Managing Pitta Dosha in your body

Those who have been following our journey in understanding our body through ayurveda, will know that in this article we will be looking into the ways of managing pitta the second among the tridosha. You can always go back and read the previous one if you are new here or have to refresh your memory. Those who just want to know only about the topic at hand let us see a few points about pitta.

As popularly known, the tridoshas are the functional basis of the human body. The pitta dosha is the one that manages all the transformation and conversions in the body. It helps digest the food, utilise it for different purposes, produce energy, convert energies, generate waste, do the defence etc even at the cellular level. It is generally elicited by heat in the body. As mentioned before in the previous article, the samanya visesha siddhanta is the basis of the interventions we opt to control this dosha. Let us see how this dosha can be managed.

Things that increase pitta

Pitta dosha is by nature hot in potency, has fluidity, is light and is increased by such properties. The following are a few things that can increase vata ;
• Spicy, salty and sour food items
• Fermented foods
• Excessive use of mustard, horse gram, black gram, sour buttermilk, sour curd, sour fruits, salt, fish, some leafy vegetables etc.
• Foods fried in oil
• Alcohol consumption and smoking
• Excessive anger
• Skipping of meals
• Exposure to sunlight or hot weather

Signs of increased pitta

Increase of pitta in the body is the most easy dosha imbalance to be identified. It can manifest in one or more of the following ways like; increase in body temperature, burning sensation in different body parts, skin irruptions, reddish discolouration, recurrent abscesses, pus formation, ulcers, bleeding disorders, burning while urination, gastritis, sour belching, hair fall, increased thirst, etc.

How to reduce pitta

Since the heat is the predominant symptom here, the natural opposite can be used to reduce the effects. Foods and medicines that are of bitter, astringent and sweet tastes are used. They include milk, rice, wheat, ghee, turmeric, cucumber, bitter leafy vegetables, coriander, sugar, nuts etc. External applications of cold pates of sandalwood, clay, butter etc can also be helpful. Even with the many medications available, the best way to prevent the increase of pitta is to stay away from the causative factors.
The vitiation of pitta is a very common thing that many of us have gone through. Even though the symptoms are easy to spot, the management is to be done very carefully considering the exact manifestation, which is better left to the experts.

For more detailed assessment and finding a solution if u are facing a similar situation, please contact our panel of Ayurveda experts.