Can Ayurveda Help You Lose Weight?

October 2, 2014

Ayurveda is an ancient system which had been part of the world long before modern science came along and had some answers to problems that can’t be tackled with contemporary medicine. And there’s no greater health concern than the obesity pandemic that’s sweeping the globe. Thankfully, Ayurveda might just have the cure but for that you’ll first have to understand how the system works.

In the Ayurvedic context, the definition of Swastha purush (healthy individual) is one who has:

‘Sama Dosha’ –a state where all three doshas are in equilibrium.
Sama Agnishcha – where the digestive fire is in balance.
Sama Dhatu Mala Kriya – where all the dhatus are in balance and all three excretory processes function adequately.
Prasanna atma indriya manaha – a state where the mind, soul and sense organs are in bliss.

According to this ancient concept, obesity is caused due to increased meda dhatu (fatty tissue) which can only be treated by correcting this imbalance. The three ways to lose weight include dietary modification (Aahar), lifestyle modification (Vihar) and medication (chikitsa).

Aahar
Like regular dieting, aahar requires a person to avoid high-cal diets (santarpaniya aahar). It’s shocking to think that this ancient system could pinpoint the most fundamental problem in today’s diet regime – people consume more calories than they need!

Vihar
Everyone knows that exercising is crucial to losing weight and Ayurveda had some important tips to lose weight. These included avoiding sitting in a place for long periods, avoiding sleeping in the day or staying up late at night.

Along with these methods there are certain Ayurvedic medications which can help like Punarnavadi Kashaya, Triphala Guggulu, Medohar guggulu and Arogyavardhini vati but there efficacy will depend on the person’s body type and their physiological condition. There are also some other methods called Panchakarma (cleansing of the body) procedures like Vamana (induced vomiting), virechana (induced purgation), lekhan basti (medicated enema) and udwartanam (herbal powder massage).

All the aforementioned procedures should only be carried out by a qualified Ayurvedic physician!

Ayurvedic cheat sheet to lose weight

Eat a fruit in the first half-an-hour after waking up.
Eat almonds, peanuts, figs or flax seed between meals to stay satiated.
Drink enough water
Eat 4-5 Garcinia (kokum) bulbs
Mix psyllium seed husks powder (isabgol) with a glass of water every night before bedtime

Try these methods and reap the benefits of Ayurveda to lose weight.