Seasonal Regimen

Seasonal Regimen (Ritucharya)

The word Ritucharya is made of two words –

Ritu means seasons

Charya means do’s and don’ts (regimen).

This important chapter discusses in detail regarding different seasons and the regimen to be followed.

Six Seasons – in the Ancient Ayurvedic Calendar

 A season (Ritu) is comprised of two months (two Masa).

• Shishira Ritu (winter, dewy season)
  • Magha and Phalguna
    • Mid January – Mid March
• Vasanta Ritu (Spring season)
  • Chaitra and Vaishakha
    • Mid March – Mid May
• Greeshma Ritu (Summer season)
  • Jyeshta and Ashadha
    • Mid May to Mid July

The above three Ritus form Uttarayana

•  Northern solstice.

Here, fire is dominant.

• It is also called as Adana Kala,
  • wherein the human strength is relatively low.

   

• Varsha Ritu (Rainy Season)
  • Shravana and Bhadrapada
    •  Mid July – mid September
• Sharath Ritu (Autumn season)
  • Ashvayuja and Karthika
    • Mid September to Mid November
• Hemantha Ritu (Winter season)
  • Margashira and Pushya
    • Mid November to Mid January

These three seasons form Dakshinayana – Southern solstice.

It is also called as Visarga Kala, wherein the human strength will be relatively high.

Uttarayana – Adana kala – Northern Solstice – mid January – mid July

• Because of the nature of the path,
  • both the Sun and wind become
    • very strong,
    •  powerful and
    • dry
    during this half of the year.
• It takes away all the cooling qualities of the earth.
• Bitter, Astringent and Pungent tastes
  • (Tikta, kashaya and Katu Rasas)
    •  will be more powerful, respectively, in the successive Ritus.
• Hence Adana Kala is dominated by fire.

Dakshinayana – Visarga Kala – Southern Solstice – mid July – mid January.

• During this period,
  • the Sun releases strength of the people.
  • Here moon is more powerful,
  • earth is cooled down due to
    • clouds,
    •  rain and
    • cold wind.
• Sour, Salt and sweet
  •  (Amla, Lavana and Madhura)
    • tastes are dominant respectively during the three seasons of this period.
• Variation in strength as per season
  • Winter – Hemantha and Shishira
    • mid November – mid March
  • Highest strength Summer and rainy seasons
    • mid May – mid September
  • Lowest strength Spring and Autumn – Medium strength.

 Hemanta Ritucharya – Ayurveda Winter regimen: Mid November – Mid January

• the people are strong,
  • digestive fire becomes powerful,
    • because it gets obstructed from flowing outward
      • due to external winter.
• Like fuel consumes the things that it comes into contact,
  • digestive fire may cause emaciation of body tissues.
• Hence, in this period,
  • one should consume food predominant with
    • sweet
    • sour and
    • salt tastes.
• As the nights are longer,
  • person feels hungry early in the morning.
• So, after attending to oblutions,
  • one should resort to Abhaynga (oil massage)
    • with oils that have Vata balancing properties.
  • Massage should be done especially to scalp and forehead.
    • Mild massaging,
  • wrestling
    •  till one’s half strength and
    • trampling of the body is recommended.
• After this,
  •  oil is washed off with
    • astringent powders and
    bathing.
  • Then fine powder of
    • Saffron and
    • kasthuri (musk) is applied.
  • The body is exposed to
    • fumes of aguru (Aquilaria agallocha)
• Since the digestion power is high, heavy-to-digest food such as
  • meat soup mixed with fats,
  • meat of well nourished animals,
  • wine prepared with jaggery,
  • supernatant part of wine (Sura) should be consumed more.
• Food prepared with
  • wheat flour,
  • black gram
  • products of
    • sugarcane and
    • milk,
  • food prepared from freshly harvested corn,
  • muscles, fat and
  • edible oils should be taken as food.
• Warm water should be used for oblutions,
• thick sheet made of
  • cotton,
  • leather,
  • silk,
  • wool or
  • bark of trees that are
    • light in weight
    should be used during sleep.
• Exposure to sunlight and fire should be resorted to, judiciously.
• Foot wear should be worn always.
•  Women who have -
  • well developed thighs,
  • breasts,
  • buttocks,
  • who are enchanting, and
  • exhilarated by the use of -
    • fragrant fumes,
    • scents,
    • youthfulness, and
    • thus made warm in their body,
    • who are liked, drive away the cold by their embrace.
  • One may have sex as per his liking.
• Persons who spend their time
  • residing in houses kept warm by fire,
  • in inner most apartment
  • encircled with others, or
  • in underground chambers,
    • will not be affected by diseases due to
      •  cold and
      • dryness.
• Overall, in Hemantha Ritu, the strength and digestion power are more.
• Hence one can
  • exercise,
  • undergo oil massage,
  • eat heavy foods and
  • may have sex.

