Shodhana

Shodhana refers to purification or cleansing therapies that actively eliminate toxins and excess doshas from the body. Panchakarma is the primary shodhana approach, using specific procedures to expel accumulated waste through the body’s natural routes of elimination.

Shodhana is indicated when: imbalance is deep-seated, doshas have accumulated significantly, ama is present in the tissues, or chronic conditions have developed. It provides more thorough cleansing than shamana but requires sufficient strength to undergo the process.

The choice between shodhana and shamana depends on: strength of the patient, severity of imbalance, presence of ama, season, and constitution. Often, shamana prepares a patient for shodhana, and rasayana (rejuvenation) follows shodhana to rebuild the tissues.