Pitta Dosha is the energy of digestion and metabolism in the body. It functions through carrier substances such as organic acids, hormones, enzymes and bile. The main location of Pitta in the body are the stomach, small intestine, liver, spleen, pancreas, blood and eyes.
A step by step guidance to understand the digestion process.
Function of Stomach :
- Mechanical and chemical process to digest the ingested food
- It excretes certain digestive juices ( acids and enzymes ) to help transform it into a liquid paste
Any disturbance in the rhythmic process of the stomach, could lead to imbalance of dosha ( V, P, K) leading to gas, acidity or heaviness.
Small intestine functions :
- Breaks down the paste further with the help of bile ( from liver ) and other enzymes ( from pancreas)
- Absorb nutrients
- Extracts and absorbs water
- Move food along the GI tract
Small intestine malfunctioning could lead to dehydration, and malnutrition.
Pancreas : is located behind the stomach, attached to the gall bladder and the small intestine It secretes enzymes that help in breaking down of protein, fats and carbohydrates.
Liver :
- Secretes bile to help with breaking down of food
- Absorbs nutrients coming from the small intestine
- Purifies the blood
- Bile absorbs fat and carries waste from the liver through the bile ducts into the small intestine
Spleen :
- Stores blood,
- Filters blood and
- Creates white blood cells that protect us from infections.
- Develops antibodies to help fight infections
Gall bladder : Stores and passes on the bile to the small intestine
Colon : Large intestine processes the waste so that defecation is easy.
Rectum : 8 inch chamber connecting the colon to the anus
Anus : Consists of pelvic floor muscles, sphincters ( internal and external ) to detect soft, semi-soft or hard stool and controls when the stool should be excreted .
Liver is the seat of Pitta. Its main function is to digest, metabolise and transform food into energy so that we can use that energy to live our lives.
Leave a comment