Introduction

According to ayurveda like the universe our body is made up of five elements आकाश (sky), वायु (air),अग्नि (fire),जल (water) and पृथ्वी (earth). These elements are omnipotent and omnipresent which prevails into their organic forms for example when akash merges with vayu it gives birth to vatta (वात), jala along with fire produce pitta (पित) and with earth engendres kapha (कफ). These doshas or bio energies (वात, पित, कफ) are one of the cardinal pillars on which our body stands. We are born with well balanced three doshas and our good health is the mirror image of these balanced tri doshas while their imbalance state leads to diseases as mentioned in Ashtanga Hridaya by Acharya Vagbhata.

वायुः पित्तं कफश्चेति त्रयो दोष समासत: I विकृताविकृता देहं घ्नन्ति ते वर्त्तयन्ति च II अ.हृ.सू

But the main question is that what should we do to keep these doshas in their balanced states??? My peer ones and dear ones Ayurveda has blessed us with Pancha karmas that hold doshas in their genuine forms.

शरीरजानाम् दोषाणाम् क्रमेण परमौषधम् I बस्तिविरेकोवमनं तथा तैलं घृतं मधु II अ.हृ.सू.१-२५

This particular shloka conveys that different means and ways are pursued in pancha karmas for different doshas such as for disseverance of vitiated vatta from the body basti is recommended, for enhanced pitta virechana and for kapha vamana is praised. The first and the most appreciable method of panchakarma is vamana because it rewards us with marvelous and incredible mind and body.

Vamana (वमन)

It is rightly said that our body is a temple so keep it pure and clean for the soul to reside in. That's why it's our moral duty to take care of our body and vamana therapy helps in transformation of an individual into its new form by removing its impurities.

The word (वमन) vamn means to vomit out and the process in which emesis is induced is called as vamana therapy. Vam (वम), vaman (वमन), vami ( वमि) and vamthu (वमथु) are the synonyms or alternative words for vamana. In ayurveda, in explication of vamana, it is stated that to remove the doshas or impurities out from the upper body i.e mouth is called as vamana. The word dosha here signifies the ”kapha dosha.” Kapha is present mainly in the upper region of the body and stomach, they are considered as its chief location. Kapha is responsible for diseases like obesity, sweating, sinusitis, leprosy etc...!

You can easily get rid of from these hectic and heart breaking hazards through vamana. Vamana is just like a pearl obtained from the ocean which looks beautiful from outside but when taken internally (as medicament) act as a miracle.

Pertinent people for vamana

In Geeta Lord krishna said that “Lie’s and judgments are in our hands” therefore our ayurvedacharya by their extreme intelligence and judgment, decides the group of people that should go through vamana procedure. The pertinent people for vamana are those who suffers from Common cold (पीनस), psoriasis or vitiligo (कुष्ठ), fever (नवज्वर), tuberculosis (राजयक्ष्मा), coughing (कास), breath related problems like bronchial asthma (श्वास), elephantiasis (श्लीपद) , diabetes (प्रमेह) , low digestive fire (मंदाग्नि), nausea (हृलास), piles (अर्श), anorexia (अरुचि), mania (उन्माद), schizophrenia (अपस्मार), diarrhoea or cholera (अतिसार), oedema (शोफ), anaemia (पाण्डु), stomatitis (मुखपाक), obesity (मेदोरोग), heart diseases (हृदय रोग), septicaemia (विसर्प), otorrhea (कर्णस्राव), diseases related to kapha (कफ व्याधियाँ) etc.

Note: Children, weak and elderly people, patients suffering from polydipsia, polyphagia, who are excessively indulged in sensuality, studies, exercise, thinking, pregnant women, infants, fellows having intestinal worms, liver diseases, earache, eye ache and vatta related diseases are inapt for vamana therapy.

Vamana therapy

ततस्तं पुरुषं स्नेहस्वेदोपपन्नं, अनुपहतमानसमभिसमीक्ष्य,
सुखोषितं सु प्रजीर्ण भक्तं, शिरस्नातमनुलिप्तगात्रं,
सराग्विनमनुपहतवस्त्रंर्सवीतं, देवताग्नि द्विज गुरुवृद्धवैद्यानचिंतवन्तमिष्टे नक्षत्रतिथिकरणमुहूर्ते,
कारयित्वा ब्राह्मणान्स्वस्तिवाचनं, प्रयुक्ताराशिभिरमंत्रिता मधुमधुक सैंधवफाणितोपेतां मदनफलकषायमात्रां पायेत् II

Vamana is the therapy which makes you energetic, effective and excellent that you have ever imagined. Acharya Charaka the father of medicine as per ayurveda said that before executing vamana one should perform (पूर्वकर्म’s) former actions like (स्नेहन) snehana and (स्वेदन) swedana moreover the main thing is that the fellow should be filled with happiness, have sound sleep overnight with well digested dinner, taken shower till head, impose aromatic coating on the body, drape aromatic wreath around the neck, wear good clothes not mangled ones, in nutshell they want that the patient should be pacific and feel the peace all around himself.

