Dr. B.V.Sathye.
M.A.Sc, Ph. D.
The desire to have more efficient components than ordinarily available is all but over. Every one is ready and eager to put some additional input to achieve more efficacious components. The body by receipt of average usual intakes, manufactures, with the help of usual digestive capacities, usual tissues.
Constraints however, in the form of illnesses, more fitness demanding jobs, pregnancy, delivery, infant nursing, accidents (tissue loss) natural or early time ageing makes it obligatory to have more capable tissues than usual. With better capable tissue it is possible to combat disease, ageing etc.
Therefore there should be, some method by which the existing tissue generation can be strengthened. Even though one has no illness, if a strengthening method is available the chances of ageing, degenerative effects could be deferred or averted. With illness the useful tissues are rendered defunct or weak and therefore it is much advantageous to have a method of tissue regeneration or simply, rejuvenation.
Since the environmental intake material, after intricate process of conversions, reaches various locations in the body, through the flux of Rasadhaatu, Ayurveda has named such process therefore Rasa-ayana. Here the Ayana Sanskrit word is for passage. So, if at all, it is desired to coin a transliterated word for Rasaayana it can be appropriately called seropassage.
The body is utilizing the entire channel of Rasadhaatu to achieve efficacious tissues by certain specific factors. They are:
- Identifying interventivematerial that can have potential to create more efficacious cells, organs and systems.
- Since the body constitution demands, choice should be made, from available interventivematerial; of interventivethat will counter-match the constitutional Dosha dominance. It also should have facilitation by homologous environmental factors too. If, Dosha dominant illness is in the background, that also needs to be thought of in counter-matching
- Appropriate method for processing the chosen interventivematerial with minute details regarding dose, frequency environment of the patient is to be maintained for achieving the maximum efficiency.
So the entire seropassageprogrammeis based on interventive that will counter-match Dosha dominance of healthy or diseased persons, opting a chosen process.
As Ayurveda is being applied for healthdisease managements, in a number of places other than its origin, it is necessary to have an idea about what makes a substance, a potential seropassage.
The average crop foods have to be protected from attacks by pests and insects. But there may be certain species that naturally do not succumb to the attacks of pests and insects. The plant material, which is digestible and absorbable, will imbibe the character of being resistant to the attacks of microbes etc. So the natural plants that have the capacity to withstand adversities in the form of extreme heat, cold, damp, dryness and survive to complete their plant life functions, are also useful. Extremes of heat etc. cause whole scale diseases or debilities. The cells of the plants surviving in such environmental hostility will give the similar character to beings if appropriately digested and absorbed. Aloe Vera is one good example.
The creeper Tinospora cordifoliais nourished, even though it has no contact with soil and water. Probably it has the capacity to utilize material from the air. The Tinospora cordifoliacreeper is used for improvising tissues. One has to find and list similar plants available at various places in the world.
Natural over-ripening, decaying, degeneration is seen in many average eatables. The period required to achieve flowering, fruition, maturity may be longer. The stems also have a long span of sustenance. All they are exhibiting the capacity of cells of the plants to last longer than others. The swintemblicafruit appears after a longer maturity period of 13 to 14 years. The fruit if not hurt, does not get putrefied but breaks in six parts and dries. Here the capability to avoid over-ripening and putrefaction is exhibited by this fruit. So the quality of lasting, can be transferred to the cells of human beings, provided absorbable bulk of such fruit is consumed. The fruits with sweet soar taste are very prone to decompose but the one of Swintemblica terminaliashow a lasting capacity instead of decomposing.
Such, herbal, mineral, biological materials are distinctively compared and chosen as useful interventivematerials for making tissue, more efficacious.
A natural leaf-crush catches fungus, and gets decomposed within a stipulated time. But if the same is crushed along-with little traces of mercury the contact makes the otherwise decomposable, lasting. So if the appropriate absorbable fraction of mercury can reach in the system, it can imbibe the quality of lasting to existing decomposable tissues.
Usually solids are heavier. But mercury has got a non-touching liquid form and still it is the heaviest. Such excellence is also to be looked upon; so that it can be used for improving the lasting capacity of associated ingredients.
Plants or animals, which have tissue distinction in development, are more useful than less evolved ones. The seeds represent progeny material of the plant. So plants, vegetables with flower, fruits, seeds are considered more useful.
