Diet, Digestion, Nutrition

Question 1

Sama Agni

Answer 1

Balanced Agni

Question 2

Vishama Agni

Answer 2

Irregular digestive fire

-dominated by vata

Question 3

Tikshna Agni

Answer 3

Sharp, acute digestive fire

-dominated by pitta

Question 4

Manda Agni

Answer 4

Mild, dull digestive fire

-dominated by kapha

Question 5

three causes of indigestion

Answer 5

1. eating wholesome and unwholesome items mixed together
2. eating too much, too little or after the proper time
3. eating before the previous meal is digested

Question 6

Food and drinks causing indigestion (spoils undigested food)

Answer 6

heavy
rough
cold
dry
disliked
distending 
irritating (to the mucous) 
unclean 
antagonistic (in the qualities)
taken at improper times

Question 7

Psychological, emotional cause of indigestion

Answer 7

passion
anger
greed         *not even wholesome food is digested 
confusion     prop when inflicted with these emotions*
envy 
bashfullness
conceit 
grief
excitement 
fear

Question 8

Factors disturbing Agni

Answer 8

• Fasting (unnatural & prolonged)
• Eating during indigestion
• Over-eating
• Irregular eating
• Intake of unsuitable, heavy, cold, too rough, and -contaminated food
• Faulty administration of physiological purification procedures
• Emaciation due to disease
• Faulty adaptation to place, time, and seasons
• Suppression of natural urges

Question 9

Symptoms of indigestion

Answer 9

• Stasis (stoppage of food in digestive tract)
• Malaise (laziness)
• Headache
• Fainting
• Giddiness
• Stiffness in back and waist
• Yawning
• Aching in the body
• Thirst
• Fever
• vomiting
• gripping pain
• anorexia
• improper digestion of food

Question 10

Ajirn

Answer 10

Indigestion

Question 11

Kapha type ajirn & symptoms

Answer 11

Ama Ajirn
Symptoms are heaviness, nausea, swelling of the cheeks and eyes, and belching soon after meals
- all effecting the kapha region(above the heart)
Leads to heaviness, sluggishness and dullness in digestion

Question 12

Vata type ajirn & symptoms

Answer 12

Vistabdh Ajirn
Symptoms are abdominal pain, tympanites(swelling of the abdomen or gas), vata type pain(hardness, pinching, tension, constipation, ignorance(blocked apana eventually effects prana), pain in limbs in many areas of the body
-all affecting below the umbilicus
Leads to abdominal pain, gas, constipation, irregular thirst and hunger

Question 13

Pitta type ajirn & symptoms

Answer 13

Vidagdh Ajirn
Symptoms are giddiness, thirst, fainting, sour and hot belching, perspiration, a burning sensation in the body.
- all affecting the home of pitta
Leads to heat, sharpness, acidity

Question 14

What is Ama ?

Answer 14

Impurities - undigested food particles in the digestive tract becomes heavy, toxified and can cause complications

Question 15

Signs and symptoms of Ama

Answer 15

• blocked srotas
• deranged strength
• heaviness
• vata disturbed, not moving properly
• laziness - capacity for work but no enthusiasm
• indigestion
• repeated spitting
• constipation
• no taste for food
• mental and physical fatigue

Question 16

5 step elimination process of ama

Answer 16

1. avoid causative factors
2. digest ama - ama pachana (breakdown food particles)
3. cleanse the digestive tract
4. enhance digestive power - lekhana (scraping)
5. elimination therapy - shodhana

Question 17

How does ama feel in the pulse?

Answer 17

a covered feeling reducing its clarity and obscuring its normal features

Question 18

Three causes of imbalance

Answer 18

1. excessive contact - ati yoga
2. no contact - ayoga
3. wrong contact - mithya yoga
   * All related to the five senses*

Question 19

8 factors to consider in dietetics

Answer 19

1. nature(prakriti)
2. processing (karan)
3. combination (samyoga) of food/substances
4. quantity (rashi)
5. place (desh)
6. time (kal)
7. rules for intake of food (upayoga samstha)
8. he who takes food; suitability for the individual (upayokta)

Question 20

Heavy ; influence on vata pitta kapha

Answer 20

Increases kapha

Pacifies vata pitta

Question 21

Light ; influence on vata pitta kapha

Answer 21

Increases vata pitta

Pacifies kapha

Question 22

Unctuous ; influence on vata pitta kapha

Answer 22

Increases kapha

Pacifies vata pitta

Question 23

Dry ; influence on vata pitta kapha

Answer 23

Increases vata

Pacifies pitta kapha

Question 24

Warm ; influence on vata pitta kapha

Answer 24

Increases pitta

Pacifies vata kapha

Question 25

Cold ; influence on vata pitta kapha

Answer 25

Increases vata kapha

Pacifies pitta

Question 26

5 fold principle of substances effect on the body

Answer 26

rasa - taste (6)
guna - quality (20)
virya - potency (8)
vipak - effect after digestion (3)
prabhav - special effect (same guna, rasa, virya, vipak, diff effect on the body.

Question 27

six rasas

Answer 27

sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, astringent

Question 28

20 gunas

Answer 28

heavy-light
soft-hard
cold-hot
clear-sticky
unct-dry
rough-smooth
dull-sharp
gross-subtle
stable-mobile
solid-liquid

Question 29

virya- potency (8)

Answer 29

hot-cold
soft-sharp
heavy-light
unct-dry

Question 30

vipak- effect after digestion (3)

Answer 30

pungent, bitter, astringent - increases pungent
sweet & salty - increases sweet
sour - increases sour

Question 31

sweet foods effect on vpk

Answer 31

Nourishing, bulk promoting
heavy to digest
Increases kapha
Pacifies vata & pitta

Question 32

salty foods effect on vpk

Answer 32

Lubricates & increases digestive capacity
Increases pitta & kapha
Pacifies vata

Question 33

sour foods effect on vpk

Answer 33

Stimulates agni
causes moistening, easy for digestion
Increases pitta & kapha
Pacifies vata

Question 34

bitter foods effect on vpk

Answer 34

Dries up moisture, fat, muscle fat
Increases vata
Pacifies pitta & kapha

Question 35

pungent foods effect on vpk

Answer 35

Dries up unctuousness, fat tissue, and moisture
Increases hunger, is digestive
Increases vata & pitta
Pacifies kapha

Question 36

astringent foods effect on vpk

Answer 36

Dries up moisture and fat
Increases vata
Pacifies pitta & kapha