Rasa Dhatu and heart disease
Rohitmsane
vascular diseases of the heart can be divided into two types, one is
thrombosis and other is atherosclerosis.thrombosis can be compared to
gulma which will be discussed in next chapter while atherosclerosis
can be compared to rasa vruddhi. atherosclerosis will be discussed in
this chapter. as said above, athrosclerosis can be compared to rasa
vruddhi.To understand this one needs to have a complete knowledge
about rasa dhatu and its disorders.
Ayurved has explained that rasa dhatu is supposed to have following
functions as follows:
1. Tushti: Satisfying the needs of every tissue. Providing the
nourishment to each and every tissue. Supply the nutrients, carrying
the products of metabolism and making it available to the targeted
tissues in the required quantity during both rest as well as exercise.
2. Preenan: To nourish each and every cell of the body, to aid in the
metabolism of the cell. To carry the waste materials produced by the
cell or the tissue away back to the heart. If preenan job of Rasa
dhatu fails, the waste matter will not be washed from the cell leading
to intoxication of the cell.
3. Raktapushti: To nourish the blood cells and to keep them hydrated
as they are transported from one point to another. Plasma is known to
nourish the blood cells in modern science also. The water present in
the plasma is known to htdrate the cells thus maintaining the
intergrity of the cell.
Rasa dhatu is of two types, one is called as POSHAK and the other is
called as PUSHYA. The poshak rasa dhatu is supposed to nourish the
pushya rasa dhatu. The Poshak rasa dhatu is one which is mobile and
the Pushya rasa dhatu is one which is stationary in and around the
cell, meaning the extracellular and intracellular fluid. Ayurved
explains that the Poshak Rasa dhatu is circulated by the heart to each
and every cell of the body. The pushya rasa dhatu in and around the
cell is well nourished by this poshak rasa dhatu sent by the heart.
The pushya rasa dhatu can be compared with the extracellular fluid in
the body, the salivary secretions, the CSF, the lymph, pleural fluid,
peritoneal fluid and many more fluids present in the body. Modern
medicine has analyzed the contents of all these fluids and has come to
a conclusion that the contents match with each other and all of them
match with the contents of plasma.
The Poshak rasa dhatu is also termed as Ahara rasa by many experts.
Ahara rasa is said to get produced in the amashaya from the diet we
have in our daily life. Ayurvedic experts have specified the typical
quality of ahar rasa required to nourish the cells. The ahar rasa is
supposed to be the extract of the daily diet containing
micronutrients.
For a perfect ahar rasa to be formed, the diet is supposed to be of
the following quality:
1. Diet rich in all 5 panchamahabhoota
2. Diet rich in all 4
3. Diet rich in all 6 tastes
4. Diet rich in both types Veeryas or all 8 types of Veerya
This quality of diet when cooked in the amashaya, a microscopic
extract is produced which gets absorbed by the walls of amashaya.
Rasa dhatu is produced in the amashaya in the form of Ahar rasa. to be
precise, this ahar rasa is absorbed from the amashaya. Amashaya here
means the stomach and the initial part of small intestine. Once it
gets absorbed, it is transported to the liver as the first station and
imediately to the second station i.e. the heart for circulation. The
heart immidiately circulates it to the tissues and individual cells
for nourishment. The cells uptake the micronutrients from the ahar
rasa and download the waste matter in the same ahar rasa which
returns back to the heart as the venous return.
As explained in the earlier chapters that this ahar rasa which is a
parinam apadhyaman dhatu gets converted in the parinat dhatu in the
rasavaha srotas. The parinat rasa dhatu takes part in nourishing the
tissues.
Ayurved has explained very clearly that the quantity of Pushya rasa
dhatu cannot be measured but the poshak dhatu can be measured. In fair
terms, the quantity of parinat dhatu is not defined in Ayurveda but
the quantity of parinam apadhyaman dhatu has been clearly described in
Ayurveda. 9 anjali is the amount specified in the texts to be seen as
ahar rasa or poshak rasa dhatu at any given point of time.
