. The two chief aspects of metabolism – anabolism (synthesis of complex substances and storage of energy) and catabolism (breakdown of complex substances and release of energy) – are directly governed by the force of pitta. It is the bilious humour. While the three humours play an equally important role in the genesis and sustenance of a person, pitta is easily the most significant of the three, for it is the metabolic force. One’s very life depends on the quality of their metabolism.
Pitta is the energy that creates and controls digestion. Along with vata, it is responsible for maintaining the body temperature. Heat in the human body exists in the form of fluids. Pitta generates the heat, and vata transports it to the rest of the body. In that transportation, due to friction, vata also generates body heat.
Pitta is the transformative principle, not just for the physical body but for the psychical body as well. The processing in your brain depends on neurotransmitters. A neurotransmitter is a neurochemical substance, a type of enzyme. Thinking, contemplation, and concentration are simply enzymes working in your brain. It is for this reason that meditation has a direct influence on the various functions of the brain. Modern science verifies that meditation is particularly useful in tackling mood swings, premenstrual symptoms, and menopausal transition.
Given time, a cut or a wound dries up; it seems to heal on its own. This healing is predominantly due to pitta. Homeostasis – the ability of your body to maintain internal constancy and equilibrium by coordinated work of multiple complex biological agents operating in the autonomic nervous system – is a direct function of pitta.
Sometimes you shiver when you urinate, especially if it’s cold. That’s because your body was maintaining a certain temperature prior to urination. Hot urine in the bladder contributed to the maintenance of this temperature. And now, with urination emptying the bladder, you lose heat; your brain recognizes even the slightest drop in temperature. Consequently, the brain sends a signal, vata rushes through the sympathetic nervous system to produce that shiver, so pitta may again be brought to perfect balance. You don’t shiver while voiding your bowel because pitta has enough time to restore its balance.
Any transformation occurring in your body or mind is due to pitta. Such transformation could be the breaking down of food into various nutrients ready for processing by your body, or it could be thoughts transforming into actions and goals. Without pitta, none of this is possible. When pitta is vitiated, it makes the person angry and aggressive. If vata is the kinetic energy, pitta is magnetism. It works closely with both vata and kapha for the efficient and smooth working of the complex machinery called the body.
Digestion, appetite, skin, vision, lustre, and physical strength are greatly affected by pitta. Balanced pitta gives a person smooth and glowing complexion, clarity of thought, sharp intellect, perfect digestion, and good vision. When imbalanced, it affects all of the above. Inflammation, swelling, discharge, itching, and perspiration are signs of vitiated pitta. Abnormal functioning of the brain and many mental disorders are also attributed to imbalanced pitta.
Kapha is made up of the earth and water elements. It is what holds your body together. Heavy, cold, soft, and slimy, kapha represents potential energy. It is the third humor, phlegm. It is the framework, if you will. Like the other two doshas, when it is vitiated, it leaves a residue behind. In the case of kapha, such residue could be mucus, excess saliva, plaque, certain infections, stupor, and lassitude.
Kapha controls vital aspects of the human body. In fact, it governs the overall structure of the body. Body growth, weight, joints, lungs, the seven dhatus, lubrication of joints, suppleness of muscles, and smoothness of internal organs are controlled by kapha. The immune system is greatly influenced by the balance of kapha in the body. Allergens are quick to attack the patient with vitiated pitta and kapha.
Kapha represents smooth skin, beautiful large eyes, and silky, luxuriant hair. Its basic nature is stable. This means that when kapha is vitiated, allergies won’t go away easily. The same goes for mental conditions too. Imbalanced kapha can lead one into a prolonged state of depression. The patient gains weight rather quickly. Unlike vata, kapha disorders can’t be fixed overnight. If you have gas, you may drink a decoction or pop a pill and you may feel better within minutes. The same can’t be said for bronchial congestion.
In short, your body frame, the strength of your joints, the type of your skin, your immune system, your mental stability, your basic nature, your complexion, and many other permanent attributes of your body are governed by kapha. Heaviness is the chief feature of kapha. When you feel heaviness in the body or mind, almost certainly it means kapha is vitiated. When you can’t get up in the morning, even after a good night’s sleep, it could be due to an imbalance between your kapha and vata.
Snoring is attributed to kapha. Those who snore are likely to have other disorders caused by kapha, including mucus, chest congestion, and obesity, however slight. They may even be asthmatic. Kapha grants emotional and mental stability. If pitta is the solar channel in your body, kapha is the lunar channel. It helps you to go to sleep: its properties can pacify physical, mental, and emotional aggression, bringing you to a state of calm and equilibrium. It is with kapha’s cooperation that your body cells are repaired and healed when you rest and sleep.
The three humours determine the fundamental constitution of an individual. Each person is born with a certain constitution. It is rare for an individual to be an absolute vata, pitta, or kapha. More often than not, most people have a mixed constitution. While you can’t change your inherent constitution, you can modify your eating habits and lifestyle to best suit your constitution. This is the easiest way of remaining physically and mentally healthy. Ayurveda details the method of ascertaining your constitution based on several factors.