Rejuvenation Therapy (Rasaayana) - Ayurvedic Rejuvenation Therapy

person, who takes suitable diet and practises self-control, lives a full span of 100 years of 36,000 nights, without illness, says Ayurveda. The idea is to add life to years, not merely years to life. This concept is embodied in 'Rasaayana (rejuvenation) and Vaajeekarna (Verilization) of Ayurveda. Charaka Samhita, the ancient ayurvedic classic of our country claims that it is possible by a special course of rejuvenation of six .months duration, to transform entirely an aged and diseased body into a fresh and youthful one.

Many have sought the secrets of longevity but they remain mostly hidden. On the other hand, agents for' shortevity' and 'dejuvenation' seem to be better understood. It is generally agreed that longevity and vitality have genetic and hereditary factors. Again certain factors like climate, air, soil or water are conducive to longer life.

In experimental animals, three factors are known to affect the life span-heredity, diet and ionising radiation. Recent reports by the Atom Bomb Casuality Commission reveal that the atom bomb survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (1945) are now showing signs of ageing at a much earlier age than is usual in Japan.

Changes Due to Ageing

Ayurveda divides human life into:

1) Childhood, which extends up to the age of 16
2) Youth and middle age, which extends from 16 to 60 years
3) Old age, "wherein, after 60 to 70 years the body elements, sense organs, strength, energy, manhood, memory, understanding, speech and discrimination begin to decay".
In old age the organs and virility become weak. Hair turns silvery white, skin looks dried and wrinkled, and marks or dots termed as crow's footmarks appear. The skin sags down and becomes flabby. The hair begins to fall off. Respiration becomes laboured and painful. The body gets worn-out like an old building and shakes with bouts of distressing cough. Such man is incapable of all acts, and all his bodily functions are imperfect." Twenty centuries after these words were written in Ayurvedic texts, the changes in physiological ageing are exactly the same as described!

Theoretical Premise For Rejuvenation

Based on our current understanding of cell injury and its repair, it is theoretically possible to postulate mechanisms, which will prevent cell injury and facilitate its repair, and form the basis of rejuvenation. Quenching of free radicals, using membrane stabilizing agents; using Lathyrogens-which are capable of inhibiting cross-linkage of collagen in the connective tissue; and in certain autoimmune conditions, using immuno­suppressants-all these can delay ageing and prolong the life. Interestingly the drugs, which are the main ingredients of certain ayurvedic preparations, contain most of the above properties.

Rasaayana, meaning rejuvenation therapy has two words: The phrase Rasa+aayana. Rasa means biologically transformable liquid nutrient of all the tissues in the body and aayana means a pathway. Thus, Rasaayana bestows the strength of all dhaatus of the body! Rasaayana chikitsa helps slowing down the ageing process, enhances memory, improves the functioning of vital organs, increases the ojus (the immunity factor) and nourishes all the tissues.
Rasaayana (Rejuvenation therapy) can be of three types according to the methods adopted.

They are:

Kuti Pravesika: Strictly indoor management with specific diet and rasaayana drugs in a specially constructed house (kuti).
Vaataatapika: Outdoor management, which is suitable to all.
Aachaara Rasaayana: Management without drugs, based on the mode of living, behaviour, conduct etc.
Rasaayana (Rejuvenation therapy) can also be classified into three types according to its utility.
Kaamya Rasaayana: Meant for a healthy person for long life, good vision, improvement of memory or intelligence etc.
Naimittika Rasaayana: It is useful in curing diseases and strengthening the body while preventing a relapse.
Ajasrika Rasaayana: Regular use of cow milk, ghee, and honey throughout the year helps facilitate the maintenance of health and keeps the body free from disease.
The qualifications of a person suitable for rejuvenation, according to Charaka Samhita are as follows: A man who has fortified himself with resolution and purpose, full of faith and single-mindedness, having cast off all evils and nurturing goodwill for all creatures. No man who has not rid himself of the evils both of mind and body, beginning with the gross ones, can ever expect to get the benefits resulting from vitalization.