Ama is a toxic substance that created in your body when food particles are not digested and assimilated to become part of your body cells.
With time these food particles turn into toxins and block the various channels of your body.
The Ama toxins over time give rise to a variety of diseases like diabetes, pain, lethargicness, bloating, depression, allergies, bacterial infection, etc.
It is important for you to clean this Ama form your body to live a long healthy life.
In this article, we are going to discuss the concept of Ama, its signs and symptoms, and other facts which are crucial to it.
Table of Contents
Concept Of Ama In Ayurveda
Ama is a Sanskrit word and can be used to refer to food particles that are left undigested, unmetabolized, and unassimilated in the body. It is produced when the Agni (digestive fire) in your body is low.
To some degree, the formation of these small amounts of ama is a normal process of the digestive system, provided it is cleaned regularly from your body.
But, when not eliminated properly from your body can be problematic for you. Ayurveda considers this metabolic defect as the important factor in the pathogenesis of various diseases.
You can cleanse AMA from your body by using simple home remedies at home.
Formation Of Ama
Ayurveda suggests the main cause behind ama formation is the poor strength of Agni in your body.
When the Agni (digestive fire) of your body is weak, then the food particles are not properly metabolized and these unmetabolized substances remain in the body as Ama.
The unmetabolized and undigested particles get fermented and remain in your stomach and small as Amarasa. There is a relationship between Agni and Ama.
In your body, there are three types of Agni: Jatharagni or Koshagni, Panchbhutagni, and Dhatvagni.
Among them, the main Agni is Jatharagni that controls the various digestive processes of the body. When there is a decrease in the Jatharagni the digestion is hampered leading to the formation of Ama.
Properties Of Ama
- Ama is sticky in nature.
- It has a foul smell and can be felt when combined with sweat, urine, mucous, and other excretory products of the body.
- It is liquid in nature.
- Ama is heavy and dull.
- It’s stable and stagnant.
- It can have different colors.
Sign And Symptoms Of Ama
The sign and symptoms of Ama are discussed below in detail:
- It clogs or blocks the various channels of the body causing signs like sinus congestion, constipation, lymph congestion, etc.
- It makes you feel lethargic, weak, and tired
- You will feel heavy
- May cause heartburn when the energy moves upwards
- May cause diarrhea when the body energy moves downwards.
- Abnormal sense of taste
- Poor appetite
- Metal confusion, unclear thoughts
- Sexual debility
- Indigestion
- Feel unclean
- Skin blemishes
- Poor circulation
- overweight
- dull eyes
- Anxiety and worry
- Indigestion
- Itchy anus
- Aches and pains
- Soreness in the hair follicle
- Stiffness in the body
- Sticky stools
- Foul smelling breath
- Constipation
The diseases that can result for the accumulation of Agni in the body are:
- Candida albicans
- Diabetes
- Atherosclerosis
- Blood urea
- Gout
- Gall stones
- Rheumatoid factor
- Kidney stones
- Depression
- Fever
- Glaucoma
- Tumor
- Bacterial Infection
- Leukocytosis
- Excess platelet count
- Leukocytosis
- High levels Immunoglobulin E
- H.Pylroi bacteria in stomach and gut
- Tumor
Depending on where Ama is accumulated in your body, the signs and symptoms can be seen as a thick coating on your tongue.
You can feel Ama in the breath (foul smell), mucus, urine, stool, emotions, mood swings, low self-esteem, anxiety, tiredness, depression, fear and unclear thinking.
Causes Of Ama In The Body
There are many potential factors behind the accumulation of Ama in your body. Impaired Agni is the main cause behind it.
But it is crucial for you to know what cause impaired Agni and then Ama.The dietary and lifestyle habits can disrupt Agni and lead to the formation of Ama.
A few habits that decrease your Agni are as follows:
- Overeating
- emotional eating
- improper food combinations heavy food
- Fried and processed food.
- Excess of cold and raw foods
- Excess of sweet, sour, and salty taste
- A detrimental lifestyle which includes high stress, inadequate sleep, lack of routine, no physical activity or exercise, etc.
