Introduction

Everybody in this universe wants to be happy, satisfied and liberated from the dictators of diseases, discomforts (pains), dotages and death. It means people wants to be happy in one way or another and the most amazing fact is that happiness is the essence of health and beauty. According to ayurveda the whole game of health and beauty is played by the doshas. Balanced three doshas (vatta, pitta and kapha) gifts you health while Bhrajaka pitta (a type of pitta) embellishes you with beauty, glow, radiance and irresistible attraction. These doshas are just like tides in the ocean when they are restless produce disasters in our body in the form of diseases but when begins to be calm they out turn into eden of health and beauty. So in order to maintain these doshas in their natural forms we have do virechana, a blessing given to the mankind by ayurveda.

Virechana (विरेचन)

Generally we say virechana means purgation but according to Ayurveda it has broad sense i.e the therapeutic removal of vitiated doshas from the lower part of the body or गुदामार्ग (anus) is known as virechana. The virechana therapy is considered as the best treatment for the pitta dosha. It is also useful in pitta dominated diseases, pitta-kapha blend diseases and for kapha dosha residing in the stomach. Just like pitta and kapha this is also useful for the treatment of vatta related disorders moreover snehana, swedana and mridu virechana are recommended for vitiated vatta.

Action: Presence of earth and water elements in the virechana drugs force them to produce their effects in downward direction (adhobhaghar prabhav अधोभागहर प्रभाव ) means they induce purgation.

Types of virechana

Note: Acharya Sushruta and Acharya Charak used the words rooksh and sanigdh purgation.

• Sanigdh virechana: The drug that possesses the oleaginous qualities when used for purgation is known as the oily purgation or sanigdh virechana. It is not suitable for persons having oily body and whose impurities increases with intake of oils.
• Rooksh virechana: The drugs having surly properties when used for the purgation then it is considered as the surly purgation and is very suitable for the persons who have oily bodies.

Types of drugs used for virechana

• Bark: Tilvak bark is used in virechana.
• Oils: Among oil purgative drugs castor oil is the best.
• Juice: Karvelak juice is used for the virechana therapy.
• Fruit: Terminalia chebula also posses the purgative properties.
• Roots: Roots of black operculina turpethum are used for purgation.
• Milk: In milk purgative drugs Euphorbia neriifolia or milk hedge is used.
• Mild purgation: Operculina is the best drug for purgation i.e mild purgation.
• Moderate purgation: Cassia fistula is the best drug for the moderate purgation.
• Severe purgation: Euphorbia neriifolia is the best drug for the severe purgation.
• Pitta dosha: Use trivrit churna or draksha kwath for eliminating the pitta dosha.
• Kapha dosha: Triphala kwath, cow urine or trikatu can be practiced for virechana.
• Vatta dosha: Trivarit seendhav or shunthi churna with meat soup proves to be good.
• Churna (powders), sawras (juices), lehas (licking substances) or taila (oils) can be used for virechana therapy.

Virulent virechana

In some cases virechana act as detrimental such as for the patients of leprosy, diabetes, piles , fistula, liver disorders, neoplasms, goitre, intestinal worms, septicaemia, anaemia, headache, blemishes, anorexia, rheum, breath related disorders, coughing, jaundice, mania, epilepsia, vomiting, nausea, elephantiasis, bleeding disorders from anal region. Hence these patients stringently should not go through virechana therapy.

Virechana procedure

The procedure of purgation (विरेचन) is very simple one. Before execution of this process, a person should performs some former actions like snehana and swedana as identically we have done in the vamana therapy.

The virechana is performed according to the nature or temperament of a person, vitiated doshas, diseases and by exploring each and every part of the patient from head to toe so one should consult ayurvedacharya for virechana therapy. Accordingly, the therapy of virechana is modified as for example:

1. The person who is extremely weak.
2. The person who earlier transact the virechana therapy.
3. The person whose type of koshth (soft, mediium or hard bowel) is not known.
4. The person whose doshas (vatta, pitta and kapha) are less morbid in nature. In these types of cases we have to give the mild and moderate purgation on the severe one.

Check your koshth (कोष्ठ) type for virechana therapy:

• Mridu koshth (मृदुकोष्ठ) or soft bowel: The person who go for purgation many times a day only with the intake of sugarcane juice, jaggery, triphala, milk, warm water and alcohol posses mridu koshth and these persons are called as mridu koshti’s.
• Madhyam koshth (मध्यमकोष्ठ) or medium bowel: The person who go for purgation only once after consuming these materials have madhayam koshth and these persons are known as the madhyam koshti’s.
• Karur koshth (क्रूरकोष्ठ) or hard bowel: The persons who don’t go to purgation after using sugarcane juice, jaggery, triphala, milk, warm water and alcohol posses karur koshth and these persons are called as the karur koshti.

