Pitta

Pitta is generally designated as fire. It represents all the hot properties. As every thing is made out of panch mahabhoots (5 elements theory), it is composed of jala (water) mahabhoot and agni (fire) mahabhoot. This force represents transformation. Though they are unable to change but have the capability to change or modify and control the very important activities taking place in the body.

The main activity of pitta in the body is to perform metabolism. it controls body temperature, maintains skin coloration, intelligence and understanding is also under control of pitta. In the psychological aspect of the body, pitta signifies anger, hate and feeling of jealousy. The place or the seat of pitta in the body where it resides is mainly our upper abdomen, including the organs like stomach and small intestines. It also resides in sweat glands, eyes, blood and skin. It also is involved in absorption, assimilation and providing nutrition to the body.

1. Properties of Pitta
2. Functions of Pitta
3. Characteristics of pitta
4. Types of pitta

Properties of pitta-

1. Ushan (hot) - it is the degree of hotness in a substance (dravya). It is synonym to sheet. It increases warmth in the body. It increases pitta dosha in the body and reduces vata and kapha in the body. It encourages excretion of seat, urine and feces from the body. It helps in digestion and metabolism of the food. It contains dominance of Agni (fire) mahabhoot.
   
   
   

1. Tiksahan (sharpness) – It is opposite to the mand (dullness) and it aggravates the action. It cleanses the body. It lessens the mass of tissues thus helpful in reducing weight. It also increases the urge to answer the nature’s call. It causes burning sensation in the body and also increases secretions out of the body. Agni mahabhoot is the dominant mahabhoot in it.
   
   
   

1. Drav (fluidity) – it due to its fineness spreads in all the directions and flows comes under drav. It provides fluids to the body. It also strengthens the body structures. It promotes kapha and pitta dosha. it provides nourishment to the dhatus (tissues). It helps is easy evacuation of the bowel. It contains Jal (water) mahabhoot in dominance.
   
   
   

1. Sar (mobility) – it provides mobility to the body. It increases vata in the body. It is Jal (water) mahabhoot dominant. It scarps the dhatus in the body.
   
   

1. Snigdh (unctuousness) – it is of slimy and damp in nature. It is soft, smooth and watery. It reduces vata and increase kapha dosha. It provides nutrition to all the dhatus (tissues) and also increase the overall strength of the body. It has the dominance of kapha gunna. It consists of dominance of Jal (water) mahabhoot. It contains madhur (sweet), amal (sour) and lavan (salty) rasa. Excess of this causes laziness, diabetes etc.
   
   

1. katu (pungent) - it refers to the pungent taste
   
   

1. amal (sour) - it refers to the sour taste
   
   
   

Functions of pitta-

1. Pitta is involved in the carrying out the digestive and metabolic processes in the body
2. It provides alertness to the mind
3. All the emotions like anger, greed, affections etc are under the control of pitta
4. All the endocrinal activities are under direct control of pitta.
5. It is also helpful in imparting the color to our eyes and skin
6. Our bodies’ temperature is also maintained by it.

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Characteristics of pitta

• Medium built
• Have a medium height
• Generally chest is bit roundish
• Not much prominence of veins through the skin
• Muscle built is normal
• Bones are not much prominent through the body
• Strong digestive power
• Good appetite
• Skin is fair
• Complexion is generally reddish, yellowish or may be said as a coppery color
• Eyes are general brownish in color and are sharp
• Nose is generally sharp
• It is prone to sunburn when exposed to sun or heat for longer times.
• Hair texture is generally strait
• Hair has a tendency of early graying and hair fall is very commonly seen
• They have soft nails
• Boils and acne commonly affect them
• Bad breath is common among these people
• Their sweat has a foul smell

Psychological aspect

• Good intelligent people with strong understanding
• They are shot tempered
• They have nature to hate and envy of their competitors
• Thy have a dominant nature
• They easily gets irritated
• These people are ambitious
• They believe in show offs of their talent and wealth

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Types of pitta

There are five types of pitta

These are:

1. Pachak pitta -

it is placed between stomach and intestines. Its main purpose is to digest the food material that is consumed and hence is related to the metabolic activity of the body. It helps in converting the complex food material into simpler form that is easily absorbable in body. In other words helps in converting the food material into the nutritional product for giving energy to rasa dhatu. With the help of vata and more precisely saman vayu it helps in separation of food into dosha, rasa, mal (feaces) and mutra (urine). If we compare pachak pitt with modern sciences it may be considered to the gastric juices all the enzymes that are helpful in digestion of food material. It also includes the pancreatic juices. Hence we can explain pachak pitta according to its location in the following manner

• Mukh gata pachak pitta- it means the digestion that starts in mouth.
• Amashya gata pachak pitta- it means the digestion that starts in the stomach
• Yakrit gata pachak pitta- it means the digestives enzymes that are secreted by liver
• Klom ya pitaashya gata pachak pitta- it refers to the bile juices that are being secreted by liver and stored in the gall bladder
• Shudraantra pachakpitta- it refers to the digestive activities that take place in small intestines.

1. Ranjak pitta

This is very essential pitta as this is the one that converts the rasa (first digested product) into rakta (blood). It is placed in yakrit (liver), pliha (spleen), amashaya (stomach) and hridya (heart). When the rasa reaches these organs due to the action of ranjak pitta helps it in converting into rakta. According to modern science the blood is produced from bone marrow. This bone marrow contains cells known as erythroblast cells. These cells are responsible in forming blood cells.

Ranjak pittta is also involved in imparting colour to mutra (urine), purish (stools), twak (skin), kesh (hairs) and netra (eyes). Ranjak pitta present in the small intestines imparts color to urine and stools. Twak (skin) is provided color by ranjak pitta that is situated in the lowest layer (skin has six layers) of the skin called the tamra. In modern sciences it is termed as melanin. As mentioned earlier also that it imparts color to the hairs. In its absence hairs turns gray.

1. Sadhak pitta-

This pitta is situated in the heart. Its main functions are to provide the emotion of possessiveness, desires and self-belief. It removes the tama and kapha from the hridya (heart) and provides strength to the heart. Due to development of the heart these is increase of budhi, Medha, swabhimaan. Due to such an intellectual development the person is easily able to achieve the four purusharth i.e. dharma (duties), arth (financial status), kaam (desires) and moksha (freedom from the lifecycle).

1. Alochak pitta-

It is present in the eyes. It is also know as alochakgaman in Sanskrit. It is responsible for the vision. In modern concept it can be compared with rhodopsin and iodopsin. There are two types of cells present in the eyes known as rods and cones cells that are needed to see things in day and night.

1. Bhrajak pitta-

This type of pitta is situated in the skin. Its main function is to absorb the application applied I=on the skin. Application may be of any type like abhyang (massage), swedan (sudation), avgahan (sitting in the tub which has been filled with medicated oils, decoction or warm water) and lepan (oleantation). It provides the kranti (glow) to the skin and also helps in maintaining the temperature of the skin and body inspite of external environmental changes.

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