The "science of life" - Veda of longevity. Foundational framework of Indian medicine: tridosha, sapta-dhatu, tri-mala, ritucharya, dinacharya, panchakarma. Reference only - not a substitute for a qualified vaidya consultation.
Akasha (ether) + Vayu (air)
Seat: Colon (pakvashaya), pelvis, thighs, ears, bones, skin
Function: Movement - circulation, breathing, nerve impulses, elimination. Governs prana, apana, samana, udana, vyana.
Imbalance: Dryness, constipation, gas, joint cracking, insomnia, anxiety, tremors, weight loss, palpitations.
Balance: Warm cooked food, ghee, sesame oil abhyanga, regular routines, early bed, no cold drinks, oil-massage feet at night.
Agni (fire) + Apas (water)
Seat: Small intestine (grahani), liver, spleen, blood, eyes, skin
Function: Transformation - digestion (jatharagni), metabolism, vision, intelligence, courage, skin colour. Governs the five sub-types (pachaka, ranjaka, sadhaka, alochaka, bhrajaka).
Imbalance: Acidity, ulcers, hyper-perspiration, anger, criticism, inflammation, skin rashes, premature greying, hair loss.
Balance: Cool sweet foods, coconut, ghee, milk, no chillies, no fermented food at night, midnight sleep, moonlight walks, sandalwood paste.
Apas (water) + Prithvi (earth)
Seat: Stomach (amashaya), lungs, throat, head, joints
Function: Cohesion - lubrication, immunity, strength, patience, memory, body-mass. Governs the five sub-types (kledaka, avalambaka, bodhaka, tarpaka, shleshaka).
Imbalance: Cold + mucus, weight gain, dullness, depression, attachment, diabetes, hypothyroid, oversleep, sinus congestion.
Balance: Pungent + bitter + astringent foods, ginger, black pepper, brisk exercise, no daytime sleep, dry steam, kapha-pacifying rasayanas.
Should be once-daily, brown, sinking, without straining - a sign of healthy agni.
Pale-yellow, clear, light scent. Dark or scanty = pitta + meda imbalance.
Cools the body, lubricates the skin, excretes salt. Excess = pitta/kledaka imbalance.
Chaitra–Vaishakha (mid Mar–mid May)
Dosha: Kapha-aggravating (winter's accumulated kapha melts).
Agni: Moderate. Pancha-karma - vamana - best done now.
Diet: Old grains, honey, mudga, ginger, light foods. Bitter + pungent + astringent. Avoid heavy + sweet + cold.
Practice: Dry massage (udvartana), brisk exercise, anjana, gandusha.
Jyaishtha–Ashadha (mid May–mid Jul)
Dosha: Vata-accumulating from heat-induced dryness.
Agni: Weak. Reduce solid food.
Diet: Sweet, cool, oily, liquid - mantha, panaka, rice, milk, coconut, sugar cane, watermelon, ghee. Avoid pungent + salty + sour.
Practice: Avoid noon sun. Cool baths. Sandal paste. Moonlight nights on terrace. Mid-day rest is permitted (only ritu when divaswapna is allowed).
Shravana–Bhadrapada (mid Jul–mid Sep)
Dosha: Vata-aggravating; pitta accumulating.
Agni: Lowest of the year - vishama agni (irregular).
Diet: Old grains, mudga soup, ginger, garlic, sour foods, light meals. Avoid raw + heavy + leafy greens.
Practice: Pancha-karma - basti (medicated enema) - best in this season. Stay indoors during heavy rain. Warm drinks. Boiled water only.
Ashwina–Karthika (mid Sep–mid Nov)
Dosha: Pitta-aggravating (summer accumulation now flares).
Agni: Strong again - but pitta-pradhana.
Diet: Bitter, sweet, astringent. Rice, ghee, sugar, amla, grapes, dadima, mudga. Avoid pungent + sour + salty + oily + hot.
Practice: Pancha-karma - virechana (purgation) - best now. Moonlight walks. Sandal paste. Pearl + chandanasava.
Margashirsha–Pausha (mid Nov–mid Jan)
Dosha: Kapha-accumulating (winter's cold makes the body retain).
Agni: Strongest of the year - jatharagni at its peak.
Diet: Heavy, oily, sweet, sour, salty. Ghee, til, jaggery, fresh rice, urad, dairy, meat (for non-vegetarians). Eat the year's richest food now.
Practice: Oil abhyanga + warm bath. Sun bath. Wool. Sex permitted with full pleasure (only ritu where it is unrestricted).
Magha–Phalguna (mid Jan–mid Mar)
Dosha: Kapha-aggravating (peak retention before vasanta thaw).
Agni: Strong, but watch for kapha-pradhana sluggishness.
Diet: Hot + unctuous + sweet - similar to hemanta. Add ginger + black pepper + long pepper (trikatu).
Practice: Same as hemanta. Avoid cold winds + cold water + day-sleep. Tila taila abhyanga before bath.
Wake up
Vata kala - easy to rise. Apastara on the floor. Smarana of ishta-devata.
Achamana + ushah-pana
Sip water (1-2 glasses, lukewarm preferred). Activates apana, evacuates the bowels.