Ayurved says rasa dhatu is combined with rakta dhatu, udak and prana,
while it circulates in the sira all over the body. Modern medicine
also says the same that blood contains cells and plasma. Cells are the
rakta dhatu accounting to 40% or 2 L of the 5 L volume of blood,
plasma accounting to 60% or 3L of the 5 L volume of blood. This 3L
plasma contains 90% water accounting to 2700 ml of water and what
remains is 300 ml of quantity for the absorbed digestive products from
the stomach which can be compared to the ahara rasa in ayurved. As
said above ahara rasa is 9 anjali in quantity, one anjali equals to
about 30 to 35 ml. So 9 anjali comes to near about 300 ml. Hence one
can come to an inference that ahar rasa is nothing else but the
digestive products absorbed in the plasma which contains the
micronutrients.
The concept of micronutrients in the digestiive products of plasma can
be matched with the concept of param sukshma rasa explained by
ayurvedic experts. Moreover, it has been explained as a saar of the
diet had by the human being which matches with the concept of diet
being digested and the extract being absorbed in the stomach and small
intestine.
Moreover pushya rasa dhatu can be compared with the fluids present all
over the body, the lymph, csf, synovial, aqueous and vitreous humour,
pleural and peritoneal fluids, the secretions of various glands etc.
these fluids as modern medicine has also accepted are nourished from
time to time by the plasma. So now we infer that at any given time,
ahar rasa is to be 9 anjali in a normal human being. If the quantity
is less it is termed as rasakshaya or if the quantity is more, it is
termed as rasavruddhi.
9 anjali of rasa dhatu being present in the blood doesnt mean that
every meal extract will be of 9 anjali. May be it may be more, may be
it may be less. The production and utilization balance of ahar rasa
should yeild a product of 9 anjali at given point of time. for eg. if
a person has a store of 9 anjali of rasa dhatu in the morning. Then he
has a diet yeilding only 3 anjali of extract and then utilizes 6
anjali of rasa dhatu till evening through his daily activities, then
only 6 anjali of rasa dhatu remains back in the body which should have
been 9 anjali. Then this will be called a rasakshaya. On the other
hand if the persons amashaya extracts 15 anjali of rasa from his diet
in addition to the 9 anjali present in his blood and utilizes only 5
anjali in that day, then 19 anjali rasa dhatu staying back in the
blood will be called as rasa vruddhi.
Along with the quantity, the quality of rasa dhatu is also important.
Normal rasa dhatu is supposed to be paramsukshma. If the contents are
not digested well enough, the extract may not be paramsukshma. If a
person ingests sweet food in large quantities, madhur rasa being guru,
obviously it will be heavy and not paramsukshma. Thus the hampering
the quality of rasa dhatu; More research will be required to enlighten
this concept.
ayurved has described a typical diet with 4 special points which will
produce the best quality of rasa dhatu.
a diet which is made up of all 5 mahabhoots like jala, akash, prithvi,
vayu and agni.
a diet which contains all 6 tastes like madhur, amla, lavan, tikta,
katu and kashaya.
a diet which is rich in all necessary veeryas either two or the eight
different types of veerya.
such a diet if ingested in the prescribed quantity will always produce
the best ahar rasa.
To get into the depth of it, if the ahar has more amount of jala or
water, it may lead to dilution of rasa dhatu. If the diet is rich in
prithvi or solid diet without water, then the digestion process is not
able to yeild a typical extract needed to nourish the cells. This
might result in rasa dushti. Hence rasa dushti can be considered as a
derangement in either the quantity or quality while rasa vrudhhi or
kshya can be considered as a disturbance in the quantity of rasa
dhatu. If the diet containts excess sweet taste, the extract formed
will be guru or heavy in nature as compared to the required rasa
dhatu. If the food has excess of katu or tikta rasa, the rasa dhatu
might be over sukshma or may be the micronutrients might be less in
the absorbed material as these taste foods normaly get absorbed in the
later part of the intestine according to ayurvedic experts.
Hence, the food to be consumed should match the above given 4 typical
criterias for the best rasa dhatu to be formed.
Moreover if the diet is in high quantities, the ahar rasa formed will
be of higher proportions and thus leading to vruddhi if not utilized
to the required extent.