Sisira Rutu charya – Ayurveda winter regimen – Mid January – Mid March:

During this period cold is severe and dryness more.

Vasanta Rutucharya (Ayurveda Spring regimen) – Mid March – Mid May

• Kapha which has undergone increase in Shishira (cold season)
  • becomes liquefied by the heat of the Sun in Vasanta (spring).
• It diminishes the digestive fire (Agni) and
  • gives rise to many diseases.
• Hence Kapha should be controlled quickly,
  • by resorting to strong emesis therapy (Vamana Panchakarma procedure),
  • Nasya (nasal medication) and other therapies.
• Food should also be chosen to mitigate Kapha,
  • that are easily digestible and dry (moisture-free, fat-free).
  • Physical exercises,
  • dry massage and
  • mild trampling should be done.
• Having thus mitigated the kapha,
  • the person should take bath, anoint the body with the paste of
    • karpura (camphor),
    • candana (sandalwood),
    • aguru (Aquilaria agallocha), and
    • kumkuma (saffron).
  • Have one year old barley,
  • wheat and honey,
  • meat of animals of
    •  desert-like land, and
    • meat roasted in fire as food;
  • Drink the juice of mango fruit mixed with fragrant substances,
    • in the company of friends,
    • getting it served by the beloved;
    • the drink, thereby producing satisfaction.
• Beverages such as
  • asava (fermented infusion),
  • arista (fermented decoction),
  • sidhu (fermented infusion),
  • mardvika (fermented grape juice), or
  • sarambu (extract of trees such as asana, candana etc.) or
  • water mixed with honey, or
  • water boiled with jalada (musta – Nut grass). 18-22
•  The person should spend his midday
  • in the company of friends
  • engaged in pleasant
    • games,
    • pastimes,
    • story telling etc., in forests (or gardens).
• The gardens should have
  • cool breeze from south direction,
  • with plenty of reservoirs of water all around,
  • invisible or poor sunlight, and
  • covered with shining crystals,
  • with the cuckoo everywhere
    • making pleasant sounds and
    • engaged in love-play,
      • with trees and
      • different kinds of beautiful and sweet smelling flowers.
• Avoid foods
  • that are hard to-digest and cold,
  •  sleeping at day time,
  •  foods which are fatty, sour and sweet.
  Because, all these will increase Kapha.

4. Greeshma Ritucharya (Ayurveda Summer Regimen) Mid May – Mid July

• the sun rays become powerful and appear to be destructive.

• Kapha decreases day by day and Vata increases consequently,
  • hence avoid use of
    • salt,
    • pungent and
    • sour foods,
    • heavy physical exercises and
    • exposure to sunlight,
    during this season. 26-27
• Food which are
  • sweet,
  • light (easy to digest),
  • fatty,
  • cold and
  • liquid
  should be taken,
  •  take cornflour mixed with
    • cold water and
    • sugar
    after taking bath in cold water.

