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<<Back to Panchakarma
Steps in Panchakarma
Panchakarma is a five-fold therapy; it is highly personalized based on the needs of the individual depending on the body type, dosha imbalances etc. Usually, only parts of the five therapies are needed
Purvakarma: Pre-purification Measures for Panchakarma (Pretreatment)
Prior to starting Panchakarma, oiling and heating of the patient is done to bring the excess doshas from the limbs to their proper reservoirs in the digestive tract, from which they can be expelled. The doshas are then excited by a procedure called utkleshana, a therapy that makes the excess dosha anxious to leave the body. One to three nights prior to the start of Vamana, the patient is asked to drink one cup of oil two to three times a day until the stool becomes oily, or he feels nauseated (This treatment is called oleation or sneehana).
Kapagenic diet is given to aggravate Kapha. On the morning of the Panchakarma, kapha aggravating foods such as basmati rice and yogurt with salt is given to further aggravate the kapha
Oil massage and fomentation are administered on the night before the day of Vamana. The application of the heat to the chest and back will liquefy kapha. Before the actual operation of purification begins, there is a need to prepare the body in prescribed methods to encourage the release of toxins.
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