Ayurveda: Adverse Effects of Monsoon

From the health point of view, the beginning and end of the rainy season are very troublesome. The initial days of the monsoon can cause problems for the body because of the sudden transition from bone-dry heat to days soaked in a downpour. The pre-monsoon gone-dry days are packed with clouds causing intense suffocation, resulting in excessive sweating. The body is weakened during summer, as it is the period of dehydration. The digestive power is also weakened. It is further weakened due to the vitiation of vaata (one of the triads that govern physico-chemical and physiological activities of the body in a balanced state) and other doshas during the rains. The power of digestion during this period is also affected and there is an increase in acidity of the water. Hence, it is advisable to be moderate regarding diet during the rainy season.

One should abstain from sleeping during the daytime, avoid drinking untreated water, abstain from exercise and moving about in the sun after a spell of rain. Use honey liberally in your diet. Panchakola choorna (powder containing dried ginger, long pepper, root of long pepper, piper chava and leadwort), if used with food, is found to aid digestion.

If the days are cooler due to heavy rains, one should take diet and drinks that are conspicuously sour, salty and unctuous.

These serve as an effective antidote to the vitiation of vaata during the rainy season.

In order to maintain normal digestive power, one should take old barley, wheat and ‘saali’ variety of rice along with the meat of arid animals and vegetable soup. Moreover, drink maadhvika or arishta types of liquor, pure rainwater or water from the well or pond, boiled and cooled, mixed with a little honey. It is advisable to massage the bodv, take bath and wear fragrant garlands during the season. One should wear light and clean apparel and try to keep the rooms devoid of humidity.

Do not allow water to stagnate in your compound. Such pools are a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other insects. Cholera, malaria, diarrhoea and dysentery also contribute their mite to human suffering during this period.

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