Borreliosis and Ayurveda - An Introduction to Agada Thanthra

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Toxicity from plants, insects, food, purposefully used artificial poisons, mineral and metal toxicities, all kinds of animal bites and so on are considered and studied in this branch. Nature having the vast range of flora and fauna made Kerala a place where very often patients came to the physicians with some sort of toxic exposure in the ancient days and that lead to the development of this branch of Ayurveda medicine. Physicians concentrated in this field become known by that label and their families continued it as their tradition. They developed a unique knowledge system and pharmacology.
Like terrorism or some kind of guerilla warfare chosen by the weak to fight against stronger enemies now a days, in ancient days the weak and suppressed fractions of the society developed black magic (or terrorised through creating and spreading exaggerated  stories) and slow poisons to take revenge against and control the dominating groups. On the other side it precipitated a necessity for treatment and cure for the health hazards they caused. This lead physicians to the understanding that many food items which are normally eaten and harmless could develop toxic effects when some of them are mixed together or eaten together. Whether purposefully mixed together or accidentally came together, the result is the same and sometimes treatment become a necessity. 

In Ayurvedic view, poison represents Thamas or darkness which is holding properties opposite to that of Ojus, which is defined as the radiance of the basic materials of the body, a representation of sathwic strength. Toxins diminish the radiance of life like the clouds shade Sun. Night, cloudy sky, absence of moonlight, sleep or unconsciousness of the patient, the Thamasic nature of the patient and the dominance of Thamasic emotions like fear, loss of hope, etc favour the action of Poison in Ayurvedic concept. Same factors supports the development of all diseases in general, as well. Highly dominating presence of darkness (Thamas) could be observed in everything connected with such artificial poisons; in the people who make and use it, in the materials they use and the way they apply it also.

In olden days snakes were very common in Kerala and the incidents of snake bite as well. In those days, while communication technology and means of transportation to help things move fast stood far away; many lives of the unlucky snake bitten people got lost before they could be brought to the physicians. To make it worse, on the side of physicians, they needed time to prepare the medicines after the examination of the patient and diagnosis. To manage these practical difficulties, Agada physicians developed a kind of astrology to predict or 'pre-diagnose' the incidents of snakebites. Stories say that it was a common routine for such physicians, going for a walk in the evening with assistants to collect herbs to prepare medicines for the patients who will be brought in the night and next day. The surprising benefit is that when the snake will make the bite, the medicines will already be on process! When the patient is brought, medicine will be ready! Such physicians read the possibilities from astrological significances and through interpreting some signs which they observed from the surroundings.
Often the bitten snake may not be seen or recognised. For treatment and selecting medicines, it is important to know what kind of snake it was. Agada physicians often keep a medicinal mixture which they rub on a beetel leaf and offer the patient to chew and take in the juice. Depending on the taste they feel, the physician differentiates the category of snake. The dosha imbalance alter the taste always and in case of poison, it makes significant variances; so that the same medicine makes one feel bitter while the other, sweet and no particular taste for another one. This is one of the most striking practice of the Ayurvedic concept about the relation of tastes and Doshas.

Today snake bites have become not so common and a single anti-venom counter all kinds of snake poisons and it is available in most of the modern medical hospitals. Incidents of snakebites have become very less since people are not any more walking in the darkness and through bushes and forests without sufficient light on one way and through the fall in the number of snakes on the other side also. Insect bites and poison from plants also have become rare. Artificial poison factor also is almost not existing now a days. But on the other side, arrivals of new food stuffs, adoption of new cooking styles and dishes, use of new metals and alloys in the cooking and serving vessels, preservatives, adulteration, pesticides, gene manipulation and so on have taken the role of the old slow poisoning in a deeper and wider range. In the modern global culture, there is no knowledge, rules, regulations or tradition having any role in food habits. Anybody could eat anything any time, however cooked, mixed, and whatever items together. Fruits or any kind of vegetables are available irrespective of seasons and geographical limitations. Restaurants serve food from all parts of the world everywhere. Traditional knowledge which come from the inner knowledge and collective consciousness is now a days replaced by complete ignorance and anarchy. Relevance of Agada Thanthra has changed in to these directions now.

On one way Ayurveda uses minerals and metals, even the highly toxic ones like lead, mercury, arsenic, etc as medicine. This is made possible through developing techniques to detoxify and naturalise chemicals to make them compatible for the internal environment. Inorganic substances are repeatedly treated with specific organic materials like decoctions, herbal juices, etc and transformed through various alchemic processing. Agada Thanthra has assimilated much from 'Rasa Saasthra', the mineral and metal branch of Ayurveda pharmacology and 'Sidha', the dravidian medical system also. This advancement enabled Agada Thanthra to prepare and use mineral and metal ingredients in its pharmacology and also in developing techniques to detoxify and eliminate them.
Aathma or Soul which is representing Brahmam, the ultimate, only is eternal and immortal. Everything else is changing all the time. The basic principles of Ayurveda based on the concepts of the five elements, the three Mahagunas, Doshas, etc relatively stay the same all the time, even though their ranges vary through location and time. Hot and cold properties vary in their range for an Eskimo and a resident of some desert. Through the various stages of Earth's lifetime, the balance of the great elements change causing the forms of life and nature, diseases and medicinal values of plants,etc and character of everything change. So, relating Ayurvedic theories to ones own locality and time is the task of each Ayurveda physician.

Borreliosis is clearly a disease which could be well managed in the Agada Thanthra way. The chronicity and complex nature of pathological developments makes it matching with the Agada Thanthra concept of ‘Dooshi Visha’, toxins which are very hard to get completely neutralized or expelled and on the go, spreading deeper and deeper ‘Dhathus’, the basic materials of the body and through which, changing its character time to time with varying signs and symptoms. This changes may have completely inactive intervals also.

In this perspective, we are introducing a treatment program in Kerala, the state famous for Ayurveda, located in the south west of India, for Borreliosis which is developed through a teamwork of experts. Under the direct supervision of an expert and supported by the whole team, the program orients a deep level cleansing and detoxification through Agada Thanthra way.



For more details and article on Borreliosis, visit:
www.ayurvaidya.de