Boosting Agni, Lavan Bhaskar Churna,

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Lavan Bhaskar Churna improves digestion, subject to precautions

discussed later in this post. Improved digestion reduces ama.

Reduction of ama improves balance of vata. Proper way of taking Lavan

Bhaskar Churna is to take in the middle of meal, mixed in rice, or

curd/buttermilk. One should also know when to stop the digestive aids, as taking

them continuously is not safe. Take under supervision of a vaidya.

 

Let us also look at some more fast digestion aids used in India.

 

Guests are treated like Gods in Indian custom and food is forced on

them. Another occasion is during festival, when a little excess fodd is the

outcome of our lack of alertness. If it causes some indigestion, no problem,

Pachanvati, Pachanchurna, Jiragoli, etc, every house has some such " Dadima ka

nuskha " . Now a days, commercial caterers also serve these after meal.

 

For housewives, here is a receipe to make this pachanvati or Jiragoli.

 

Take small haritaki(Harde) and keep it soaked in buttermilk for 24

hours, from one morning to next. It swells due to absorption of

buttermilk. Grind it in Kharal and add Ajwain, black salt, asfoetida,

cummen seed popwder, lemon juice. Keep salt and asfoetida 25% of other

ingredients, which are equal. You may vary these proportions slightly after

experience with the formulation. It will now become thick paste. You can make

tablets out of the dough, the size of the tablet should be approximately the

size of green pea. Dry them in shade, till they are fully dried.

 

When you have excess food causing stomach tightness, heaviness

feeling, take one or two tablets. You will get few burps and stomach

will become light. If one uses water instead of buttermilk, the

tablet can damage the stomach linings. Same precaution is necessary

for Lavan Bhaskar Churna, Shivakshar Pachak Churna or Hingashtak

Churna, as discussed next.

 

In ayurveda, there is more emphasis on gaining health rather than

getting rid of diseases. Hence how to use grains, fruits, vegetables

according to each constitution has been described in various ancient

books. While taking ginger and lemon in the beginning of meal or

taking honey+lemon in warm water is also good for many, but those

suffering from acidity will find that gastric juices become more

acidic and they will cross over to chronic gastritis stage. Ayurveda

terms these states as " Aamlapitta " . When food is passing through

throat and oesophagous, burning sensation is felt. Acidic and sour

burps, sores in mouth, vomiting sensations, nausea, chronic gas,

burning sensation in hands, soles, eyes, anxiety, chest tightness,

intestinals sounds are also symptoms experienced by hyper acidity

patients. Such patients should not use any of the tablets to kill

acidity, enhance digestion, virechan churnas. They are all tasty, but

that itself can be cause of their excess consumptions and damage due

to synthetic tartaric or ascorbic acids in them. Children who take

such powders or tablets often face swelling of tonsils, excess

acidity, vomits etc. Though one may feel lightness in stomach after

consumption, long term swelling of the stomach linings can be the

result.

 

Many other Deepan powders can be made at home. Ingredients for these

are readily available in kitchen and labour is also not much.

Hingwashtak churna is one such. Ginger, black peeper, peeper longum,

cummen seeds, asfoetida, ajwain, saindhav salt and Sahajeera(Black

cumin seeds) are the eight ingredients, hence the name Hingastak

churna. All these are ground in lemon juice. Since Asfoetida in this

is the main component, one must get in pure form. The best variety

comes from Pakistan, Afghanistan[Kabul city].

 

Despite these receipes, best way to keep agni in healthy condition is

to eat what suits your constitution and eat less than hunger needs.

This keeps agni strong without needing any medicines. What is stated

for food quantity, also applies for sleep. If you take slightly less

than the requirement, agni which causes sleep will also remain strong

and you will not be subjected to insomnia.

 

Dr. Bhate

 

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I would like to know if lavan bhaskar churna improves the digestion?

Does it mean that improved digestion leads to reduction in ama, and

expulsion of accumulated ama? Does reduction in ama hold good for

vata

dosha? What is proper way of taking it: before lunch/dinner or

during

or after?