Life expectancies are slowly going up. And with it comes the issues of handling old age and its attendant problems. From bedsores to breathing difficulties, from dementia to Alzheimer’s. How is one to deal with it?
Jara Chikitsa, one of the eight branches of Ayurveda, deals with geriatrics and rejuvenation. Charaka says that the only inevitable thing in old age is wrinkles! Disease and suffering can be averted. Keeping this in mind, our acharyas had separated a branch of geriatrics dealing with Rasayana. Anti-aging therapy is divided into Kutipravesika and Vatatapika. The first one is long and tedious, and has to be done only in a clinical setting. The second type of therapy can be administered anywhere. Both therapies are dealt with in Charaka’s Chikitsasthana. According to Charaka, a person undergoing rejuvenation therapy gains deergha ayush or long life; smriti or good memory; medha or intelligence; arogya or good health; taruna or youth; prabha or aura or lustre; varna or good skin complexion; swara or good voice; dehabala or physical strength; indriya bala or strong sense organs; vak shakti or good oration skills; pranati and kanti being respect and brilliance.
Rasa is the end product of digestion. Rasayana therapy ensures that one gets the maximum utilisation from the end product of digestion. Chyavana Prasha is one of the main Rasayana formulations given in the Rasayana chapter and can be taken by all who are not diabetic. The chapter will make it clear that the triphala fruits, pippali, iron, honey, ghee, vidanga (Embelia ribes), silajithu, yashtimadhu (Glycirrhizha glabra), mandukaparani (Centella asiatica), guduchi (Tinaspora cordifolia), shankupushpi (Clitoria ternatea) are among the best Rasayana drugs.
My favourite Rasayana therapies are the following. Along with honey and ghee, one should eat one Terminalia chebula (early in the morning), provided the previous night’s meal is well digested, two Terminalia bellerica before food and four Emblica officinalis after food. By this practice, Charaka says, a person will live for 100 years free from disease. From among the many recipes and ideas propounded in the chapter, this to me seems doable.
In another recipe, make a paste of triphala and apply it to a new iron vessel. Leave for 24 hours. Scrape it off and mix with a little honey and water, and eat it. Once the triphala is digested, take as much fat or ghee as you can digest.
I have seen many loved ones depart of not only great pain but with impaired memory. Maybe if these formulations were widely known, it would have helped them. The government could help many old people by making the above drugs available in their hospitals and PHCs. They are indigenously grown and are not at all expensive. Unfortunately there is no pharma lobby for these drugs! The more I read from our ancient texts, the more I am astounded by the indifference of the government to take this knowledge to the people. While a Sanskrit week is welcome, a Triphala week would benefit our citizens more!
The writer is retired Additional Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu.
She can be reached at sheelarani.arogyamantra@gmail. com/arogyamantra.blogspot.com