• Madya (wine) should not be taken;
  • if very necessary,
    • take in very little quantity or
    • diluted with more quantity of water;
    if wine is taken in large doses, it will cause
    • inflammatory conditions, and
    • it will make the body fragile and weak,
    • increases burning sensation and
    • causes delusion.
• During summer,
  • boiled rice,
    • which is white in colour, (like full moon)
    • should be eaten along with meat of animals of desert.
• Meat juice (Mamsarasa)
  • which is not very thick, 
  • Rasala
    • (curds churned and mixed with pepper powder and sugar),
  • Raga
    • (syrup which is sweet, sour and salty) and
  • Khandava
    • (syrup which has all the tastes, prepared with many substances),
  • Panaka panchasara,
    • (syrup prepared with
      • raisins (draksha),
      • madhuka,
      • dates (karjura),
      • kasmarya, and
      • parushaka fruits
      all in equal quantities,
      cooled and added with powder of
      • cinnamon leaves,
      • cinnamon and
      • cardamom etc)
      and kept inside a fresh mud pot,
      along with leaves of
      • plantain and
      • coconut trees,
      and made sour (fermented)
  should be drunk in mugs of mud or shell;
•  Very cool water kept in
  • mud pot along with flowers of
    • patala and
    • karpura (camphor)
    should be used for drinking.
• Food articles like
  • sasanka kirana
    • (hollow, finger-like, fried pastry made of corn flour)
    should be taken at night;
• Buffalo milk mixed with
  • sugar and
    cooled by
    • moonlight and
    • the stars
    should be used for drinking. 33-36
• Day time should be spent in
  • forests having tall trees reaching the sky such as
    • shala (Shorea robusta, Tala – Borassus flabellifera etc,
    which obstruct the hot rays of the sun, or
    in houses around which bunches of
    • flowers and
    • grapes
    are hanging from their creepers.
• Sheets of
  • cloth spreading sweet scented water,
   are arranged (to fan the air) , all around.
• Sleep on soft bed prepared with flowers of
  • banana,
  • kalbara,
  • lotus etc.
  with fully blossomed flowers place all over.
• Spend the day remaining inside the house
  • cooled by water fountains,
  • water being scented with
    • usheera (Cus Cus grass), and
    thereby relieve yourself from the heat of the sun.
• Night regimen:
  • At nights, one should sleep on the terrace,
  •  facing moonlight.
• Exhaustion due to heat of the day is relieved by,
  • anointing the body with paste of
    • sandalwood,
    • wearing garlands,
  • avoidance of sexual activities,
  • wearing of very light and thin dress,
  • by fanning with fans made of leaves of
    • Tala or
    • large leaves of padmini (lily)
    made wet; syringes sprinkling cool water softly,
  • garlands of flowers of
    • camphor,
    • jasmine
    • pearls and
    • beads of white sandal paste,
  • children,
  •  sarika (mynah bird) and
  • shuka (parrot) talking pleasantly;
  • beautiful woman wearing bangles of
    • soft lotus stalk,
    • blossoms of lotus in their hair,
    moving about nearby.

Varsha Ritu carya- (Ayurveda seasonal regimen for rainy season) – Mid July – Mid September:

• the agni (digestive activity) is weak.
• It is already debilitated by summer,
• it undergoes further decrease
  • and gets vitiated by the Doshas.
  • The Doshas get aggravated by
    • the effect of thick clouds full of water,
    • cold wind having snow,
    • dirty water because of rain,
    • warmth of the earth and sourness.
  • The poor strength of digestive activity
    • the Doshas start vitiating one another
      • and cause many diseases.
     Hence all general measures
    • to mitigate imbalanced Doshas and
    • to improve digestive activity should be adopted. 42-44

