Treatment of Crohn’s disease with Ayurveda

Intestinal inflammation and overall health

When referring to the Crohn‘s disease from Ayurveda’s point of view, some clarification must be made at the outset. First, Crohn’s disease has been identified in Western medicine in the 20th century, and the intestinal inflammations to which it relates have been formulated by Ayurveda since ancient times.

For Ayurveda this is Grahani disease, which includes the same symptoms – abdominal pain, swelling, vomiting, diarrhea, sometimes with blood, mucus or pus, constipation, loss of appetite and weight. Secondly, in Western medicine, the disease is perceived to be chronic, and Ayurveda can cure it completely. The third essential thing is related to the approach to diseases.

Ayurveda does not treat only the symptoms but it aims at a complete recovery of the body and health. This happens by returning the natural balance between the vital human energies. They are three:

• Vata – responsible for the movements
• Pitta – responsible for the transformations in the body
• Kapha – responsible for the control of liquids

These energies are set at birth in a specific proportion, in which each one of them plays a certain role and the leading energy defines the Dosha of the person.

The disturbance in the balance leads to impairment of the functions of organs and systems and from there – to diseases. At the same time, when a certain energy is not in equilibrium it causes disturbances in the other two, and diseases become complex.

When the energy balance recovers, the processes in the body begin to work optimally, and the organism is restored and starts to function as a self-controlling and self-regulating system. It restores the physical, emotional and spiritual health that Ayurveda is all about. So the body cope with the diseases before they develop.

The causes of the occurrence of Grahani are usually combined energy deviations, as these disturbances may be in Vata, Kapha, and Pitta:

• Diarrhea, for example, if caused by Vata, is accompanied by noisy flatulence and pain.
• If it is caused by Pitta, the stools are dark yellow due to the presence of bile, the patient experiences weakness, burning, thirst
• Diarrhea in elevated Kapha is pale, abundant and painless. Still, in Grahani, the Vata-Pitta imbalance is most common.

Treatment of Grahani

In order to talk about the treatment of Grahani, it is necessary to state the causes of the imbalances of the Doshas so they can be eliminated. For Vata, these are dry, bitter, cold and tightening foods, stress, physical overload, and so on. The main symptoms are pain and gas.

Pitta dosha is increased by acidic, spicy, hot foods, passionate emotions. Symptoms are weight loss, bowel burning, yellow stools, which can get bluish. Kapha Grahani is provoked by heavy, sweet, abundant food, inactivity and excessive sleep during the day. There is no weight loss in this case, but there is a constant feeling of weakness, in the stools there is a mucus, constipation is common.

It is obvious that for every person, according to the Dosha type, there is a food and daily regime that are intended to maintain the energy balance. They will be determined by the ayurvedic physician and should be maintained after healing in order not to experience ailments.

In the course of the treatment, the diet may be different depending on the energy disturbances to be corrected. In general, the nutritional regime should be light and prepared with Ghee. Overall, treatment includes not only diet and daily regimes, but also combined therapies for toxin cleansing – internally and externally, meditation, as well as healing yoga.

Of course, there are measures to relieve pain, lowering temperature, etc., using herbs and oils independently or in combinations. External cleaning procedures include massages with different types of healing oils, herb rubbing, herbal saunas, and so on. Internal cleansing includes vomiting, enema, blood purification, and so on.

The healing herbs and remedies vary according to the disease manifestations, including chamomile, mint, dill, coriander, etc. For constipation, for example, mixtures and potions of dandelion, anise, cumin, linseed, nettles, rhubarb root, jester fruit can be made. Drinking blueberries, banten, sage are also useful for Grahani diarrhea.