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WHAT IS AMA (TOXINS)?

When the agni (metabolic fire) in the body is not healthy, digestion and other metabolic functions are affected, which produces various unnecessary by-products and an increased amount of waste in the body. For example, when the digestive fire is poor, the food we eat does not break down properly or the food only gets partially digested. Partially digested food in the long term causes irritation of the gut and this is then is referred to as ama/ toxins. These improperly digested substances can cause adverse effects and lead to the inflammation and/ or stiffness of the whole body and can lesd to leaky gut syndrome. The ama comes into circulation and affects the balance of doshas and blocks the body channels. This leads to the build-up of toxins in the body. This build-up of toxins can happen with the doshas, dhatus (tissues) or malas (body wastes) and this leads to problems and diseases according to the sites/ functions which is affected. Physiologically, ama (toxins) can be considered as the unwanted metabolic by-products and/ or accumulated waste products of the body.

Ayurveda explains five basic reasons for accumulation of toxins in body

Poor digestion which leads to accumulation of undigested or partially digested food.
Improper metabolism which leads to accumulation of unnecessary by-products.
Poor elimination of wastes which leads to accumulation of wastes in the body.
Blocked channels leading to imbalances of doshas and body tissues.
Microbial toxins.

SYMPTOMS OF AMA (TOXINS) IN THE BODY

The early symptoms of accumulation of ama in the body are indigestion, fatigue, constipation, reduced or dark urine, general discomfort, uneasiness, heaviness, feeling of gas/ air stuck in the body, feeling drowsy, feeling foggy, heaviness in sensory organs and so on leading in to imbalances and diseases if not addressed early. Ama is considered as the root of all internal disorders of the body.