The main aim of treatment is to remove toxins from the body and healing from ourselves. Panchakarma, an ancient recognized therapeutic procedure, has great importance in Ayurveda. This therapy radiates the diseases and leaves no chance for relapse. This treatment has two functions: the first function is to lighten the body and the second function is to nourish the body. The lightening therapy is purificatory. It is pacifying and palliating the excess humours.
Panchakarma means five course action. They are: Vamana (emesis), Virechana (Purgation), Nasya or Shirovirechana ( sternutation), Niruha Bassti (Decoction enema), and Anuvasana Basti (oily enema). Susruta considers both basti as one course and adds Rakta Moksha (bloodletting using leeches) as the fifth course.
For easy elimination of humours, preliminary therapies are administered during each and every process. They are mainly (a) snehana or oleation and (b) fomentation or sweating. Oleation includes internal applications such as drinking medicated oil or medicated ghee etc., and external applications such as oil massage, oil bath, using oil on head etc.
Internal oleation is generally done before emesis and purgation. Sweating or fomentation includes touching with the heated solids, steam bath, massage with heated rice or leaf bundles (kizhi) . Oleation makes the body unctuous and improves the flow of humors by liquefying them. It also softens the channels of humors and hence it promotes the elimination of humors. Oleation produces unctuousness, softness and regulates the flow of fluids inside the body.
Ayurveda has no side effects if you are diagnosed properly. More and more patients are beginning to realize the benefits of traditional healing. People are becoming aware of the side effects of medicines they take. Ayurveda has no side effects. That is the main reason people are getting attracted to Ayurveda.