AMLA: The Mother of All Herbs

November 7, 2020
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– Dr R Vatsyayan

It is believed that what gold is to the minerals, amla is to the herbs. Called amlaki, dhatriphala and vayastha in Sanskrit and Emblica officinalis scientifically, it is the most widely used herb in the ayurvedic system of medicine. Legends tell us that Chyavana Rishi regained his youthfulness because of the specific use of a herbal compound which primarily consisted of amla .

The English name of amla – Indian gooseberry, denotes that it is indigenous to India. Its light green fruit grows on a small tree which is found in wet forests of hill areas throughout the Indian subcontinent. Though all parts of the tree have medicinal value, it is the fruit which constitutes the main drug.

There are two main varieties of amla, one is wild and the other is cultivated which are called vanya and gramya respectively. In common parlance these are known as desi or banarasi . Wild amla fruit is small, hard and stony and it contains lot of fibre whereas the other one is bigger, smooth, fleshy and richer in juicy contents. The dry amla fruits are wrinkled and of grey-black colour.

Amla is as a rare fruit which contains all tastes except salty. With sour the foremost taste, amla is at the same time sweet, astringent, bitter and pungent. It is light, dry and cold in effect and is also the richest source of vitamin C. Laboratory tests show that every hundred gm of fresh amla fruit provide up to seven hundred mg of this vitamin which is twenty times higher than what is found in an orange.

The fresh amla fruit contains more than eighty percent water contents besides protein, minerals, carbohydrates and fibre. The mineral and vitamin contents include calcium, phosphorus, iron, carotene, and also vitamin B complex. Even if dried in shade , amla retains much of its vitamin C contents. The leaves and bark of the tree are rich in tannin.

Charaka has specifically mentioned it is a great rasayan – that helps to protect from diseases and also keeps away manifestations of premature old age. Since amla pacifies all three doshas- vata, pitta and kapha, it has a wide range of corrective and curative effect on human body and is rightly called as sarva-dosh-har ( remover of all diseases).

What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?

November 7, 2020
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– Dr R. VATSYAYAN

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common disorders that physicians encounter in their day-to-day practice. As the name suggests, it is a condition that interferes with the normal functioning of the bowels or the intestines. IBS is characterized by a group of symptoms – crampy abdominal pain, bloating, constipation and diarrhoea. Ayurveda defines it under the ‘grahani dosha’, where the learned masters have dealt with many other disorders related to the malfunctioning of the small and large intestines.

Causative factors – Though a number of factors are held responsible for the occurrence of IBS, yet no one exactly knows about its definite causes. Modern researchers believe that people with IBS have a colon that is more sensitive and reactive to a number of things, including certain foods and stress. Altered motility of the intestines, muscle contractions, weakened immune and disturbed nervous system result in to the fastened or slower movements of the intestinal contents. The end result is – too much fluid in the stool due to the poor absorption or constipation occurring due to the sluggish propulsion and more absorption of the liquid contents. Sometime both of these conditions occur alternately.

Ayurveda attributes IBS as a sequel to ‘mandagni’ or the weakening of the digestive fire. ‘Grahani’ or the lower end of the stomach and the upper part of small intestine is said to be the seat of ‘agni’ which is deranged by a number of factors. These include irrational fasting, eating during indigestion, over-eating or irregular eating and more often consuming food which is unsuitable, heavy, sticky or is too cold, too unctuous or too dry. Habitual suppression of natural body urges, abuse of laxatives and continuous anxiety can also unhinge the ‘agni’ which ultimately results into a condition where a person becomes unable to digest even the simple food.

Sign and symptoms – Like the complexity of its causes, the presentations of IBS are equally intricate and confusing and vary from one person to the other. Abdominal discomfort or pain in association with the bowel dysfunction is the main symptom of the IBS. Some people experience frequent loose stools with an urgent need to move the bowels, others complain of constipation with hard or difficult to pass stool. Yet there are those who complain of alternating constipation and diarrhea and acidity or gas in the intestines which gives a feeling of pressure inside the abdomen.

Certain psychological commotions like stress, tension and feeling troubled, angry, overwhelmed or exited stimulates colon spasms in people suffering from IBS. Many times and specially in the elderly persons these upheavals take a vicious turn and a stage is reached when physical symptoms of IBS are equally marked with a number of psychological presentations. In some cases the sufferer may become so conscious of his condition that traveling or visits to a place without toilet access becomes difficult.

Patients of IBS may also complain of malaise, general run down, pain in calf muscles and a low self esteem. Acharya Sushruta, has described indigestion, reduced desire to enjoy food, distaste of mouth and acidity accompanied by anxiety and depression as additional symptoms of IBS.