Vamana: Therapeutic Vomiting for Excess Kapha, Plus General Allergy Guidelines

I have noticed, however, that people in the West have a strong cultural bias against vomiting, and many seem particularly uncomfortable with this procedure. It not only seems physically repugnant but may be emotionally difficult as well, as some emotional purification may arise as a result of the physical purification. So if you tend to have strong emotions or have trouble dealing with them, it might be better for you not to try vamana. If you want to try it—and I want to emphasize that it is very effective for eliminating excess kapha—the procedure is to drink a stomach full of licorice tea and salt water and then to regurgitate it, emptying the stomach.

Start by drinking several cups of licorice tea, followed by a pint of water with about 1 teaspoon of salt mixed in. Drink enough to fill your stomach, then rub the back of the tongue and vomit it out. : If you have high blood pressure, low blood pressure, hiatal hernia, or IMPORTANT CAUTION a history of heart problems, do not do vaman therapy. HEALING GUIDELINES FOR ALL TYPES OF ALLERGIES .

For all three types of allergies, one can take ½ to 1 teaspoon of triphala at night. USE TRIPHALA (See appendix 2 for instructions for preparing triphala.) Triphala acts as both a laxative and a purgative. It consists of three herbs: amalaki, bibhitaki, and haritaki. Haritaki works on vata dosha, amalaki on pitta dosha, and bibhitaki on kapha dosha.

For vata allergy, follow a vata-soothing diet; for pitta type of allergy, the DIETARY CHANGES pitta-pacifying diet; and for kapha allergy, the kapha-reducing diet. (Diet guidelines may be found in chapter 8.) . It is important for individuals with allergies not to eat WATCH YOUR FOOD COMBINATIONS incompatible food combinations, such as milk and yogurt, meat and dairy, poultry and dairy, melon and grains, or fruits and grains. Avoid such things as banana milk shakes and “fruit smoothies” made with milk.

For a more complete list of food incompatibilities, please turn to this page. For most allergies, one should try to avoid the immediate cause: the allergen. AVOID THE CAUSE People who are allergic to cats, dogs, hair, pollen, mold, and so on should simply try to avoid them. Also try to stay away from synthetic fibers such as polyester and rayon, which can cause pitta-type skin allergies.