Article: A REVIEW OF DIGESTION AND METABOLISM IN AYURVEDIC AND MODERN PERSPECTIVE

Article Category: Review articles

DOI: 10.7897/2277-4343.1305129

Pages: 84-86

Author: Shivani Arora *, Chirag Arora

Abstract: The diet nourishes the human body through digestion and metabolism, which are depicted in Ayurveda under the concepts of Agni (digestive/metabolic factors) and avasthapaka (phases of digestion). The process of breakdown down complex forms of food into simplest monomers through enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract is called digestion. As per Ayurveda, Agni is the key element for digestion and metabolism. It is the functional entity responsible for transforming the ahara dravyas (food). Avasthapaka is the peculiar concept coined by Acharyas to describe the various phases of digestion. Each foodstuff ingested by an individual must pass through three phases of avasthapaka (madhur avasthapaka, amla avasthapaka and katu avasthapaka) compulsorily, which later on gets converted into sharir bhava. In the present article, an attempt has been made to correlate the physiological aspects of agni and avasthapaka with modern medical science.

Keyword: Agni, Avasthapaka, Ahara, Digestion, Metabolism