MODE OF ACTION OF SVEDANA

Svedana dravya has its main actions like sthambhaghna, gauravaghna, sitaghna and
sveda karakatva.

Stambhaghna: Svedana relieves stambha. Vyana vayu, sleshaka kapha,

amarasa, mamsa, meda, vasa are mainly responsible for stambha. Vayu by ruksha
guna absorbs snigdhata and so causes stambha. Svedana is snigdha and ushna so it
relieves stambha. Ushna guna of svedana does srotosuddhi and amapacana and so
it relieves stiffness.

Gauravaghna: Svedana relieves heaviness in the body. It causes excretion of

watery content of the body through sveda. Apya tatva or kleda is guru. Due to
elimination of kleda, lightness is achieved. Svedana stimulates muscles and nerves
and so lightness is produced.

Sitaghna: This is mainly due to ushna guna.

Sveda karaka: Svedana promotes sweating. Sveda is a type of mala. Impurities
of the body comes out with mala.

Srotaha su abhiviliyate: It helps to dissolve kapha which is in a dense stage

stuck to the channels firmly. Further it liquifies kapha allowing it to move freely.

तैरस्य ग्रथितः श्लेष्मा स्रोतःस्वभिविलीयते।

खानि मार्दवमायान्ति ततो वातानुलोमता।।
यथाऽद्रिकुञ्जेप्वर्काशुतप्तं विष्यन्दते हिमम्।
श्लेष्मा तप्तः स्थिरो दे हे स्वेदैविष्यन्दयते तथा।।
(च. चि. 17/72-73)

Khani mardavam ayanti: It makes the channels soften. By this, vata flows
in normal direction.
Slesma vishyandate: It increases the secretions of vitiated kapha through the
channels.

Svedana drugs by ushna and tikshna guna are capable of penetrating the
microcirculatory channels where they activate the sweat glands to produce more
sweat. After dilatation of microchannels, laghu and sara guna of these drugs enable
them to act on the dosha in the channels, remove the stagnation, making the sticky
contents mobile and direct them to move towards koshtha or excrete them through
micro pores of the skin in the form of sweat, resulting in srotosodhana. The dosha
brought into koshtha are expelled out with the help of vamana or virechana
therapy.

In disease state, srotas have many types of abnormalities. They are roughened,
contracted, hardened or many times do not possess their normal suppleness and
elasticity. In such srotas even after mobilization, the dosha are likely to be
obstructed. So it is necessary to make the srotases suitable for the movement of
loosened dosha. This is achieved with the help of svedana, which is supposed to be
the best softening method; restoring softness, suppleness and elasticity.

Dalhana mentions that dosha, which are lodged in sakha are made to move
towards koshtha by snehana and svedana.

मलो हि दे हादुत्क्लेश्य ह्लियते वाससो यथा।

स्नेहस्वेदैस्तथोत्क्लिष्टः शोध्यते शोधनर्मलः।।
(अ. हृ. सू. 18/58)

Vagbhata mentions that the waste products are removed from the body by these
two in the similar way as dirt of cloth is removed by soap and hot water.

Sveda is the by-product of meda dhatu, which dominates in jala mahabhuta. The
sveda produces kleda in the body, which is also apa mahabhuta pradhana. The
udaka dhatu is present in the body in various forms like faeces, urine, sweat, skin,
lymph, and blood etc. It performs important functions like jivana, tarpana, mala
sodhana etc.
 When svedavaha srotas is vitiated; it leads to presentation of various symptoms
like irregular production of sweating, roughness of the skin, burning sensation all
over the body etc.

Sweat consists of sodium chloride, water, urea, lactic acid, potassium, calcium etc.
these all substances are present in extra cellular fluid also, which provide nutrition
to cells. Excessive sweating in the body leads to depletion of contents of extra
cellular fluid. Sodium chloride is one of the major substances, which is lost during
sweating. Due to its loss, feeling of exhaustion or weakness in the body occurs.

Svedana acts by its qualities like ushna, tikshana etc. It increases the metabolic rate
in the body. Ushna guna of sveda dilates the capillaries thus it increases
circulation. Increased circulation enhances the elimination of waste products and
more absorption of sneha or drugs through the skin. Also it stimulates muscles and
nerves, which promotes its renovation. Heat administration by svedana may
produce hypo-analgesic effect by diverted stimuli.

During fomentation, heating the tissues results in rise in

temperature, the main reaction to which is as follows:
Increased metabolism: heating of tissues accelerates the chemical changes i.e.
metabolism. Due to increased body temperature, sympathetic activities are also
increased. Because of increased sympathetic activities, hormones like epinephrine,
norepinephrine, cortisol, thyroid hormones are released which accelerate the
metabolic rate. As a result of increased metabolism, there is an increased demand
for oxygen and food stuffs and increased output of waste products including
metabolites.

The temperature control system employs two important

mechanisms to reduce heat when the body temperature is too hot
during svedana karma:
Vasodilatation: if the body temperature raises a negative feedback action
becomes active to reach at normal temperature. Higher temperature of the blood
stimulates thermo receptors that send nerve impulses to the pre-optic area of the
brain, which in turn stimulate the heat losing centre and inhibit the heat promoting
centre. Nerve impulses from the heat losing centre cause dilation of blood vessels
in the skin so the excess heat is lost to the environment via radiation and
conduction. As a result of vasodilatation there is an increased blood flow through
the area so that the necessary oxygen and nutritive materials are supplied and waste
products are removed.

So it can be inferred that the ushna guna of svedana karma leads to stimulation of
sympathetic nervous system and there is vasodilatation. Ushna guna also increases
the circulation of rasa and rakta in the body.

Induction of sweating: a high temperature of blood stimulates sweat glands of

the skin via hypothermic activation of sympathetic nerves and by this procedure
excessive sweat production take place. Increase body temperature by 1 degree
causes enough sweating to remove 10 times of the basic rate of body heat
production.

During svedana karma the body temperature rises to more than 2-3 degree Celsius.
It results in increased sweating by the above said mechanism. Due to the effect of
sara and sukshma guna of svedana dravyas, the lina dosha are liquefied in our body
and they come out through micro pores, which are present over the skin as pores of
sweat glands. Since there is extreme vasodilatation due to production of heat, it
results in increased excretion of liquefied vitiated dosha from the body resulting in
sroto sodhana. Thus svedana drugs do cleansing effect in the body.
In various types of svedana karma, different drugs are used like milk, rice, mamsa,
vata-kapha hara drugs etc. Svedana causes vasodilatation through which drugs are
absorbed into the body and does their action along with the action of the svedana.