Then the person should do obeisance to divinity, fire, master, bhraman or physician because they all have been offering you immortal potential to endure this procedure. By examining favoured date, day and lucky stars, the spellbound madanaphala kshaya (मदनफलकषाय) should be given to the (आतुर) patient by the ayurvedacharya. Some time we get phobia of being going through these processes so doctors examine each and every thing from your body, temperament till your mind and treat you accordingly.

Magic for mortal men’s

Vamana is suitable for both the diseased and healthy persons isn’t it mysterious ? This also makes you perfect, authentic and moreover increase your lifespan.

Note: Vamana therapy should be carried out in basant season (January and february) because kapha aggravates in this weather only.

Elixir Madanaphala

वमन द्रव्याणाम् फलादिनाम् मदनफलानी श्रेष्ठतमानी आचक्षते अनापायित्वात् II च.क.१-१३

Our honourable Acharya’s - Acharya charaka, sushruta and vagbhata collectively praise the madanaphala because it is a very fast acting drug for vamana along with its least complications. Madanaphala is also known as the emetic nut, bushy gardenia or randia dumetorum. Other drugs that use for emesis are luffa aegyptiaca, luffa amara, lagenaria vulgaris and many more but madanaphala proves to be an exceptional and elixir drug so used very frequently in vamana therapy.

Qualities of drugs

उर्ध्वभागहर: The main quality of emetic drugs is that they are urhdvbhaghr (उर्ध्वभागहर) i.e the presence of vayu and agni mahabhuta make the vitiated doshas to move automatically in upward direction and exit from the mouth.

Vamana methodology

The physical creation of god (human) is very beautiful and to maintain its genuine beauty we have to perform vamana so that our body exists in its pure form. But as Acharya Charaka said before executing vamana therapy go for former actions i.e snehana and swedana. According to nutriment scheme before vamana, in (स्नेह काल) oileation period use light food as it is easy to digest while after oleation period (स्नेहान्त काल) or resting phase (विश्राम काल) endue milk, curd, meat soup, sesame seeds or kidney beans because their main aim is to increase kapha. After this swedana (स्वेदन) is performed because swedana liquefies the impurities muddled in minuscule channels and force them to move towards the stomach.

Pradhana karmas as panacea

After accomplishment of former actions of vamana the patient is made to sit comfortably on the chair at his knee level. Now the physician will grant him warm milk or sugar cane juice to drink upto the neck level, when his abdomen is fully filled then provide him madanaphala yog as medicine with honey. The amount of medicine depends upon the diseases, strength of body and mind, digestive fire, koshta (stomach), age, clime and period. According to Acharya Sushruta, quantity of मदनफलकषाय or
klaka (कल्क) - अक्ष मात्रा = 10 gms
Powder (चूर्ण) - अक्ष मात्रा = 10 gms
Decoction (क्वाथ) - अंजलि मात्रा = 4 - 8 ounce
After consuming the medicine wait for 48 minutes (1 महुरत).
Why we have to wait and what happens during this phase?
(As concoction of madanaphala enters into the gut, it exasperates gastric mucosa and stimulates the vagus and sympathetic nerves which carries the impulse towards the brain (vomiting center) and at the end orders the body to instigate vomiting. Actually madanaphala escalates the kapha and coerce it to egress out.

After 48 minutes genesis of oppression in the chest, sweating, goose bumps, stomach protuberance and salivation symbolize commencement of vamana. When salivation starts ask the patient to bow down the upper torso at 45 degrees and starts outset emesis. 2 partons should stand on both the sides of the patient to support his forehead and do upward massage on back. The vomit will contain milk, medicine, vitiated kapha and pitta. Kapha and pitta approaches in successive order hence allow the process of vomiting till the appearance of pitta as final dosha. After completion of vamana (bouts of vomiting cease automatically) patient's senses light from both stomach and soma with no salivation and stress.

Samsarjana karma

After vamana therapy, digestive fire suffers a lot therefore light food such as soup with boiled rice (खिचड़ी) or potion (षडङ्गपानीय) should be given to increase the digestive fire and gradually you are made to shift on the normal food. To remove the remaining doshas virechan and shamana dhumapana is administered however when there is excessive evacuation (increase of vatta), snehana dumpana is preferred. So this is all about vamana therapy that refines you to achieve the highest state of health and healing.

Pith

Vaman is a creative method to recreate yourself or essence of purity. We always try to run away from diseases without treating them from their base but vamana separates the tree of impurity along with its roots. Under influence of vamana therapy doshas become free and unbounded for their easy escape from entity made of five elements (human body). Finally form vamana therapy you achieve purity and purity of your soma binds you with your spiritual soul.

So Love yourself, perceive yourself and heal yourself...!