If the animal or plant has more eliminable material than absorbable, the value is less as interventivefor seropassage. More excretablesonly increase the work of digestion, but do not increase the chance of absorption for raw material for tissues.
Animals, which have a larger quantity of eliminable substances, like sheep, camel, ass, have been discarded even as adjuvant during Rasaayana. Beans, Soya has a larger bulk of eliminablethan green gram. So the advocating is done accordingly.
The things that are easy to digest and absorb are considered more useful. Gold keeps on its glitter even though repeatedly exposed to fire. Other metals polished and subjected to fire do not regain the glitter unless once again polished. So gold has got a specific capacity to help complexion if properly taken.
So to be interventivematerial it has to have the capacity to overcome the wrath of threatening contacts, imbibe long lasting property, avert putrefaction, over ripening etc. It has to have some beneficial quality of excellence in comparison with others in-group. Better absorbability to contribute to the tissues and minimal waste components are also necessary to achieve efficacy.
There are many such herbal, mineral, biological materials. If one carefully looks at people, they are happy and comfortable with different / distinct / contra-distinct stimuli. To a healthy person milk is a troubleshooter, whereas one is happy with many Bengal gram preparations.
The host, on whom the seropassageprogrammeis to be conducted, may be of distinction because of the dominance of Kapha–Pitta or Vaata. The interventivematerial and auxiliary materials therefore, should be to compensate the dominance of Dosha. It should not contribute to the dominanceof Dosha to initiate new imbalance and pathology. Therefore the method of studying the host or recipients factors and characters of interventivematerial is of prime application. If this exercise is not properly conducted the useful interventivematerial may trigger disease process. So the professional should be careful to counter-match the multiple factors, before deciding the interventiveto be used in a specific host.
By considering the multi-factors on either, i.e. recipient hosts and that of material; chances of aggravation are minimized. At times costly interventivematerials have to be discarded. So the Dosha dominanceof individual, the Dosha dominance of disease pathology, the character of habitat and that of season are to be considered. The equatorial and polar climates have distinction of dominant hotness and coolness. So the interventivematerial should have characters to compensate the dominance arising out of the habitat. It is a factor non-monitored and therefore to be compensated by appropriate character dominance, through intervention material, and its process and proportion (dose).
The season usually chosen should be promoting digestive power so that the food consumed can be better used. The capacity of the host and strength of the interventiveis also to be considered. A lean weak person may not tolerate a strong interventivebecause of weakness of the entire recipient system. Age too has got a bearing on Dosha_s. Up to 18-20 years it is dominance of Kapha but later on it will not be so. After 55-60 dominance of Vaata is there. A substance is likely to give rise to hard stools by much absorption and may spell trouble for some simply because of the context of age.
The reader may be knowing the characters of Glycerriza glabra, Vithania somnifera or Anacardumnut. None has comparable similarity to other two. But each one by itself is useful as seropassagematerial.
Pitta dominant and similar hot side host factors will be palliated by Glyceriza glabra. Kapha dominance, cool side host factors can comfortably be taken care of by Anacardum, Vaata can be balanced by Vithania somnifera.
So it is the counter matching, beneficial to curb the dominance; arising out of constitution, pathology, habitat, season etc. that helps to achieve results. The interventivematerials from mineral or biological source need be considered similarly.
Counter matching for Dosha and taking advantage of season facility is the key in choosing one or few of the many interventives, available. This factor when not comprehended puzzles the reader. Anything for everything and nothing is certain; is the wrong reaction; which is to be mended in time.
Having considered criteria and counter matching multiplicity, the reader can proceed to an understanding of the processes. The desires to achieve, endowed, better efficient tissues, are to be achieved by processing the chosen interventivematerial. After the process for the benefit of better seropassage, the dose and frequency is to be decided. To achieve maximal beneficial effects Ayurveda considers not only the substance, counter matching but expects the entire environment of the patient to be conducive for tissue endowment.
The interventivematerial is processed in such a way that the concentration of beneficial component is higher. swintemblicafruits that are cooked are rendered devoid of the hard seeds. This is done to increase the full absorption. Even the fibrous material in the pulp of fruit is separated. This is done with the intention, that useful / beneficial material should not be associated with excretablematerial. The components that are not likely to be absorbed after the complete work of digestion are separated earlier only. The work of digestion is not even fractionally wasted. Maximum digestible and absorbable components are brought together.
