HealthCare >> Alternative Medicine >> Ayurveda >> Tridosha ( The Three Doshas )

The cornerstone of Ayurvedic medicine is the concept of the Doshas or the biological humors. The doshas are the basic operating principles which govern the psycho-biological aspect of the body. These are three in number and are called the Tridosha, the Vata, Pitta and the Kapha.

These doshas are composed by the combination of the five elements or the ‘PanchMahabhut’. The five elements are:

• Space or Akasha
• Air or Vayu
• Fire or Tejas
• Water or Apa
• Earth or Prithvi

Elements Composing The Tridosha
Vata: Space (Akasha) and Air (Vayu)
Pitta: Fire (Tejas) and Water (Apa)
Kapha: Water (Apa) and Earth (Prithvi)


Thus, Vata is composed of space and air, Pitta of fire and water, and Kapha of water and earth.
The tridosha regulates every physiological and psychological process in the living organism. The interplay among them determines the qualities and conditions of the individual. A harmonious state of the three doshas creates balance and health; an imbalance, which might be an excess (vrddhi) or deficiency (ksaya), manifests as disease.

Vata-pitta-kapha are present in every cell, tissue and organ. In every person they differ in permutations and combinations. The sperm and the ovum also contain vata-pitta-kapha (VPK). The sperm gets influenced by the father's lifestyle, diet and emotions, and the ovum by the mother's. At the time of fertilization, when a single sperm enters a single ovum, individual constitution is determined.

According to Ayurveda, there are seven body types: mono-types (vata, pitta or kapha predominant), dual types (vata-pitta,pitta-kapha or, kapha-vata), and equal types, (vata, pitta and kapha in equal proportions). Every individual has a unique combination of these three doshas. To understand individuality is the foundation of healing according to Ayurveda, "The Science of Life".

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