Panchakarma (Sanskrit: पंचकर्म, literally meaning "five actions") is the word for the five different procedures used in Ayurveda which are believed to purify the body. This is done in two ways:
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pacifying the aggravated doshas by using appropriate diet, natural herbs and minerals.
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eliminating the increased Doshas from the body.
According to Charaka, the five actions are Nasya (nasal therapy), Vamana (emesis or vomiting), Virechana (purging) and two kinds of Vasti (therapeutic enema), Nirooha Vasti and Sneha Vasti. Herbal decoctions are used for Nirooha Vasti and herbal oils for Sneha Vasti. This five major procedures in Panchakarma, is meant to purify the whole body by eliminating the accumulated toxins from it.
Another school, that of the surgeon Sushruta, regards Rakta (blood) also as a dosha (humour), the vitiation of which can cause diseases, and advocates Raktamokshana (bloodletting) as the fifth in the Panchakarma therapies. In this school the five therapies are Nasya, Vamana, Virechana, Vasti and Raktamokshana. As bloodletting involves medical venesection, it is no longer popular. Leeching, however, is still practised.
This fivefold therapy is aimed at Shodhana, the eradication of the basic cause of disease. Shodhana or eradication, along with Shamana, the mitigation of the disease and its symptoms, are the two concepts of disease management in Ayurveda. Panchakarma is also believed by practitioners to have a rejuvenating effect when it is subject to a healthy person.
Ayurveda emphasizes that each individual is a unique being, a part and manifestation of the cosmic consciousness, expressed through the five basic elements. Space, air, water, fire, earth. Vatta – a combination of space and air, pitta – a combination of fire and water, and kapha – a combination of water and earth, are termed as the tridoshas. Every individual’s physical and mental, characteristics are derived from these three Doshas.
There are seven basic characteristics derived from these three Doshas. They are vatta, pitta or kapha predominant, vatta-pitta, pitta-kapha or kapha-vatta predominant and tridosha meaning all three Doshas. Every individual has his unique signature of Doshas. When all the Doshas are in balance or in harmony, there is order or health in the body, when the balance is disturbed a person is in a state of disease.
Balance exists when the digestive fire (agni) is in a balanced condition, the bodily Doshas are in harmony, as a result the body produces waste products normally(urine, feces and sweat), the seven body tissues also function normally (rasa, Rakta, mamsa, meda, Asthi, majja, and sukra). As a result the mind, senses and consciousness are all functioning in a harmony.
The health of a person is governed by vatta, pitta and kapha, which are constantly affected by outside factors such as food intake, improper sleeping habits, seasonal changes, repressed emotions, and mental and physical stress etc. these all the factors combined or individually can greatly affect the balance of these Doshas, ultimately resulting in detrimental effects on agni ( gastric fire ) and produces ama (toxins).
These toxins enter the blood supply and are subsequently circulated throughout the body, clogging the channels. The accumulation of toxins will weaken the vital body functions resulting in disease. All diseases result from an imbalance of Doshas resulting in Ama (toxins).
Therefore health lies in the prevention of ama built up in the body, eliminate whatever is present in the blood supply, and to stop any further production of Ama. The steps include proper diet with appropriate life habits, and exercise along with a cleaning program known as Panchkarma, it is part of a process called shodhan and shaman.