Interview of Dr. Madan Gulati (MD – Ayurveda)
Dr. Vikram Chauhan: Hello Viewers! Today I am very happy. I welcome Dr. Madan Gulati who is MD in Ayurveda and retired as a Deputy Director from the Ayurveda department. There is a very good topic, a very painful disease from which many people are suffering nowadays. It is called Amavata in Ayurveda and is compared with rheumatoid arthritis. So doctor will you guide us that how can we get rid of rheumatoid arthritis through Ayurveda.
Dr. Madan Gulati: Rheumatoid arthritis is made up of two words rheumatoid and arthritis and in Ayurveda, it is translated as Amavata. Ama means the undigested product that is called as rheumatoid which creates sliminess in the body. It is a curd-like thing which collect in our joints which results in stiffness. Vata is arthritis which means inflammation of the joints. If there is inflammation of any joint and ama is along with it then we call it Amavata. The name given to it rheumatoid arthritis by modern science is a very accurate name. Basically behind all this is our digestive fire as low digestive fire is its root cause. If we are taking small meals at small intervals, go for a walk after the meal which results in indigestion and low digestive fire. As I see that nowhere in our Charak Susuhruta it is not said that that drink 2-3 glass of water early in the morning. Don’t know who gave this concept. Our original literature, Charak Susuhruta or in any other Ayurvedic literature it is not said that drink plenty of water. References like drink more water die early, can be seen. Do not drink an unwanted amount of water as it also decreases digestive fire. Like you had food and drank water along with it, the digestive fire will decrease. Drinking water that too cold water early in the morning is bad. People concerned with yoga has also said the things like it cleanses the body.
Dr. Vikram Chauhan: Yes, it is said that drink a lot of water early in the morning.
Dr. Madan Gulati: They do wrong. It is written in Ayurveda that all the good and bad things happening in our body is governed by fire (Agni) that is Pitta. Like what is the importance of the Sun, if it will keep shining you will be fine and enjoy life. We praise India that we get sunlight. See the condition of people living in countries which are deprived of sunlight. This fire (agni) is under Pitta, Sun. Same like this the importance of sun in nature is similar to the fire (Agni) in our body. When this digestive fire gets low for whatever reason like the thing I talked about earlier that insulin resistance is the root cause of diabetes. The root cause of Amavata is low digestive fire. Ama will form in the body. The Decrease in Ushma (heat) will result in the improper formation of first dhatu, Ras dhatu. This will eventually result in the improper formation of other dhatus as well. So when we have to finish Ama…13 symptoms of it are given, blockage of channels in the body, improper formation of stool, fainting, lethargy, and loss of appetite. These 13 symptoms are stated in the literature. When Ushma (heat) will decrease than our body channels will start blocking, stool comes by breaking, heaviness in the body, laziness, indigestion, recurrent formation of phlegm, loss of appetite, tiredness without doing any work. These symptoms are of ama. When ama will start forming in our body than it gives birth to Amavata. So now if we have to treat this than we have to increase our digestive fire. First, we have to digest ama. Like we give Ajmodadi churna or we give Deepan pachan herbs Chitrakayog, Panchkolasav, things like these. Panchkol, in consist of pippli, pipplamool, chavay, chitrak, sonth. When we give these things than ama gets digested.
Dr. Vikram Chauhan: Is there any home remedy for digesting Ama?
Dr. Madan Gulati: Black pepper (Pippali), it is available in homes itself. Eating some ginger before the meal can prevent Amavata. Digestive fire decreases. When digestive fire decreases there will be the formation of a coating on tongue and to treat this we have to increase digestive fire. To increase digestive fire before meals take some ginger with some salt, not vinegar or lemon to enhance the taste. Take some ginger with salt before meals so that it reignites digestive fire and will digest the food that you will have. The tradition to take salad also disturbs many things. In Ayurveda, it is never recommended to take these leaves or similar things.
Dr. Vikram Chauhan: That keep eating salad.
Dr. Madan Gulati: According to Ayurvedic literature it decreases digestive fire as well. This is also not a very good thing that we start eating leaves and all. We have to eat ginger before the meal and after that take food. And the most important thing is that there is a great value to fasting in it. In the treatment of Amavata we have to remember two things which is most important, have to increase digestive fire, have to better the metabolic rate. We have to not do anything which deteriorates our metabolism. Fasting works miraculously in Amavata. In modern science, we call it autophagy. Three different people have got a Nobel prize on the single topic of autophagy which is the Ayurvedic concept. Langhana chikitsa, Langhana means that when we fast the toxic material which is collected in our body starts to burn. Like a given example, As newspaper comes at your home daily you keep on collecting the scrap and then scrap is taken away by scrap collector. Then he recycles it, makes envelops and use it in another thing. Similarly when we fast for 16 hours or for whole day once a week. That’s why in all of our ancient religions like in Jainism, Hinduism, Muslims, Ramzan days in Muslims. So fasting has much importance. So in the treatment of Amavata also fasting is the answer. What will happen with it that digestive fire will reignite in that time.
Dr. Vikram Chauhan: Doctor! As in Amavata patient suffers from much pain. So what can be given to relief that pain?
