Anorexia is an eating disorder that means there is a loss of desire to have food even a person is hungry. This disease is known as aruchi in Ayurveda. This condition can arise due to an unbalanced lifestyle, stress, and wrong diet. In Anorexia, due to indigestion and psychological causes a person has no appetite for food. Patient with Anorexia gets a bad taste in the mouth and has no desire to swallow the food.

Anorexia refers to a simple loss of appetite and loses interest in eating food, tummy problems, indigestion, stress. In this disease, the person gets a bad taste in the mouth and has no desire to have food. Anorexia is an eating disorder with self- starvation. In Ayurveda Medicinal Science, anorexia nervosa is caused by an aggravation of Vata, pitta and Kapha Dosha, and psychological factors such as fear, anger, and stress, leading to incomplete digestion of food.

Types of Anorexia Nervosa

There are two types of Anorexia Nervosa

1. Restricting Type: People with this type of Anorexia nervosa, weight loss is achieved by a restricted diet include fasting, quantity, and type of food intake, skipping meals, less intake of carbohydrates and excessive exercise.
2. Purging Type/Binge Eating: In this type of Anorexia nervosa, weight loss is achieved by vomiting and laxatives. Binge eating means eating large amounts of food and being out of control while eating.

Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa

• Constipation and Excessive exercise
• Rapid weight loss
• A low body mass for one’s age and height
• Fear of a little weight gain
• Low self-esteem and less interest with friends and close ones
• Obsession of counting amounts of calories in the food they consume
• Mental illness, Hypo tension
• Depression and even insomnia
• Mood swings, Feet discoloration
• Intolerance of cold and Abdominal distention

How Ayurveda Helps Treat Anorexia Nervosa

In Ayurveda, anorexia is a result of Kapha in the stomach. This is a mucus-like liquid that is wet and thick, which leads to a loss of appetite.

Ayurvedic treatment for Anorexia Nervosa focuses on the root cause of the disease and helps in controlling the disease. It tends to relax the mind more which in return prevents psychological, sociological factors from deterring with appetite.

Anorexia Treatment in Ayurveda

In Ayurvedic medical science main cause of disease Anorexia Nervosa is due to the imbalance of Vata that is mainly responsible for the whole body activity. First Ayurvedic treatment to cure this disease is to diagnose the functioning of Vata, Pitta and Kapha in the stomach. Aggravation of Kapha also named as Bodhak Kapha which leads to loss of appetite.

Anorexia Treatment in Ayurveda focuses on some goals:

• Body weight need to restore for a healthy life.
• Help in gaining the interest of eating and reduce phobia of eating food more than required.
• Support from family and friends.
• Regular yoga, meditation and other health related exercises.
• Concentrate more and impact the taste mechanism.
• Help in Changing the negativity of the mind like sorrow, anger and fear.
• Concentrate on the low confidence and distorted thinking of the patient.

These above goals help in relaxing mind and play a huge role in healing. Ayurveda concentrates more on treating the root cause of the disease rather treat only the symptoms.

Home Remedies For Anorexia Nervosa

Clean tongue after brushing to help avoid tastelessness in the mouth which in turn lead to an appetite loss. Yoga postures can also help in digestion.

Make ginger consumption a habit, for instance, mixing ginger with the drinks being consumed in the morning lunch or evening hours. Ginger increases appetite. A Person who is suffering from Anorexia Nervosa must stick to the treatment plan. Ayurvedic treatment for Anorexia Nervosa considers following herbal home remedies in the diet as:

• Ginger

Ginger is having excessive health benefits and is very helpful for body functioning. For the digestion purpose, a small piece of ginger with a pinch of lime juice and also add some salt in it helpful for digestion. Combination of use of ginger with rock salt show remarkable effect for person having no desire for food.

• Salt and Imli

This herbal remedy is very helpful in improving the taste of the mouth and tongue and made an interest in eating food.

• Trikatu

It is one of the beneficial Ayurvedic herbal remedies. It can be easily taken with water and honey as well. It is very useful for gastric problems. Trikatu contains a mixture of ginger,pippali and black pepper.

• Hing

In Ayurveda Asafaetida is also named Hing. It is flavoring as well as coloring agent used as an ingredient in Indian cuisines in powder as well granulate form. This herbal remedy is good to encourage digestion.

• Hot Water

Hot water is beneficial for dealing with all kinds of health issues. Having a glass of hot water in an empty stomach helps in digestion.

• Cardamom

Used as a flavoring agent in cooking because it adds flavor to almost every dish and also helps in good digestion. It can be easily used in powdered form in food and various beverages. It helps to calm the person from stress and depression and directly treating anorexia.