Ayurvedic Herbalism: The Human Body

♦ Home

Part I: Ayurveda

♦ Introduction & History

♦ Indian Cosmology

♦ The Human Body

♦ Health & Sickness

Part II: Ayurvedic Herbalism

♦ Humans & Plants

♦ Food Energies

♦ Plant Classification

♦ Herbal Preparations

♦ Herbal Usage

♦ Common Herbs

Part III: Future of Ayurveda

♦ Limits to Ayurveda

♦ Ayurveda-Western Medicine Comparison

♦ Ayurveda as CAM

♦ Conclusion

The Human Body: An Ayurvedic Perspective

The Three Doshas

Ayurveda explains that all life forms, including humans, can be categorized into three basic natures or constitutions, called doshas. Doshas are simply the manifestation of the five elements in biological form. Each dosha has its own unique qualities, tendencies, and problems. They are the physiological and psychological forces that influence a living thing and dictate the conditions of an individual’s life. The three basic doshas are Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Each of them is characterized by their main elements and these elements are, respectively, air, fire, and water.

Vata is composed of air and space. It is airy activities that work in the medium of space. Vata is light, dry, cool, and astringent. In the human body, it is all the movements of the body, nervous system, and the life force.

Pitta is composed of fire and water. It is fiery energy that works in liquid form. Pitta is hot, oily, light, fluid, and explosive. In the human body, it is all the enzymatic, metabolic, and hormonal activities. It regulates digestion, hunger, and temperature. It is the fluid, yet substantive dosha that balances the erratic, immaterial energy of vata and the stable, massive energy of kapha (1).

Kapha is composed of water and earth. It is water that works within the confines of solid masses. In the human body, it supports the bone structure, skin, and respiratory system. It is responsible for regeneration of the body.

All three doshas work in the entire human body, but they have spiritual energetic centers where they are centralized. Vata is centralized in the abdomen, intestinal region where a lot of the air in the body exists. It is also associated with colon, bladder, urinary tract, ears, and nervous system. Pitta is centralized with the stomach where most of the bile works to digest food. It is also associated with the chest, lymphatic system, blood, eyes and skin. Kapha is centralized with the lungs where oxygen and water vapor are exchanged between the body and the outside environment. It is also associated with the head, neck, throat, fat tissues, and bones.

Each dosha produces different physical traits in the human body. The following is a basic table of the common traits that each dosha exhibits in a person (2).

	VATA	PITTA	KAPHA
Body Frame	Thin	Fit	Large
Weight	Underweight	Moderate weight	Overweight
Skin	Dry, rough, cool	Soft, oily, warm, fair	Thick, oily, cool, pale
Hair	Black, dry	Yellow, red, grays early	Thick, oily, wavy, dark or light
Apetite	Variably low	Good, sharp, excessive	Slow but steady
Disease Tendency	Nervous disorders, pain	Heat, infection, inflammation	Excess water, mucus, joint problems
Physical Activity	Very active	Moderate, athletic	Lethargic
Mental Activity	Restless, active, curious	Aggressive, intelligent	Calm, slow, receptive
Emotional Activity	Fearful, insecure, anxious	Aggressive, irritable, jealous	Greedy, attached, self-contented
Speech	Fast, chaotic, uninterrupted	Sharp, clear, cutting	Slow, monotonous, melodius

These descriptions do not apply to everyone but they are generally accurate for most people. These descriptions serve more as a guideline for people to focus their attention on a particular set of tendencies that they exhibit in their daily lives.

It is an Ayurvedic belief that every individual has all three doshas in their beings. It is only the strength of each dosha that varies from one person to the next. For example, a Vata person has a strong Vata constitution but also has Pitta and Kapha characteristics to a lesser degree that interact with the stronger Vata. This principle is called tridosha, simply meaning three doshas. The unique interactions among the three doshas are what create the unique characteristics, traits, and conditions of each person. It is ideal to have a balanced tridosha in order to be healthy (3). This does not mean that all three doshas are equal in strength, but only that their interactions are natural and as they should be.

References:

1. Tiwari, Maya. Ayurveda: A Life of Balance. Healing Arts Press: Rochester, Vermont. 1995. Pg. 24.
2. Frawley, David and Lad, Vasant. The Yoga of Herbs. Lotus Press: Twin Lakes, Wisconsin. 2001. Pg. 13A-13B.
3. National Institute of Ayurvedic Medicine. “Basic Principles of Ayurveda: The Three Doshas.” http://niam.com/corp-web/whatishb.html. Date Unknown. (Accessed: November 20, 2006).