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AN AYURVEDA EXPLORATION continued from page 53 offered package treatments. Restaurant menus listed Ayurvedic teas and coffees. But my questions about Ayurvedic teas and cof- fees were usually met with the infamous Indian "head wobble." Eventually, I found out that what makes a coffee "Ayurvedic" is merely the addition of cinnamon and that "Ayurvedic teas" are a hodgepodge of random spices. However, I was also able to learn a few things about "real" Ayurveda during my time amid the Westerners. While spend- ing a few nights at an Ayurvedic resort, a brochure describing Ayurvedic massages casually mentioned that while the resort I was staying at only practiced basic treatments and administered herbal medicines, Ayurveda also includes a more radical practice known as panchakarma that contains: * Vamana—emesis/vomiting * Virechana—purgation with laxatives * Vasthi—enema * Nasya—nasally administered medicine * Raktha moksha—blood letting "Interesting," I thought. Only slightly wiser than before, I turned 30, packed my bag and headed south to the hospital. THE AYURVEDIC ASHRAM Arriving at Santhigiri Ayurveda Hospital, I passed a large, lotus- shaped temple and a wedding procession, and was greeted by the smell of incense at the hospital's reception desk. In the office of chief physician Dr. N. Raveendran, I was surrounded by a group of curious Ayurvedic doctors, nurses and interns. Raveendran added more details to the picture: * Ayurveda has two goals: first and foremost, preserving the health of a healthy person with prevention and, sec- ond, treating disease. * Ayurveda has a broad scope. It ranges from "holy massage" to daily routine and preventative medicine to 54 Fresh Cup Magazine freshcup.com treatment of all diseases. * According to Ayurveda, there are four elements for lead- ing a successful life: dharma (full spiritual health), artha (money), kama (desire) and moksha (spiritual salvation). * Although panchakarma is a major part of Ayurveda at Santhigiri, for safety reasons, blood letting is no longer practiced. "We use leech therapy instead," Raveendran informed me. The next day, I discussed taste with Dr. K. Jagannathan, an associate professor at Santhigiri Siddha Medical College. Taste, he said, reflects the "potencies" of herbs, which are either hot or cold. Each flavor (sweet, sour, bitter, astringent, pungent or salty) has a corresponding elemental nature (air, water, ether, earth and fire). Similarly, each imbalance in the body has a correspond- ing elemental nature (vata is air and ether; pitta is fire; kapha is earth and water). You can use taste, he explained, to counteract the imbalance in the body. For example, a kapha imbalance, such as a respiratory problem, is the result of not enough fire and is remedied with a "hot" herb like long pepper. "We counteract the cold potency with hot potency," he said. Jagannathan also described how the practice uses pulse read- ing, complexion analysis and urine testing to help make diagno- ses. But he added that true diagnostic skill lies in experience and intuition. Without missing a beat, he diagnosed me: pitta. In the afternoon, Dr. K.B. Bhadran, assistant general man- ager at Santhigiri's herbal medicines manufacturing facility, told me about herbal decoctions. "They're the most basic thing in Ayurveda," he said. To make decoctions, one part roughly crushed herbal material, such as roots, barks and seeds, is boiled with 16 parts water (unless a soft herbal material like petals or grapes is being used, in which case the ratio is one to eight). The herbs are filtered out and the decoction is ready. Santhigiri's manufacturing facility makes 37 decoctions, using hundreds of herbs as ingredients. Bhadran explained, "A decoction may be as simple as a single herb or as complex as over 100." He added that while single-herb decoctions have their uses, blending continued on page 56