HOW THE BODY BUILDS IMMUNITY
Agni (digestive fire), dhatus (tissues), ojas (tissue protection), and malas (waste) are all vital for the body’s health. All four are closely linked, and their health and function depend on each other.
Aspects of immunity
In Ayurveda, agni means “fire,” and refers to the body’s digestive fire. It is responsible for all processes of transformation, most important of which is building healthy dhatus. The seven dhatus are plasma; blood; muscle and skin; fat; bone; nerve tissue and bone marrow; and reproductive tissue. They are created in a chain, with each digested by agni to produce the next. Food is digested to produce the first dhatu, plasma, then plasma is digested to produce blood, and so on. Ojas is created last in the dhatu chain, and so is often called the “eighth dhatu.” It is a substance that supports prana (life energy) in the body and provides immunity from disease. Malas refers to the body’s excretions, such as urine, stool, and sweat. They must be eliminated efficiently to maintain the health of the body.
Ama and weak agni
If agni is weak, the doshas are unbalanced, or malas are eliminated inefficiently, and ama (undigested food) builds up in the body. It acts as a toxin and disrupts the body’s healthy function. To prevent ama, maintain healthy agni through diet and exercise.
HEALTHY AGNI
The body is able to digest food, properly absorb its nutrients, and produce healthy dhatus. This means it can produce more ojas, providing more immunity and more capacity for prana.
WEAK AGNI
The body cannot digest food properly. Undigested food is called ama, and this builds up and causes disease. Unhealthy dhatus are formed and less or no ojas is produced.
THE BODY HAS MORE IMMUNITY
Increased ojas means the body has more capacity for prana and, combined with healthy dhatus, has more immunity from disease. There is no buildup of ama.
THE BODY HAS LESS IMMUNITY
Reduced ojas means the body has less capacity for prana and less immunity. Unhealthy dhatus allow elevated doshas to settle, causing disease. The buildup of ama also leads to disease.
“All disease occurs due to the disfunction of agni.” CHARAKA
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