•  One should undergo Panchakarma therapies.
  •  After that the person should also be administered
    • asthapana basti (decoction enema therapy).
    •  He should use old grains for food,
    • meat juice processed with spices etc.
    • Meat of animals of desert-like lands,
    • soup of pulses ,
    • wine prepared from grapes and fermented decoctions,
      • which are old or mastu (whey, thin water or curds) processed with
        • more of Sochal salt and
        • powder of panchakola,
        should be used.
• Rain water or water from deep wells,
  • well boiled should be used for drinking.
  On days of no sunlight at all,
  • the food should predominantly
    • sour,
    • salty and
    • unctuous,
    • dry,
    • mixed with honey and
    • easily digestible. 45-46 ½
• Person should not
  •  move about on foot (move only on vehicles)
  • should use perfumes,
  • expose his clothes to fragrant fumes,
•  dwell in upper stories of the house, devoid of
  • heat,
  • cold and
  • snow.
• Avoid -
  • River water,
  • udamantha
    • (beverage prepared with flour of corns mixed with ghee),
  • sleeping at daytime,
  • exertion and
  • exposure to Sun. 48

 Sharath Ritucharya – (Ayurveda autumn regimen) – Mid September – Mid November:

• When he gets suddenly exposed to the warm rays of Sun,
  •  the Pitta, which has undergone increase in
    • Varsha (rainy season)
    becomes greatly aggravated during
    • sharath (autumn).
    In order to get over it,
    • Tikta ghrita
      • (medicated ghee recipe described in the treatment of kustha chapter 19 of Chikitsa sthana),
    • purgation therapy and
    • blood letting
    should be resorted to. 49 ½

• When hungry,
  • the person should take foods which are of
    • bitter,
    • sweet and
    • astringent tastes, and
    • easily digestible such as
      • Rice,
      • green gram,
      • sugar,
      • Amla,
      • Patola,
      • honey and
      • meat of animals of desert-like lands. 50 ½
• Hamsodaka
  • The water which gets
    • heated by the hot rays of the sun during day
    • cooled by the cool rays of the moon during night,
    for many days continuously,
    • which has been de-poisoned (detoxicated) by 
      •  the rise of the star Agatya,
    • which is pure,
    • uncontaminated and
    • capable of mitigating the malas (dosas)
  is known as Hamsodaka.
  •  It is neither abhisyandi
    • (producing more secretion or moisture inside the minute channels so as to block them)
  • nor dry,
  such water is like Amrita (nector) for drinking and other purpose. 51-52
• Evening should be spent on
  • the terraces of houses
    • which are white (by painting),
  • anointing the body with the paste of
    • Sandalwood,
    • Cus Cus grass,
    • Camphor,
  • wearing garlands of pearls and
  • shining dress and
  • enjoying the moonlight.
• Avoid exposure to
  • snow (mist),
  • indulgence in alkaline substances,
• satiation with
  • hearty meal,
  • use of curds,
  • oil,
  • muscle fat,
  • exposure to sunlight,
  • strong liquors,
  • sleeping at day time and
  • the eastern breeze. 54 ½

• During
  • winters, (Hemanta and Shishira) and
  • varsa (rainy season),
    • Sweet,
    • Sour and
    • salt tastes
    should be especially used.
    • Bitter,
    •  pungent and
    • astringent tastes
    should be used more during vasanta (spring season),
    • Sweet taste
    should be used more during Nidagha (summer); and
    • Sweet,
    • bitter and
    • astringent tastes
    should be used during Sharath (autumn).

• The food and drink should be
  • dry (moisture less, fat-less) during
    • Sharat and Vasanta (autumn and spring) and
  •  food should be cold during
    • gharma (summer) and ghnanta (end of rainy season) and
    should be hot in other seasons.
•  The habit of
  • using all the six tastes every day is
    • ideal for maintenance of health.
    However, during particular seasons,
    •  the particular tastes should be given special emphasis. 57.

A Sutrasthan Ritusandhi- (inter-seasonal period)

• at the end and commencement of a season
  • is known as Rtusandhi (inter seasonal period).
  • During this period, the regimen of the preceding season should be discontinued gradually and that of the succeeding season should be gradually adopted; sudden discontinuance or sudden adoption gives rise to diseases caused by asatmya (non-habituation). 58-59 ½ Thus ends the chapter- named Ritucayra, the third of Sutrasthana of Astanga Hridaya samhita composed by Srimad Vagbhata, Son of Sri Vaidyapati Simhagupta.