Dr. Madan Gulati: As I told, there are only two symptoms in it. One is stiffness. When there is stiffness it is due to the Ama. To relieve Ama have to increase digestive fire. Then the treatment of Vata is the second part. For Vata we use Guggul, Shallaki, Boswellia Curcumin is one of our product. It is a miracle. It works very well in Amavata as Curcumin in it relieves pain as well because turmeric (Curcumin) is a painkiller. So herbs like Ashwagandha, Guggul are also given along with it. To digest Ama we have to increase digestive fire and for Vata herbs destroying Vata are given. In the first two stages, gold preparations are not given. First, we have to digest ama. Like Guggul, Cator oil (Arindi ka tail). If you will ask me I will say the best medicine for Amavata is castor oil (hrindi ka tail). (Shloka) It is written that castor oil is such oil that the way elephants run away from the forest just with the smell of lion similarly Amavata runs away just away just with the smell of castor oil. The miraculous drug is castor oil. Give castor oil with Rasana, gukshu, devdaaru, and punarnava. Some people have difficulty in taking decoction so give them with plain warm water. Give with hot milk before sleeping. Digest the Ama. Castor oil is very good for digesting Ama. In the first-week cator oil should be given along with Ajmodadi churna or our Chitrakadi vati. First, we will treat Ama and when we will see that the sign of stiffness is reduced in the patient…The very First question to Amavata patient to be asked is that when you wake up in the morning or you relax than either your pain increases or decreases. The patient says my pain increases. While stepping for the first time I feel much pain. It means there is Ama in his body. To digest it we have to give Deepan pachan herbs.
Dr. Vikram Chauhan: Sanjeevani Vati
Dr. Madan Gulati: Yes! Sanjeevani vati. Bhallataka yog is wonderful. What is said for Bhallataka. There is a chapter in Charaka in which a student asked his teacher that you have praised all the Rasayan and herbs. Which are called Rasayan? Which gives us a long life, which increases our lifetime. So the thing like Bhallataka, which is so sharp that causes blisters after touching it. You called it Rasayan too. So he answered very beautifully. There is a whole chapter on Bhallataka in our Charaka in which a saint and his student is talking. Student asked with great curiosity that you said Amla is very good, Ashwagandha. How did you say Bhallataka is a Rasayan? He said the thing which opens your channels is a Rasayan. Herb which opens the channels. So even if it is very hot still it is the best medicine to open the channels. Today if Bhallataka is given properly…I remember that in our government Ayurvedic college of Patiala our old Ayurvedic physician, Ramprasad Ji used to give a 25 number medicine. That was totally pure Bhallataka. He used to give Bhallataka in Amavata. In our Charaka, a very beautiful Sutra is written. I remember a very beautiful sutra for Bhallatak. There is no any fire increasing substance which digests Ama except Bhallataka.
Dr. Vikram Chauhan: One of its natural name is Agnivatak.
Dr. Madan Gulati: Yes! You said it right. Semecarpus anacardium is its latin name. It’s a miracle drug. They say that we have added Bhallataka in Sanjevani vati. Sanjevani vati is a miracle drug for Amavata because it contains Bhallataka. If Bhallataka is added with proper procedure and as it is written to clean it with Gomutra (cow’s urine) than for Amavata sanjevani vati is very good. Give Chitrakadi vati, Ajmodadi churna, or Vaishvanara churna. Use Panchkol first. Digest Ama and increase digestive fire than we have to treat Vata. Than will think about painkillers and gold preparations are given in the third stage when the time comes for repair. I have seen that many Ayurvedic doctors give gold preparations in starting which increases pain. We have to give gold preparations in the third stage in three parts. I ask to do 21 days of treatment. Digestion of Ama in the first week. Vata treatment in the second week. In the third week, we will repair degenerative changes. So treatment in three weeks. First week Ama than Vata than we have to give gold to him. Then we can give Makardhwaj. Sidhh Makardhwaj is the miracle we can give in Amavata but as there has been a weakness so we have to give it in the third stage. Than give Swas chintamani ras, rasnadi ras, whatever symptoms come after. Give yogenda ras. Role of these herbs is on the third number. First Ama than Vata than repair.
Dr. Vikram Chauhan: Sir tell us something about diet. What type of diet should be taken for Amavata patient?
Dr. Madan Gulati: In Amavata, ‘Abishandi padarth’ should be avoided completely. Curd and milk products should not be taken much. In this curd should be not be even touched. The people who eat curd at night in them it will happen for sure as curd is a ‘mahaabishandi’. The substances which block channels are called ‘Abhishandi dravya’. So with it the things which clear the channels are said to be used. Like black pepper with curd is said to be used. The people who are much fond of curd should take it with black pepper. Repeated intake of heavy and cold things like banana which decreases the digestive fire is the main cause of Amavata. For example, while cooking rice in the cooker, our stomach is like a cooker which is closed from both the sides with cardiac sphincter and a pyloric sphincter and then digestion happen. So if the lid of the cooker is opened again and again than rice will remain uncooked. This will result in the formation of Amavata. Food will not be digested properly that is called Ama. Free radicals are the Ama. Ama is nothing but free radical formation. Formation of endotoxins. Today rheumatoid arthritis is called an autoimmune disease. We give drugs like Prednisolone which is very wrong. Our immune system degrades more. For this concept, Ayurveda is the answer. Ayurveda says that endotoxins are formed within you. Ama is a toxin and to eliminate it antibodies are formed. This concept has also to be kept in mind. It is said that due to dysfunctioning of brain antibodies are formed. It is nothing like that. The Toxin is formed within us and to destroy these toxin antibodies are formed.
Dr. Vikram Chauhan: Thank you so much doctor for giving us your precious time and providing such valuable information regarding rheumatoid arthritis, Amavata. Thank you so much.
Dr. Madan Gulati: Thank you for calling me.
