MALNUTRITION: AN AYURVEDIC REVIEW

*Dr. Rujuta E. Thakare and Dr. Vijaykumar U. Gawai

ABSTRACT

Nutrition is also called nourishment, is the provision to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary in the form of food to support life. Our food is made up of essential, natural complex chemical substances called nutrients. There are seven major classes of nutrients carbohydrates, fats, fibres, minerals, proteins, vitamins and water. These nutrients are classified into macro and micronutrients. The Macronutrients are the building blocks of the body. The micronutrients are crucial for their role in metabolic pathways and in enhancing immunity. Balanced diet provides all the nutrients in required amounts and proper proportion. Abnormal nutrition causes over or undernutrition. Malnutrition i.e. impaired nutrition leads to growth retardation, low resistance to infections and many other health problems. Kaumarbhritya is one of the important branch of Ashtanga of Ayurvedic science. The main aim of Ayurveda is to prevent the disease rather than to cure it. Ahara, Nidra and bramhacharya are the three pillars of body. Ahara is considered as first pillar because nutrition mainly depends upon ahara. Malnutrition is a burning problem in children because of apathyakara ahara and vihara. A pediatrician should understand the malnutrition in terms of Ayurveda to give chikitsa. Malnourishment disorders can be correlated with Karshya, phakka, balshosha, parigarbhika. Charakacharya mentioned the karshya in ‘ashtau nindita purusha’.1 Agnimandya leads to karshya samprapti. According to Acharya Kashyapa, proper ahara helps to improve kanti, bala, smruti, medha, satwasthiti (stability) and angavriddhi. Acharya's described in detail about kuposhana janya vyadhi chikitsa. For samprapti bhanga in malnutrition many drugs and kalpas are useful. After agnideepana and srotoshuddhi the drugs like bala, shatavari and rasayana kalpa’s like chyavanaprash avaleha can be used. This is a review article gives light on hetu, samprapti, lakshana and chikitsa of kuposhanjanya vyadhi w.s.r. to malnutrition.

Keywords: Nutrition,Malnutriton, kaumarbhritya, karshya, rasayana, Ashtau nindita purusha.