To any and every seropassageinterventive, few medicines that will invigorate the digestive capacity are added. Usually they are ginger and two pepper (corns). The invigoration of Agni-digestive capacity can boost the entire initial process. The vegetable fat, oils or biological fat, clarified butter ghee, substances that will mildly promote movement of digestive tract, and secretions in it, are appropriately added and thoroughly mixed.
In average processing, care is taken for easily digestible absorbable components enrichment along with mild invigorators, secretogogueand smooth movement promoters. This ensures that after entry the interventiveis properly absorbed.
In special situations Ayurvedicscientists have made attempts to utilize specific capacities naturally available. Swintemblica fruits are to be cooked in the hollow of a tree Tectona glandis(teak). The stem of the tree builds itself up in decades and gets stronger and wider. If cut; it has the capacity to last un-decayed for a century. If later on converted in to furniture that furniture also lasts for further century without being attacked by decomposing microbes or pests or insects.
The idea of cooking swintemblicain the hollow of such a tree is that the sap of the plant will enter in the fruits when being cooked. The cell of the plant has got a specific lasting character. But the plant component or products are not absorbable. The sap, that enters in the swintemblicafruits by cooking; will carry the quality to the consumer/customer. Such cooked fruits pulp is advised for consumption, to ones full capacity.
In preparation of certain seropassageinterventives, utensils for process are to be carved from the stem of trees. Such moist carved utensils are to be used for only one time process; and then discarded. Here the heat contact of the inside material, is established through the moist fresh wood. Naturally the ingredients that leave the wood, at a particular temperature have the chance, to mix with under process interventivematerial.
At times particular leaves are to be given to cow as feed. They are the leaves of medicinal plants. The milk of such a cow is to be utilized for providing ghee as combination material for the intervention. The process like boiling, curdling, clarifying butter is taken advantage of according to specific observations.
It is an attempt to achieve distinct beneficial components by natural observations application. Especially minerals are heated and after triturationdried in a variety of herbal juices. Such repetitions are continued till the shining and hardness are modified and followed. The chances of the otherwise hard mineral, likely to be digested and possibly absorbed, are much increased by such processes.
Average herbal material is used by the simple process of getting the juice also. So the interventivematerials are processed with specific intention that they should reach in. Having prepared the interventivematerials, they are administered in different doses and frequencies. A single specific dose with rich nourishment by auxiliary nutritive (usually ghee, sugar, milk, etc.) is administered on an empty stomach and no other intake for 30, 45 minutes is one of the simple methods. It assures digestion absorption in a better way.
Having given the first dose, subsequent increase of doses, to reach a maximum; and tapering down the dose later for a similar period, is another method. It is for achieving more and more titreof seropassageintervention by progressively acclimatizing the system. With increase in dose the span of no-food or drink is proportionately increased. At times a 2- hour span is allowed for digestion absorption of interventiveherbal material in a dose of 16-20 gms at a time. This method with herbals or herbo-minerals brings resistance and builds, better organs and systems.
Another very special method of administration of seropassageintervention is avoiding all other stimuli to work on the individual. This is by captivating the individual restricted in specially structured residence under supervision. The individual under regimen does not reach to the outside people etc. but psychologically also thinks of improvement of the entire body all the 24 hours for a stipulated period. Every facility that is necessary for improvement is provided under professional supervision. He has to be in the environment specially created for achieving the target.
Technically it is termed as Kut`ipraaves`hika method or the method of restricting any other stimuli from coming in contact with the privileged person. It may be noted that the process of seropassage; pre-requires purification by emesis purgation, intrarectalsetc. to prepare the absorption passage more sensitive and ready to absorb the digested interventive Rasaayana material. Without preparation, it is aptly exemplified, that the best color material and technical expertise can show the results; on prepared surface; and not on dirty, greased rough surface. One cannot anticipate results. Rasaayana, the attempt to endow tissues, is therefore considered by Ayurvedain a most exhaustive comprehensive style.
Dr. B.V.Sathye.
Sr.Scientist Ayusoft
Last updated on February 19th, 2021 at 05:10 am