Dosa and Subdosa
According to ancient Indian medicine, regulating
agents of nature, and consequently of human body too, are “dosa”.
Also health and illness derive from their condition and
connection. Vata is principle of movement, of propulsion and of
force of elimination; pitta is combustion and transformation;
kapha is stabilization, assimilation, inertia.
Between microcosm and macrocosm, according to a fundamental Veda
principle, there would be a dynamic unitary inter-relation, also
because of these three principles present in both aspects of
manifestation and, consequently, nature would have a vital
effect on human psychosomatic complex. For this reason, man is
not only influenced by environmental characteristics, but he is
also affected by the transit from a season to another one.
In Ayurvedic interpretation, concept of “dosa” is therefore a
focal point from which we depart to make, for example, a
clinical diagnosis, and a therapeutic treatment includes the
attempt to equilibrate these three forces.
Now, let’s scan them as a primary localization from a
pathological point of view and from a functional one. Normally,
Vata, in the presence of imbalance, mainly goes to colon
intestine but also to other areas of being as thighs, hips,
bones, ears, windpipe, brain, skin. The five constituents of
Vata or “Subdosa”, in fact, determine functions that are the
most important ones and that are displaced in different areas of
body:
1. Prana vata (prana: first or main air) nourishes brain, lungs, heartbeat, five senses especially hearing and touch.
2. Udana vata (air moves upward): we find it in throat, chest, lungs, belly button, nasal sinus. It nourishes the breathing out, expression (even as word), coughing, belching.
3. Samana vata (air makes uniform or balances) nourishes peristalsis and so it is spread in the whole digestive system, mainly in small intestine. It is linked to assimilation but especially to digestion.
4. Apana vata (air moves downwards) is in colon. It governs every kind of expulsion as faeces, urine, menstrual flow, childbirth or ejaculation.
5. Vyana vata (spread or penetrative air) lies in the heart, blood vessels, skin, bones, muscles and nerves. Therefore, it mainly nourishes blood circulation, but also movements of muscle-skeletal system and innervations of organs of sense.
When pitta is not in equilibrium, it localizes itself especially in small intestine, but this dosa is also determining in liver, spleen, stomach, skin, eyes, heart and brain, thanks to the useful action of its subdosa, that are:
1. Pacaka pitta (digestive pitta) is in small intestine and in final part of stomach, in stomach’s acids, enzymes, bile and hormones. It is connected to agni (digestive fire) and regulates blood heat.
2. Ranjaka pitta (is pitta that heats up) is mostly located in liver, spleen, small intestine, stomach, blood, bile and faeces. It also contributes to produce red blood cells.
3. Sadhaka pitta (pitta of discernment) is mainly located in brain and heart. It creates comprehension through logical thought and through courage. It permits mental and psychological digestion of facts of existence.
4. Alocaka pitta can be considered the pitta of eyes and it allows us to understand what we see, but more properly and psychologically, allow having a correct view of the world.
5. Bhrajaka pitta is fire that determines brightness of skin and its temperature. It is mainly located in skin but is also present in sweat and in oily secretions.
Kapha, that means luxuriant water, when aggravated, mostly goes in breathing system. Between all dosa, as I already told before, it is the most rough one, but it has an essential importance in constitution of corporal fluids as plasma, mucus, phlegm, cerebral-spinal and synovial fluid.
Its subdosa are:
1. Kledaka kapha (shape of water that moistens) that we find in stomach to protect it from acid action of pacaka pitta and to liquefy food during the first stage of digestion.
2. Avalambaha kapha (shape of water that sustains) mainly located in heart, in backbone and pelvic membrane. It moistens heart and lungs and it is responsible for emotional feelings and, sometimes, for depressing conditions that come from dissatisfaction.
3. Bodhaka kapha (shape of water that gives perception) is on the tongue, in saliva and mouth and it is associated with taste, not only in a physical meaning but also in a psychological one.
4. Tarpaka kapha (shape of water that satisfies) is in the brain, in cerebral-spinal fluid, nasal sinus and heart and it is also associated with emotional quiet and serenity.
5. Slesaka kapha (kapha of lubrication) is synovial fluid that is inside corporal junctures and articulates in general.
In conclusion, dosa and subdosa are, in Ayurvedic medicine, essential constituents of body, with dhatu (tissues), upadhatu (secondary tissues), dhara kala (membrane and shells), srotas (circulatory ducts) and mala (corporal secretions and excretions).
by Amadio Bianchi