CONCEPTUAL STUDY OF VATA DOSHA IN MAHASROTASA WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO ENS.
Vd. Rajeshwari Kahate* and Vd. Ghansham Kodwani
ABSTRACT
Background: Ayurveda is ancient system of Indian medicine based on
certain fundamental principles, and one of them is ‘srotasa’. Acharya
has stated ‘mahasrotasa’ is mulsthana of ‘pranavaha srotasa’.
Similarly, while describing abhyantara rogamarga, Charakacharya
postulated koshtha, aamashaya-pakvashaya as mahasrotasa.
Mahasrotasa includes the region from mukha to guda. Mahasrotasa
also includes in its ambit ‘samana vayu’ which is one of the five types
of vata dosha. Saman vayu while performing its functions is aided by
prana vayu and apana vayu. The functions of samana vayu includes
-annagrahana, pachana, vivechana, and munchana. Samana vayu is located besides
‘jatharagni’ and thus jatharagni is also dependent on samana vayu. If Samana vayu is in
prakrut state then the agni will also be in prakrut state and vice versa. All the functions of
samana vayu can be compared with physiological functions of contemporary medical
science. Basically, Enteric nervous system (ENS) is a large subdivision of ANS and it is
present in gut. ENS works independently but it is still connected with CNS by its sympathetic
and parasympathetic arms. Myenteric plexus and Meissner’s plexus are the principle
components of ENS, which are responsible for relaxation and contraction of Intestinal wall
and secretion vttin GIT respectively. Digestion is also controlled by ENS. From above, karma
of samana vayu and ENS can be correlated. Material and methods: Thorough review of
literature related to mahasrotasa, vata dosha and relevant topics was done through samhitas,
Ayurved text books as well as text books of contemporary science. Reference from internet
also reviewed. Conclusion: Functions of samana vayu can be partially correlated with ENS.
Keywords: Mahasrotasa, Samanvayu, Jatharagni, ENS.
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