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Sutras by Maharishi Vagbhata: Understanding Pitta

Continued from Understanding Vata

Pitta represents the fire and water element in the body. It has the qualities of being hot, light, intense, penetrating, pungent, sharp and acidic. Like molten lava, this is responsible fotr the hot fluids in the body. This means it takes care of digestion, absorption & assimilation, metabolism, maintenance of body temperature, appetite & thirst, coloration, visual perception, cognition, reasoning and understanding.

When pitta goes out of balance, it creates problems like acidity, ulcers, indigestion, taste of food in mouth for many hours after food, excessive burping, hiccups, etc.

Heartburn, acid indigestion, nausea, ulcers, jaundice.
The acids of the stomach and small intestine are regulated by pitta dosha. When these there is too little acid, it can lead to heartburn, acid indigestion, or nausea. If there is too much acid, it breaks down the mucous lining of the stomach and can cause ulcer. When there is too much bile, it causes jaundice.

Inflammation, infection, redness, or bleeding
Inflammation can occur in the skin, muscles, joints, or organs, and usually produce symptoms of redness, bleeding, or sharp/hot pain.

Skin Problems: rashes, acne, psoriasis, eczema
Excess pitta tries to leave through the skin, and this can lead to various skin conditions.

Fever
Fever is usually caused when the body is trying to raise the temperature to eliminate toxins. However, when pitta is too high consistently, it can leave the person feeling feverish.

Diarrhea
The primary seat of pitta in the digestive tract is the small intestine. When there is too much pitta (digestive enzymes) in the small intestine, stools tends to be loose.

Anemia
The liver, an important seat of pitta dosha, is responsible for the production of red blood cells. A weak liver will lead to anemia, as it directly affects the absorption of nutrients by the body. It may also be accompanied by a weak digestion.

Causes of pitta imbalance are:

• Eating too much hot, spicy, or fried food
• Eating too much sour or fermented food
• Prolonged fasting
• Summer season
• Exposure to toxins, chemicals, or allergens
• Inability to handle pitta-type emotions, like anger, aggression, hate, competitiveness, comparison, judgement, and criticism

Pitta Prakriti

Those who have a pitta prakriti do not need much sleep; 6 to 8 hours is ideal. The best time to sleep according to Maharishi Vagbhata is roughly 2 hours after sunset.

Healing Pitta Problems

Food

The best food item to balance pitta dosha is cow ghee. Ghee made from buffalo milk is only recommended for body builders and athletes. The second best is Ajwain. Noon food should have ajwain since it balances Pitta which is higher in noon or during daytime. Jeera (cumin) is next best to control Pitta, black jeera is better. Heeng (asafetida) also keeps Pitta under control. Coriander – both green and dry work equally well.

A total 108 items for controlling Pitta are listed in Gambir ROGON KI CHIKITSA

Routine

Exercise until sweating starts, and then massage. India is a Vata predominant land, and running any fast movement aggravates Vata and is harmful to the body. The best exercise is soorya namaskar and asanas. Dand baithak etc is good. For women the best exercise is forward bending. Follow exercise with oil massage and a warm water bath. Use lentil powders to wash the oil off.

Toothpastes

One critial element during the day that disturbs pitta, is toothpaste. Toothpastes contain sugar, and starting the day with a sweet item creates pitta problems. A lesser known fact is that many toothpastes use powdered animal bones in toothpastes e.g. Colgate - pig bones, pepsodant – cow bones, close up – goat. Recently some toothpastes have changed their ingredients, but it is still prevalent.

The best replacement is a homemade tooth powder. 12 types of daatoon (tooth powder) can be used based on seasons: neem, babool in summers, guava, jaamoon in winters and mango, arjun in monsoons.

• Toothpowder 1 – tree turmeric (daruhaldi or daruharidra), salt, oil
• Toothpowder 2 – burn dried cowdung, haldi and rock salt (sendha namak)
• Toothpowder 3 – triphala choorna, rock salt (sendha namak). This is the only one that can be used in all seasons

Continue reading: "Understanding Kapha".

We thank Dr. Rajiv Dixit for making this information accessible. Click here to view his videos.

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