Three Humors in Human Body - Part 3 (Kaph)

Its white, heavy, smooth, cool, base desires (tamoguni/ तमोगुणी), sweet and is of five types, namely, Kledan¹, Avlamban², Rasan³, Snehan⁴ and Shleshman⁵.

Location: Stomach (Kledan¹), Heart (Avlamban²), Throat (Rasan³), Head (Snehan⁴) and all the joints (Shleshman⁵).

Functions of Kaph

Kledan Kaph: moistens the food and thus binds the food together. It goes to heart etc. and takes different ras, satiates all the senses (indriyas) and help keep the joints bound together.

Avlamban Kaph: Maintains the joint where head meets both the arms, it props up heart with the seminal secretion.

Rasan Kaph: Rasna and Rasan kaph are endowed with gentle qualities. Both stay close by. Both Rasan (tongue) and Rasna Kaph residing in the throat know each other.

Snehan Kaph: Providing smoothness, it satiates all the senses.

Shleshman Kaph: It binds well all the joints in the body.

Symptoms of Kaph Imbalance:

Heaviness in the stomach felt without eating anything, excessive sleep, whole body seem heavy, lethargy felt, sweet taste in the mouth all the time, formation of too much saliva in the mouth, kaph generated again and again, frequent belching, increased bulk of stools, throat feels to be covered with kaph, body becomes white, urine and eyes white in colour, one feels little cold.

Symptoms of decrease in Kaph:

Dryness, burning sensation inside, joints feel loose, feeling thirsty, body feels depleted, one cannot sleep.

Symptoms of increased Kaph:

Urine, Stools, whole body, eyes become whitish, feeling of cold, heaviness, sleep etc.

Time: it gets aggravated immediately after taking of food during winters (cold food), especially in Spring season (बसन्त), first part of the day and first part of the night. During childhood period, it’s generally aggravated.

Causes:

Sleeping during the day, keeping sitting all the time at home without doing any work, lethargy, more intake of sweet, salty and sour foods, more intake of heavy, smooth, cold things; rice, Black gram, wheat, sesame seeds, curd, milk, khichari, Sugarcane products, flesh of water animals, stalk of lotus, guava etc sweet fruits, kakadi etc, eating afresh without digesting the previous food taken.

Keeping awake at night, sleep more during the day, drinking cold water, living in a cold country, milk drinking, eating sesame seeds, sugar cane. At the end of the day and before the start of the day, at the end of the night and before the digestion of eaten food, kaph is aggravated.

How to sooth its aggravation:

Astringent, Spicy, hot and dry food be taken. Perspiration, exercise, vomiting, hard work help control it. Vomiting is the best alternative. It is said that hot milk, remaining with women, black eye-liner (अंजन), riding horse or elephant, massaging oil on body, to drink honey mixed with water, drink warm water, to stay in warm house, take trifla (त्रिफला), Chickpeas (chana/ चना), moong/मूंग, garlic, brinjal, Azadirachta indica (neem नीम), onion etc. reduce kaph.   

                                                                   Reference: Chikitsa Chandrodaya, Babu Haridas Vaidya, Haridas & Co. Pvt. Ltd.