Procedure

Acharya Charaka said that the former actions (पूर्वकर्म’s) like (स्नेहन) snehana and (स्वेदन) swedana should be implemented before initiating virechana remembering the essential checklist that the personage should be filled with delectation, wear immaculate clothes, go through contented sleep overnight with well assimilated dinner, at that time everything should be easy going for the patient and feel serenity all around himself.

To achieve magnificent results the person should pay veneration to the deity and medical practitione, because they are the safe pairs of hands through which virechana therapy undergoes moreover they offers you an undying aptitude to undergo through this procedure. Ayurvedacharya nourishes the individual with the spellbound trivarit churna (त्रिवृतचूर्ण) in optimum dose followed by hot water on the best date and day for the patient as per his calculations.

Note: You can also use other preparations of Jaypal i.e croton tiglium such as ichhabhedi ras, narach ras and jalodar adi. If you are going to use these preparations use cold water not the hot one because when we use them with warm water, the volatile substances present in these medicines evaporates and hence the action of theses drugs are interrupted.

After the administration of medicine sprinkle the drops of water on the convalescent’s face so that he feels better. Fragrance of citrus lemon, soil, fragrant flowers also do a good job and then allow him to take some rest. In the meanwhile the purgative drugs start performing their actions.

Action of virechana herbs

1. Escalates the mucous secretions: Some of the drugs used in virechana therapy irritates the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract and hence yields more and more secretions from mucous membrane that enhances the bulk of excrement.
2. Increases the peristaltic movements: Couple of drugs that are used for virechana therapy increase the peristaltic movements of the g.i.t (mainly in the intestines) to execute purgation.
3. Raise the bile secretions: Certain purgative drugs raises the secretion of bile juice which boots up the process of digestion in the g.i.t to facilitates the virechana treatment.

In short time after medication the purgation occurs repeatedly. Patient is asked to take the luke warm water frequently to instigate purgation and prevent dehydration. Hot water is basically used for the vatta anulao man (वतानुलोमन) i.e the air in the intestines should flow in the downward direction as a result waste material expel out unobstructedly. During purgation flush out the excrement without any force and avoid usage of cold water.

Note: If these medicines don't show their effects then don't be disheartened and ask the patient to drink warm water again and again moreover rub your hands to produce heat and place them on the stomach of the patient this will definitely work for good.

Mainly the things that happen in the virechana therapy is that when the administered ayurvedic medicine reaches the stomach it removes all the impure pitta and clears the lower system i.e whole of the intestines moreover all the impurities comes out in the successive order; firstly urine and faeces, then pitta dosha, medicine and lastly kapha. It is said that the virechana should be kaphant (कफान्त) i.e the kapha should be visible at the end of virechana.When the faeces starts coming out what you have to do is count the vegas or the stool pass through this process. Ignore first 2-3 vegs and start counting after that

If the patient feels delightful, healthy, there is increase in thirst and appetite, pure belching comes out then it means that the medicine is fully digested. Through virechana all the channels in the body get purified, senses feel sublime and perform their work with full efficacy, body feels light, symptom of the disease decreases for which virechana is accomplished.

Samsarjana karma

In virechana therapy the digestive fire suffers a lot therefore we have to do samsarjana karma. In samsarjana karma light food is given to the patient so that the digestive fire enlightens slowly and slowly reach to its peak . Firstly light food is provided and then gradually the patient is shifted to the normal food.

Advantages of virechana

1. Slows down the process of aging.
2. Increases the sensuality i.e sexual power.
3. It escalates the immune power of a person.
4. Virechana purifies the blood by subsiding the vitiated pitta.
5. Diseases for which virechana is executed are abolished completely.
6. This therapy provides calmness and peace to your body and mind collectively.
7. It completely cleans the gastrointestinal tract along with enhancement in the digestive and metabolic power.
8. It is a very safe procedure for removal of doshas from the body because less or no complications are produce in this procedure.
9. It increases the blood flow in each and every cell of the body and hence enhances the beauty of a person.

We can say that virechana therapy is a complete therapy of detoxifying your body without any complications. As you know impurities have the dynamic effect on the body as well as mind because mind and matter are inseparable.So from the point of well being virechana therapy is a way of purification and rejuvenation of biological system that reflects your perfect health.

Your health a great bless of god so attain it and maintain it...!