I am now going to talk about the role of the seven Dhatus, or body tissues and how to strengthen digestion.

Ayurveda explains that the digestive fire, called Agni, is vital for health and I will be explaining about Agni and how it can be kept strong, to ensure excellent digestion. In Ayurveda the result of poor digestion is called Ama. Ama means incompletely digested food, which can then get into the blood stream (even more through a leaky gut), where it is delivered to all of the cells and tissues in the body and blocks their healthy functioning. This is known in modern medicine as plaque and is implicated in most serious health conditions. A strong Agni and good eating habits will prevent Ama from being created. This is why Hippocrates said “All disease begins in the gut”.

If your Agni is not strong enough, it can lead to Ama being created, even if you eat the best organic food. If we are distracted or moving around while eating the blood flow naturally moves from your stomach into your brain and muscles. Because blood flow increases to the stomach when we eat (to warm up the stomach to help the digestive fire stay hot), then when it is moved away the fire cools down, and digestion weakens. The result is undigested food (Ama / plaque). For example, if you eat too quickly or too much, or while watching TV, or on your mobile phone, the blood flow moves away from the stomach, so Ama gets created. Eating in s settled manner is therefore critical to good health.

About the seven Dhatus

The 7 Dhatus are tissues in the body that have functions such as the Mamsa Dhatu which is muscles. The effects of Agni influence how effectively the tissues receive the nutrients. Watch the video hear to learn more.