Panchakarma - the practice of revitalisation!

Panchakarma is most strongly associated with Kerala and is traditionally undertaken during the monsoon season of June, July and August. There is a reason for this: the herbs have been recently harvested and in the damp air the skin is most receptive to oil. In the old days the purging Hunter, treatment was an annual event in many Indian lives. Today most Indians are to busy and their western style doctors are sceptical! According to the ancient text the Ashtange Hridaya, it leads to clarity of intellect power to the organs elemental stability and low to digestive fire and it will delay ageing if it is properly undertaken. If you are planning Panchakarma, and you were able to visit in the monsoon summer months then this will be perfect.
Panchakarma is associated with we vitalise nation and relaxation: it is a rejuvenation anti-and detoxification treatment. It should not be understood as a therapy but rather as the all-encompassing term to describe a family of therapies that all belong to a class of cleansing procedures called shodhana. Each patient is given an individual programme of medication, diet and treatments after consultation with your ayurvedic physician and you will be monitored throughout the 2 to 6 week program.

The Three Steps of Panchakarma

What ever your program, it is likely that your Panchakarma treatment will involve three basic procedures, that follow each other in sequence.

The first procedure is called Purvakarma, which loosely translates as preparation. This procedure takes from three days to a week and a procedure is designed to help the body discard toxins that are present in the stomach and tissues and then help facilitate their movement to the elementary canal. According to the doctor at Kalari Kovicalom "this stage often includes special internal medicines such as oil therapy or sweat therapy. The sweat therapy takes the form of the application of warm oil over the body and the application of heated pouches of herbs but each patient will be different as each patient presents with different dosha imbalances so the treatments will always vary to achieve the outcome required

When preparation is complete, then you will move onto the main treatment which is called pradhanakarma, which comprises five cleansing procedures each of which is designed to correct specific Doshi imbalances. The first of these is called vamanam which can be translated as induced vomiting the second is the virechanam or induced purgation whereby drugs that stimulators bowel movements are taken internally; the third procedure is called vasthi the which is the use of medicated enemas, the fourth procedure is nasyam or nasal cleansing usually to the application of medical oils or powders and then finally rakthamoksham or detoxification of the blood.

The final stage of Panchakarma is Paschat karma, which is a restorative stage of specialist diets and relaxation where the revived body is allowed to relax after the stresses of the main treatment.

As you might expect, Panchakarma is not for the fainthearted and cannot be undertaken in less than two or three weeks. It is important that the process of Panchakarma takes place in a relaxing and secure mental environment because it is a lot for a patient to take on.