TRIDOSHAS
According to the concept
of Ayurveda, the human body is made up of five elements (panchamahabhootas),
seven tissues (dhatus), waster products (malas), channels (srotas)
and energy modes (doshas).
Every living and non-living thing in the universe is a combination
of five basic elements. The seven dhatus or tissues are responsible
for composing the human body. Malas are the body wastes and proper
elimination of the waste products is an important factor in maintaining
good health. Srotas are the channels that transport the nutrients
and other substances to all parts of the body. The three doshas
(tridoshas) are responsible for the creation of various tissues
of the body and to eliminate the waste products from the body. All
the bodily movements and other physiological functions are influenced
by the tridoshas.
The word tridoshas is composed of two parts- tri and doshas,
tri means three and doshas means the physical modes or energies.
These tridoshas are the primary and essential factors of the human
body that controls the physical structure and all the functions
of the body. These doshas are derived from the five basic elements
known as the panchamahabhootas. Each dosha is the combination of
any two of the five elements with one primary and the other secondary.
The three doshas are responsible for the physiological and psychological
processes taking place in the mind and body.
All activities in the universe are categorized into three main basic
functions- creation, organization and destruction. The balance state
of these functions is a key to good health.
According to Ayurveda these three functions are balanced by tridoshas
namely vata (wind), pitta (bile) and kapha (mucus).
The main cause of disease is the lack of proper physiological and
psychological functions that is due to an excess or deficiency of
vata, pitta and kapha.
Vata is composed of elements air and space. This biological humor
is responsible for controlling the function of destruction. It is
regarded as the main dosha among all the three as it controls and
governs all the functions performed by other doshas.
Pitta is composed of elements fire and water. It organizes all activities
performed by body after the process of transformation. The whole
chemical process including enzymes, immune power, hormones, nerves
and the nutritional system attributes to pitta. Kapha is composed
of elements earth and water. It is responsible for the maintenance
of all creations taking place in the body. All the activities of
the skeletal and the anabolic system come under kapha.
According to Ayurveda’s basic concept of human body there are
seven body types and they are :
• Mono Types
o Wind dominated individuals (vata)
o Bile dominated individuals (pitta)
o Mucus dominated individuals (kapha)
• Dual Types
• Wind and bile dominated individual (vata and pitta)
• Wind and mucus dominated individuals (vata and kapha)
• Bile and mucus dominated individuals (pitta and kapha)
• Equal Types
• Vata, pitta and kapha in equal proportions