A word originating from Sanskrit language, Panchakarma essentially means ‘five treatments’ or ‘five actions.’ It’s a treatment used for cleaning up the body of any toxic matter, often left by poor dietary habits and diseases.
Usually, our body has the inherent ability to effectively process and remove any such waste matter, including the vitiated doshas, but owing to our repeated dietary indiscretions, genetic predisposition, irregular exercise routines and poor lifestyle habits, our metabolic co-factors, digestive enzymes and hormones responsible for regulating the internal homeostasis can get disorganised. When this happens, it can result in accumulation as well as spreading of harmful toxins throughout the body, leading to all kinds of diseases.
All such waste matter is referred to as ama in Ayurveda (the Indian medicine system). Ama is essentially a sticky, harmful and foul-smelling matter which must be completely eliminated from the human body.
Panchakarma treatment benefits
Panchakarma treatment helps in effective removal of any excess doshas and aids correction of any imbalances in them too.
Another one of important benefits of Panchakarma treatment is that it eliminates every bit of harmful ama from the body via its own channels and organs meant for elimination, for instance through intestines, bladder, sweat glands, colon, stomach, urinary tract etc.
Panchakarma treatment purifies the body’s tissues at the deepest level and involves nasal administrations, herbal enemas, oil baths and every day massages. On the whole, it’s a highly pleasurable experience that cleanses up the body from the core and is recommended as a seasonal treatment in Ayurveda, particularly for maintenance of balance and hygiene at the physical and mental level.
AyurYoga Eco-Ashram in Mysore, India is counted amongst the best places to undergo Panchakarma detoxification therapy. It’s offered in three stages and usually takes around 21 to 28 days in total for the entire four/five body detox processes to complete.