Ayurvedic Remedies for Kapha-Type Arthritis

• Follow the kapha-reducing diet (chapter 8). Especially, take no dairy products and no cold drinks. • A potent herbal formula to help with this type of arthritis is punarnava guggulu tablets (250 mg.). Take 1 tablet 3 times a day.

• Externally, you can apply a paste of vacha (calamus root) powder. Add sufficient warm water to 1 teaspoon of powder to make a paste, and apply to the joint. • When there is an effusion (when the joint fills with fluid), you can make an effective paste of equal amounts of punarnava powder and ginger powder. Mix 1 teaspoon of each with enough warm water to form a paste, and apply.

• Yoga postures that are helpful for kapha-type arthritis include the Tree, Triangle, Forward Bend, and Spinal Twist. (Illustrations of yoga postures appear in appendix 4.) RHEUMATOID AND OSTEOARTHRITIS In addition to the vata–pitta–kapha method of classifying arthritis, this condition can also be classified as either rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis. If you are sure which condition you have, the following guidelines will add more specificity to your treatment. Take 1 simhanada guggulu tablet (350 mg.) 3 times a day, and 1 chitrak- FOR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS adhivati (200 mg.) tablet twice a day.

• A quarter teaspoon of yogaraj guggulu washed down with a little warm water 3 times a day is also recommended. • You can also drink 1 cup of ginger tea with 2 teaspoons of castor oil added. Castor oil contains natural precursors of steroids, which help to heal the inflammatory condition of rheumatoid arthritis. Take this tea before going to bed.

Expect some laxative effect from the castor oil. Take 1 tablet of yogaraj guggulu twice a day. At night, take ½ teaspoon FOR OSTEOARTHRITIS gandharva haritaki (haritaki sautéed in castor oil) with warm water. If you don’t have gandharva haritaki, use ginger tea with castor oil, as described above.