Mukha-prakshalana
Splash cold water on face. Tongue-scrape with copper/brass.
Danta-dhavana + kavala-graha
Brush with neem, khadira, arka, or karanja twig (datun). Oil-pulling 5-15 min with til oil.
Vyayama (exercise)
Surya namaskara, asana, pranayama. Vyayama till half-strength (ardha-shakti).
Abhyanga (self-oil massage)
Til oil for vata, coconut for pitta, kapha oil for kapha. 15-20 min. Then warm shower.
Sandhya vandana + dhyana
Gayatri japa minimum 108x. Pre-breakfast meditation.
Breakfast (laghu)
Light meal - fruit, soaked nuts, ragi/oats kanji. Vata-pittas can take ghee. Kaphas often skip.
Work - peak jnana-shakti
Highest cognitive output window. Save complex problems for these hours.
Lunch (main meal)
Heaviest meal of the day - jathara-agni peaks at noon. Sit, eat without screen, finish before sunset-3-hours.
Light work
Pitta kala. No new heavy starts. Sustained tasks.
Sayam sandhya
Evening sandhya - Gayatri japa. Lamp lighting (deepa-darshana).
Dinner (laghu)
Light, easy-to-digest. Soup, kichdi. At least 2 hr before bed.
Pada-abhyanga
Oil-massage feet. Relax the day's vata.
Sleep
Pitta clears head between 10pm-2am. Sleep before 10:30 if possible - vata kala wakefulness after that.
Therapeutic emesis. Patient takes ghee + emetic + drinks salt water; vomits until bile colour shows.
For: Kapha disorders - asthma, diabetes, sinusitis, chronic skin issues.
Best season: Vasanta
Therapeutic purgation. Trivrut + draksha + jaggery decoction. 8-15 evacuations.
For: Pitta disorders - hyperacidity, jaundice, eczema, IBS-C.
Best season: Sharad
Medicated enema - niruha (decoction) or anuvasana (oil). Most powerful pancha-karma.
For: Vata disorders - sciatica, arthritis, infertility, constipation, paralysis.
Best season: Varsha
Nasal medication - drops of medicated oil/ghee/decoction.
For: Head & neck disorders - sinusitis, migraine, premature greying, alopecia.
Best season: Anukula (favourable) ritus
Bloodletting - jalauka (leech), shringa (cow-horn), or alabu (gourd) suction.
For: Skin disorders, rakta-pradoshaja vyadhi, varicose veins, gout.
Best season: Sharad / Vasanta
⚠ Reference only. Do not self-medicate from this list. Dosages, anupanas (vehicles), and contraindications are patient-specific - always consult a qualified vaidya. Many preparations have rasa-shastra (bhasma) components requiring professional supervision.
त्रिफला चूर्ण
Indication: Digestive tonic, mild laxative, eye health, rasayana. The most-used Ayurvedic churna.
Ingredients: Haritaki (Terminalia chebula), Vibhitaki (Terminalia bellirica), Amalaki (Emblica officinalis)
Source: Charaka Samhita; Ashtanga Hridaya
च्यवनप्राश
Indication: Immunity, longevity, respiratory health. Pioneer rasayana - original formulation given to the sage Chyavana.
Ingredients: Amalaki (base), Ghee, Honey, Sugar, ~40 herbs including ashwagandha, gokshura, dashamoola
Source: Charaka Samhita Chikitsa 1.1
सारस्वतारिष्ट
Indication: Memory, speech clarity, anxiety. Classic medha-rasayana for students + speakers.
Ingredients: Brahmi, Vacha (Acorus calamus), Ashwagandha, Kustumburu, Pippali, Honey, sugar, jaggery, draksha
Source: Bhaishajya Ratnavali; Sharangadhara Samhita
दशमूलारिष्ट
Indication: Post-partum recovery (sutika), vata disorders, weakness, anaemia.
Ingredients: Dashamoola (10 roots), Drakhsha, Chitraka, Pippali, Honey, jaggery
Source: Sharangadhara Samhita
महानारायण तैल
Indication: Joint pain, arthritis, muscular dystrophy, sciatica. Premier vata-shamaka taila.
Ingredients: Til oil, Bilva root, Dashamoola, Ashwagandha, Bala, Punarnava, ~40 ingredients
Source: Bhaishajya Ratnavali - Vatavyadhi Adhikara
ब्राह्मी घृत
Indication: Medhya rasayana - memory, concentration. Children with delayed speech. Aksharabhyasa traditionally accompanied by a spoonful.
Ingredients: Brahmi (Bacopa), Vacha, Shankhapushpi, Cow ghee
Source: Charaka Samhita Chikitsa 10
द्राक्षादि कषायम्
Indication: Pitta-related fevers, alcoholic gastritis, burning sensation, hangover.
Ingredients: Draksha, Pippali, Patola, Nimba, Yashtimadhu
Source: Ashtanga Hridaya - Chikitsa Sthana
कुमार्यासव
Indication: Liver disorders, anaemia, women's menstrual irregularities, post-natal weakness.
Ingredients: Kumari (aloe vera), Lauha bhasma, Madhumaharasna, Pippali, Loha bhasma
Source: Sharangadhara Samhita
