Ayurveda primarily describes treatments to be of two types namely 'SAMANA' or PACIFICATORY treatment and 'SODHANA' or PURIFICATORY treatment. The former type looks at gently pacifying the aggravated DOSHAS (and disease) by the intake of relevant medicines and mild external treatments including oil application.

Here the increased doshas are either subsided or naturally expelled through the excretory channels. In sodhana treatment, the aggravated or vitiated doshas are deliberately brought into the alimentary canal and then forcibly expelled by either emesis (vomiting), purgation or enema based on the nature of the dosha that is aggravated.

The preferred method of treatment according to the Ayurveda texts is “sodhana”, for the complete expulsion of the accumulated TOXINS would mean that the ROOT CAUSE is being treated and would ensure that the problem does not recur provided the patient takes sufficient care.

Both these treatments are very elaborate and need to be done with utmost care – this is especially true of the purificatory treatments. It is partly due to the INTENSITY of the purificatory treatments, that the pacificatory treatment is greatly preferred today where the risks are far less and the restrictions are more relaxed as compared to the purificatory treatments.