Understanding Ayurvedic Oils, Types and Effects Part 3
In this third and final chapter in the discovery of ayurvedic oils we will explore their internal applications and classifications according to their therapeutic purpose, dose, use in different seasons, number of combinations, and method of preparation. Ayurvedic treatment with oils can be a very powerful and potentially dangerous method of treatment. The same oils given in the wrong doses at the wrong time of day or in the wrong season can greatly modify the effects of the treatment, and potentially render them harmful. Consequently, throughout the ages doctors of Ayurveda have taken special care to outline all possible specifications necessary to ensure proper and safe treatment. The classifications outlined below are the most general tools used to organize these ayurvedic oil treatments.
Ayurvedic oils fall into one or more of three general groups depending upon the purpose of the treatment for which they will be used. The first of these treatments is known as shodhanasneha, which utilizes oils for strong cleansing of the body by emesis, purgation, and nasal discharge. Shodhana is a name applied both to the oils which are used directly for this purpose and the oils which are used to prepare the body for this treatment. For emesis or purgation oils such as castor oil are given, often in large doses, during the early morning on an empty stomach when it is sure that the food from the previous night has been fully digested. Though often unpleasant, shodhana is a necessary procedure for the treatment of highly stagnate accumulations of ama and dosha imbalance.
Shamanasnehais the next type of internal ayurvedic treatment with oils. This type of treatment is used to meliorate vitiated doshas with the use of herbs specially selected according to the disease of a given patient. This treatment is generally more moderate in dosage than the prior, but is also given on an empty stomach to ensure the proper effect. Following this, are the brimhanasnehatreatments, which involve small amounts of oils given along with food for the purpose of nourishment.
Though these three types of treatments with ayurvedic oils are generally associated with certain dosage quantities, a more thorough explication of dosage is necessary, and is outlined in ayurvedic medicine. There are four general types of dosings. First is hrasiyasimatra, an oral administration of oil over a maximum period of seven days. It begins with a small amount and increases gradually day by day until the end. Second is hrasvamatra, which simply indicates that the doses are administered in small amounts. Third is madhyamamatra, which indicates an intermediate amount of oil administered orally, and finally, uttamamatra, which is a large dose of ayurvedic oil likewise given orally.
Due to the climatic and atmospheric variations of the seasons the body changes greatly throughout the year. Consequently, the same ayurvedic oil will not have the same effects on the body throughout the whole year. In accounting for this Ayurveda has made careful study of these changes and differences and concluded with recommendations for the season of use of different types of oil depending upon the effect desired. During the fall pitta dosha has a tendency to become aggravated, and so ayurveda recommends ghee above all other ayurvedic oils for this season for its special ability to alleviate pitta. During the heat of the summer, when the body has a tendency to become excessively tired and depleted of natural strength, the use of muscle fat and bone marrow are recommended. These are neither too hot nor too cold and contribute the physical strength and nourishment which is lost during this season. In the cold season when the body’s metabolism is said to be at its highest, these two are also recommended due to their heaviness in the digestionprocess. Finally, during the rainy season, when vatadosha is likely to be out of balance, sesame oil is recommended, as its warming energy and naturally rich blend of minerals helps to calm and ground the erraticism a vitiated vatadosha.
In addition to the above specifications, certain treatments with ayurvedic oils call for multiple types of oils to be mixed together. These mixtures fall into three categories. Yamalasneha involves the mixture of two types of the four general oil types. Trivritsneha is the combination of three different oil types, and mahasneha, or great oil,is a combination of all four oil types, i.e. ghee, vegetable oil, muscle fat, and bone marrow.
Ayurvedic oils are yet further distinguished according to their manner of preparation. When oils are mixed with herbs, the ground herbs and the oil can be cooked for a period of time, and such preparations are distinguished according to the degree to which they are cooked. Lightly fried oil herb blends are called mridupakasneha, and such preparations are usually used for nasal applications. Moderately fried blends are known as madhyamapakasneha, and are preferred for external applications, in addition heavily fried combinations known as kharapaka, are also used for almost exclusively for external applications.
Treatment of disease is a delicate and subtle science, and it requires clarity and precision in its practice as much as the communication about its practice, as the former often heavily depends upon the latter. It is for these reasons that Ayurveda, the science of life, has taken such care to make clear and numerous distinctions of the products it uses in its treatments. The classifications elucidated above are but the foundation of the vast body of knowledge which ayurvedic medicine has built in the millennia since its reception. However, beginning with these tools one can proceed toward a greater understanding and more effective application of the wonderful gifts whichayurvedic oils are.
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