Ayurveda and Astrology, Ayurvedic Treatments for Disorders of the Navgrahas

Astrology is the belief that everything that occurs with the human system is due to the movements of the stars and the planets. The important planets that influence the human system are the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Rahu and Ketu, the head and tail of the demon respectively. Since they are nine in number, the grahas are collectively called as the navgrahas (nava = nine in Sanskrit). Each of these grahas corresponds to specific tissues or organs in the human body. Hence, if they are placed in a benefic position, they will improve the body; while if they are placed in a malefic position, they will cause disease in the body.

The following table shows which tissues or organs in the human body are influenced by the movements of each of the nine planets. When the planets are in weak positions, then they will likely cause some ailment corresponding to the body part that they influence.

Ayurveda relies on herbal remedies for the treatments of diseases. These remedies have been carefully prepared since several millennia in order to offset the negative influences of external elements in the human body. As such, they are also effective for planetary imbalances that can cause diseases in the human system. There are specific treatments for problems caused by each of the different navgrahas.

The following table shows the ailments caused by the different grahas and the Ayurvedic medicines used for the treatment of the same.

Planets or Grahas	Diseases Caused	Ayurvedic Treatment	English or Latin Name of the Herb
Sun	Inflammations in the body, epilepsy, fevers and bilious disorders, eye diseases, diseases below the navel, skin diseases, bone diseases, psychological diseases, irrational fears, rational fears, bites from poisonous reptiles like snakes	Billwamoola	Bael tree (Aegle marmelos)
Moon	Sleep diseases such as insomnia (lack of sleep) or somnambulism (sleep-walking), coughs, dysentery, tumor, malaria, idleness, constipation, loss of appetite, disinterest in food, jaundice, blood-related diseases, hydrophobia, fear of animals with horns, problems concerning women, hallucinations	Khirika	Cucumber (Curcumis sativus)
Mercury	Lack of self-confidence, irrational fears, throat and eye problems, goiter, nose diseases, colds, coughs, fevers, flatulence, poisoning, skin diseases, jaundice, excessive fear of fire	Anantamoola	Indian Sarsarapilla (Hemidismus indica)
Venus	Anemia, diseases of the eye, flatulence, cough, urinary diseases, diabetes, syphilis, prostatitis, low sperm count, impotence, dryness of mouth, constipation, irrational fears, unable to socialize with people	Rambasakamoola	Saal (Adhatoda vasica)
Mars	Excessive thirst, bilious disorders, flatulence, excessive fear of fire, tumors in stomach and appendicitis, leprosy, eye diseases, epilepsy, bone marrow diseases, itching, rough skin, fractures in the body, continuous family conflicts, continuous problems with enemies	Bridhadwarakamoola	No English name – indigenous Indian herb
Jupiter	Stomach tumors such as gastric tumors and fantum tumors, appendicitis, typhoid, coughs, ear diseases, comas, frequent litigations, problems with friends, parents and other relatives, diseases resembling affliction due to curses	Brahmajatimoola	No English name – indigenous Indian herb
Saturn	Flatulence, cough, pain in the legs, excessive fatigue, illusion, excessive heat in the body, mental shocks, personal calamities, accidents causing temporary or lasting wounds in the body, problems with the heart, frequent bereavement	Shwetaberelamoola	No English name – indigenous Indian herb
Rahu	Heart diseases such as attacks and inflammations, leprosy, illusions, hallucinations, diseases due to poisoning, irrational fears, excessive hurt and wounds	Shwetachandanamoola	No English name – indigenous Indian herb
Ketu	Conflicts between castes, unknown mysterious diseases that cannot be easily found out by doctors	Ashwagandha	Winter Cherry (Withania somnifera)

When a person with a disease approaches an Ayurvedic vaidya, the first thing that the vaidya would do is to ascertain the cause of the disease. This is first done symptomatically, i.e. by making a careful study of the symptoms that are prevalent. This helps to establish a link between the disease and the dosha that is causing it. When this is established, Ayurvedic vaidyas would next see the birth horoscope chart (kundali) of the person and determine which the malefic planet that is triggering the disease is. The medicine that they would prescribe would try to achieve two things:-

(1) Bring the vitiation of the dosha to a relaxed state, i.e. return the body to the normal unvitiated state

(2) Reduce or eliminate the problems caused by the entry of the malefic planet into a weak house.

In this manner, astrology is used as a tool by Ayurvedic vaidyas in their treatments of diseases. The prescriptions provided by the vaidyas are not only based on Ayurvedic texts such as the great treatise Charaka Samhita, but also on the studies of astrology over the various millennia.

Comments