vipakas -3

by **Admin** Tue 02 Nov 2010, 9:04 pm

described in terms of (3) tastes: sweet (madhura), sour (amla), pungent (katu)
the post-digestive: transformed state called niraapaka arising after separation of rasa and mala
action revealed in colon after stomach and SI digestive processes are completed and occurs in the cells as micro-digestion; this action is inferential
stronger than guna effects but less than veerya effectbased primarily upon chemical properties of a substance
- effect based primarily upon chemical properties of a substance
- longer lasting effects than rasa;
- secretory and excretory functions affected: urine, feces, sweat, sperm, vaginal secretions and affects dhatus and srotamsi
- as tastes are secondary attributes composed of the 5 elements they reveal their molecular nature expressed in terms of the gunas: sweet = heavy (guru), cold ( sheetha); pungent = light (laghu) and hot (uhna), etc.
- acts on the aggravation (prakopa) stage of pathogenesis
- as a category of drug action there is much correspondence with modern notion of polarity

by **Admin** Sun 07 Nov 2010, 9:57 am

Vipaka

When we eat or drink a substance it comes in the contact with jathar Agni (digestive fire). If the jatharagni is in its normal state it is able to digest (pachan) the substance eaten. During this digestion the food undergoes many bio transformational changes. In this process of paak (physiological condition of digestion) due to different degrees of digestion, the transformation of rasa takes place. This changing of rasa of the substance into a certain similar or dissimilar rasa is called vipaka. After completion of digestion, the substance or the food ingested would produce certain action by which we can know the process under which the substance has undergone. Hence vipaka is judged by anumana (inference made after observation).

The effects of vipaka commences after the full digestion is completed. These vipaka are of there types.

• Madhur vipaka
• Aamla vipaka
• Katu vipaka

In a general madhur vipaka increases kapha dosha, aamla vipaka increases pitta and katu vipaka increases vata. Madhur rasa (sweet taste) and lavan rasa usually under goes madhur vipaka, aamla rasa (sour taste) usually produces aamla vipaka. Katu rasa, tickt rasa and kashaya rasa produces katu vipaka. As an example of draksha (grapes), undergoes madhur vipaka. Rasa is pratyaksh (directly known to our senses) but vipaka is inferred from its effect.Saindhav lavan (rock salt) or even samundra lavan (common salt) undergoes madhur vipaka. Amlaki (Indian goose berry) which possess amal rasa undergoes madhur vipaka and not and amal vipaka as expected. On the contrary sunthi, which is of katu rasa, undergoes katu vipaka only. Consequently marich (black pepper) which is a shleshma hara (suppresses kapha) but it is also avrishya, as compared to the sunthi is also a shlesham hara (suppresses kapha) to some extent but not avrishya on account of its undergoing madhur vipaka. This special property enables sunthi to be used, when there is kapha vitiation and lack vrishya principle in the body while marich is valuable in kapha vitiation with no consequent fear of avrishyatwa. It may be clearly seen that the degree of khapahara (suppressing kapha) principle in marich is greater than that of sunthi. These subtle points of difference are to be noted carefully.

vipakas -3

vipakas -3

Re: vipakas -3