Abstract

A REVIEW ARTICLE ON PACHAKA PITTA IN AYURVEDA AND MODERN ASPECT

*Dr. Vishal Sharma

ABSTRACT

Degeneration and decay are the natural characteristics of the human body. This can be arrested by intake of food, which when digested and assimilated, nourishes & replenishes the tissue of the body. Therefore an individual in order to sustain life has to take nutritive food indicating that the man is independent upon the food and also that body is the product of food. Human body is constituted by 7 Dhatu and degeneration and decay stated to afflict to the body are the effect these Dhatu only. Therefore it is clear that the nourishment to the food is for these seven Dhatu. There is a vast difference between the physical characteristics of the Dhatu and those of food. But the nutrients from the food nourish the 7 Dhatu. It is expected that the food after entering into the body i.e. the AnnaVaha Srotas in particular looses the physical and chemical characteristics and it is transformed to be incorporated into the structure of the Dhatu. These function effect the materialcomposition of the body and determine its mass and also known as substantive function. As already indicated these functions are conducted by a factor known as Pitta. As compare to the concept of the elusive Vata, the concept of pitta appears to be not only material but also physical. Those theories of digestion and metabolism in Ayurveda are based on its concept of Pitta. In Ayurvedic science Pachaka Pitta is Digestive enzymes that helps with food Digestion, metabolism, and separating nutrients from waste. Pachaka Pitta breaks down large molecules of protein, nucleic acid, and carbohydrates into smaller ones. Pachaka Pitta nourishes the Agneya part of Pitta, which is present in different parts of the body.

Keywords: Pachaka Pitta, Digestive enzymes, Digestive juices, Jathargani.