As we all know, food, in addition to providing pleasure when eating, has a purpose, which is to nourish the body by providing all those external elements that we need. It is a process that will not only nourish each of our tissues but will also generate the ultimate essence of immunity, OJAS. This is why the digestive process represents one of the fundamental pillars to maintain a good state of health.
WHAT IS THE DIGESTIVE PROCESS IN AYURVEDA?

The digestive process begins the moment we make eye contact with the food. Both the moment of cooking and the way in which we consume the food can have a positive or negative effect on our digestion. Once the food has been crushed in the mouth, lubricated with saliva and swallowed, it is thanks to the digestive fire that it can finally be digested. This digestion process will help us nourish those tissues (dhatus) that under physiological (normal) conditions are lost day by day.
The nutrition of the dhatus is a chain process. Rasa, rakta, mamsa, medda, asthi, majja, sukra will be nourished by the product from the previous tissue and will lay the foundation for the nutrition of the next one.
The process of nourishing the dhatus begins with the digestion of food and the formation of ahara-rasa. Ahara-rasa contains nutrients that ultimately nourish the seven dhatus or tissues. Through the digestive fire contained in each of the tissues (dhatu agni), ahara-rasa will be transformed into rasa dhatu. After rasa has been nourished, it will lay the foundation for immature rakta dhatu, and again through dhatu agni it will mature into rakta. This process will continue until each of the tissues is nourished, after which OJAS will be generated, which in Western terms is the essence of immunity.
TYPES OF AGNI:
Each of us has our own digestive fire (agni). The type of agni in our digestion is influenced by which dosha predominates in our physiology.
The three main types of agni are:
Manda Agni (slow): Predominantly Kapha, due to the presence of water and earth, the digestive process is slow and can take a couple of hours longer than in other people. This type of agni is normal in Kapha individuals, and can keep us healthy as long as we follow certain rules that help us take care of it. In addition to this, this type of agni can be generated by consuming heavy, cold and very greasy foods such as dairy products, sweets and meats, or simply by not giving the body the necessary time to digest food.
Tiksha Agni (strong): Pitta predominance, the presence of fire and water maintains a strong agni and helps the digestive process to be rapid. An excessively spicy, salty or acidic diet, generated by consuming very spicy, hot and penetrating foods such as yogurt, pepper, mustard, etc., can cause this type of agni to go out of control, consuming and burning the tissues.
Vishamagni (irregular): Predominance of vata, air and ether generates a variable digestive fire. As with the two previous ones, we can stay healthy with this type of digestion, as long as we know our organism and follow some basic rules. On the other hand, eating dry, cold and very light foods, long periods of fasting, and not respecting eating hours or sudden changes in diet can worsen our digestion.
These three types of Agni can function under physiological conditions and keep us healthy, but when this is not the case and the digestive fire does not perform its function correctly, it will be unable to digest certain substances. Many of the digestive diagnoses handled in the compendia of Western medicine respond to a
alteration of the digestive fire.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN MY AGNI DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY?
There are some proteins in food that are harder to digest than others and are currently thought to be the cause of a number of digestive symptoms, such as bloating, lethargy or mental confusion, fatigue and excess fat. This causes many of us to stop consuming foods such as wheat, gluten and dairy, among others, considering them to be the cause of these problems, but ultimately, the inability to digest them is due to weak agni.

If we maintain a balanced diet in harmony with our biotype and take care of our agni, after the digestive process we should have two main products: one that will nourish the tissues (ahara-rasa) and generate OJAS, and one that will finally be eliminated as waste (mala). But when this does not happen due to having, for example, a defective agni, many of these foods end up becoming a product that cannot be assimilated by the body and does not provide any benefit to our body. This substance, known in Ayurveda as ama, will eventually reach the small intestine where, due to its characteristics, it will be impossible for it to enter the bloodstream, so it will enter the lymphatic stream and finally spread throughout the body.
When ama from the digestive tract enters the lymphatic circulation (rasa vaha srotas) a process of dissemination begins in which undigested food will slowly accumulate in different parts of the body and aggravate the natural state of well-being, causing different symptoms and pathologies.
WHAT OPTIONS ARE THERE FROM AN AYURVEDA PERSPECTIVE TO RESOLVE THIS IMBALANCE?
Ayurveda addresses a wide range of options and viewpoints to improve this condition.
The most common symptoms you may have if you have a digestive problem and/or excess ama are:
Fatigue
Abdominal distension
Heaviness
Sleepiness
Diarrhea or constipation
Acidity
Faced with these symptoms, and after having carried out an appropriate anamnesis in which the professional can understand what imbalance you may be experiencing, there are the following treatment options, which can be used in combination or separately.

Ayurvedic detox: dietary measures and different plants are used according to your biotype.
Langana: creates lightness in the body, giving space to the digestive system to fulfill its function.
Deepana measures: Deepana literally means to ignite, to inflame, to set on fire. These are different measures intended to directly stimulate digestion.
Pachana measures: literally meaning digestion, cooking, boiling, baking, softening. These are measures aimed at eliminating toxins or AMA.
Phytotherapy and natural measures
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