Uses of medicinal plants in Panchakarma Ayurvedic therapy

Abstract

The paper deals with the use of various medicinal plants during the Ayurvedic process of Panchakarma, a cleansing process that eliminates toxins from the body thereby curing diseases and revitalizing the human body. The five stages (Karmas) of Panchakarma along with the pre-treatment and post-treatment processes have been systematically designed to achieve this purpose. Several medicinal plants play a very important role in all these processes as a key ingredient of the treatment procedures. Since these plants inherently possess specific therapeutic properties, the quantity and composition of the specific medicinal plant to be used for an individual is determined by his body constitution and the specific diseases to be cured.