Digestion According To Ayurveda
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Digestion According To Ayurveda
- Rasa: the 6 differing tastes ... which are sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent
- Virya: the potency or power contained within food and/or medicine
- Vipaka: the influence of food at the tissue level once digestion within the GI tract is complete
- Prabhava ... which will be discussed further in another post
According To Ayurveda ...
Every substance is made up of a combination of the "5 Great Elements"
The '5 Great Elements' called "Panchmahabhutas" are ether, air, fire, water and earth.

More Simplified:
- like increases like
- opposites tend to reduce excesss
The Correlation ...
Sweet taste being that predominately of water and earth elements has both oily and heavy qualities which naturally increases kapha dosha. The heavy and oily qualities of food that are sweet in nature will naturally increase the inherent heavy & oily qualities of kapha dosha which will then influence the body & mind conditioned to kapha dosha. Sweet tastes is pleasing to the senses and nourishes all 7 bodily tissues [i.e. dhatu]. Sweet taste promotes anabolic growth. Proper intake of sweet taste increases strength & longevity. Sweet taste improves complexion, promotes healthy hair and skin.

As food moves into the stomach and eventually into the small intestine for further digestion ... a more profound effect takes place which is considered virya. The actual Sanskrit word "Virya" comes from the root Veer; which implies power & potency. Therefore, Virya is the energy, the power, the strength & potency which allows food to exert its actions upon bodily tissue.
Virya can be classified into two categories: Heating & Cooling which then exerts its influence upon dosha & Agni; which ultimately exerts its influence upon bodily tissue.
As mentioned previously, virya means power and potency. Aside from prabhav [which seemingly is in another league of its own], Virya is the most powerful influence of all the digestive factors [rasa, virya, vipaka]. Because of this, virya is strongly considered in regards to the administration of medicine.
Vipaka is the final substance derived from food that results after digestion within the gastrointestinal tract is complete. This substance [with its physical-chemical structure],
Let's take a step back and take a closer look at the food once ingested. We've discussed how perception of taste occurs via the tongue ... which immediately influences the doshas.
Next, as food travels down the esophagus and enters the stomach this initiates a cascade of gastric juices; [i.e. gastrin, mucin, HCL, pepsin, renin] and when the ingested food and the gastric juices within the stomach combine
Kind of.
Once food has entered the large intestine and water and mineral absorption are complete ... digestion within the gastrointestinal tract is complete.
The final substance formed after complete digestion [[within the gastrointestinal tract]] is considered vipaka. The influence of vipaka occurs on bodily tissue as well as malas [bodily wastes; i.e. feces ... which formed within the GI tract].
Disclaimer:
All content included on this website (including, but not limited to, images, photos, graphics and text) is the property of ‘Healthy Ayurveda’ and ‘Vedic Sage’ and as such is protected by US and international copyright and other intellectual property laws.
This information is strictly for educational purpose only and not considered medical advice. Always first discuss with your primary care physician before considering any new health regimen.