- Irregular eating habits
- Sleeping or eating before the food is digested
- Too many emotions
- Lack of exercise or limited physical activity
Ayurveda believes to remove the root cause of the imbalance as the first step of treatment. The exact cause in your body can be removed only if you identify and remove the aspects that cause the imbalance.
Classification Of Ama In Body
The classification of Ama in the body has two type of categorization. The first category is based on the type of Ama depending on the Body Dosha and the second categorization is based on the type of origination.
Down below, both the categories are explained in detail:
Types Of Ama Based On Doshas
Often imbalances in the doshas are caused by Ama’s. These imbalanced doshas along with Ama’s create an unhealthy being so it is important to eliminate them. This Ama will cause a dry and astringent taste in the mouth.
Additionally, it disturbs the Agni so it has a tendency to cause congestion, gas, flatulence, body pain, dry skin, and body stiffness.
When this Vata Ama becomes excessively high it can serious diseases like arthritis, sciatica, and diverticulitis.
1. Pitta Ama
When ama affects pitta dosha, it gets accumulated in the center region of your abdomen. it causes a stagnation in the liver, gallbladder, and small intestine.
As the pitta dosha circulates in your bloodstream, so this Pitta ama causes offensive smells like fleshy, sour or acidic and often result in sour and bitter mouth taste.
If you have Pitta Ama in your body, your tongue would be dark yellow or greenish in color. The ama has a heavy, sticky, cooler, thick, and stagnant property.
The signs of Pitta Ama includes weakened digestive fire, low appetite, heartburn, acid indigestion, diarrhea, nausea, fever, skin rash, body inflammation, and other skin issues.
When this Pitta Ama becomes excessively high it can serious diseases like ulcers in the mucosal lining, liver disorders, and infections in the blood.
2. Kapha Ama
When ama affects the Kapha, it gets accumulated in the stomach, chest, lungs, and sinuses. The property of Kapha ama is thick, cloudy, stringy, foul smell, and sticky.
This ama creates a salty or sweet taste in the mouth. You might also feel like burping more than often and it is difficult to relive this kind of sensation.
The Kapha ama can also reduce the Agni and appetite. When this Ama collects more than the normal amount it causes cold, cough, lymphatic congestion, tenderness, heaviness, fatigue, and sinus congestion.
Types Of Ama Based On Origination
The second categorization of Ama tells abu=out the origination i.e. from where this Ama is coming. It is also divided into three types and all of them are discussed below:
1. Mild Toxin
The mild for of toxin is called Ama and is the most common type. This one has sticky and heavy texture and is generally the leftover waste product of improper digestion.
This gets accumulated in the digestive tract. You tend to accumulate this Ama when you have poor dietary habits and a weak digestive fire.
2. Reactive Ama Toxin
The reactive Amatoxin is called Amavisha. When the mild Ama toxin is not cleared up from your body and continues to build up eventually leaves your digestive system and starts to circulate in your entire body.
After circulation, it starts to settle up in one specific area. Over time, it becomes reactive and starts mixing with the doshas, body tissues, and the waste products of your body. So, the Ama toxin with time turns into a more toxic form called Amavisha.
3. Environmental Toxin
This environmental form of the toxin is called Garvisha. It comes inside your body from outside the body via the atmosphere.
The potent factors of Garvisha are pesticides, chemical fertilizers, chemical preservative, food additives, and semi or highly processed food. Food that becomes bad or stale also comes in this category,
There are few more ways by which environmental toxin gets accumulated in the body.
They are arsenic, lead, asbestos, a chemical in detergents, beauty products, household supplies, air pollutants, water pollutants, chemicals in clothing, and other recreational medical drugs.
Final Talk
The concept of Ama in Ayurveda is closely related to Agni. Agni the digestive fire of your body can increase or decrease the occurrence of Ama in your body. When the Agni is high you won’t accumulate amatoxin and vice versa.
The best way to increase Agni and decrease the buildup of Ama in your body is to have a healthy lifestyle and dietary habits. Apart from that, you can use Ayurveda herbal medicines to flush out AMA toxins from your body.
However, there are few other sources like the pollutant in the environment and the daily chemical preservatives and other chemical things that you use in your daily life. So, the essence is to remove the toxins from your body to clean your Ama.
