Ojas or Mahadhatu

Ojas was also known as mahadhatu (superior dhatu) is the essence of seven dhatu providing strength and stability for every dhatu. 

Ojas is a Sanskrit word means "vigor." As per Ayurveda, Ojas has a color of ghee, taste of honey, and smell of fried paddy. As per Ayurveda, Ojas production takes about 30 to 48 days of digestive refinement. It is the final finest refined product from the food you eat.

Ojas is the first thing formed in the body. If you destroy it, the human being will perish. Ojas refers to the essential energy responsible for vitality, immunity, strength, youthfulness, radiance, and psycho-emotional resiliency. Ojas in Ayurveda is comparable to the immune system in the modern medicine.

Thousands of bees collect the nectar or essence of thousands of flowers and concentrate them into honey; it is the ojas of the flowers.

In the same way, when we eat real food, the healthy digestion process produce microscopic amounts of essence from this food. This essence accumulates over time and becomes ojas. If the digestive process is disturbed, the food essence will not extract properly, and no ojas will produce.

Health, virility, fertility, reproduction, regeneration and good health & immunity all depends on the healthy supply of ojas.

A person with strong ojas is attractive with lustrous eyes and a spontaneous and calming smile. On the psychological level, ojas is responsible for compassion, love, peace and creativity.

Ojas decreases by anger, fear, worry, sorrow, drugs, pollutions, overwork, and unhealthy foods.

Types of Ojas

Ojas are of two types, they are:

1. Para Ojas – It is eight drops in quantity, resides in the heart. It is a stable (no movement) component. It is vital for the existence of life.
2. Apara Ojas – It is of about a fist volume (10 to 15 ml). It is a mobile component, circulates all over the body.

Why you need ojas?

For newly diagnosed diabetes, the doctor prescribes to take medicines. For the same medicine, one person with comparatively high ojas has better control than the other who struggle to achieve the target.

A person with good ojas is less prone to cold, cough, and fever. Even the risk for diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure and insomnia is remote for a person with optimal ojas.

5000-year-old ancient Ayurveda text describes disease are resulting from impaired immune system due to ojas depletion.

Ojas is your immune system, vitality, and energy. You might have worst diseases, but if you have adequate ojas, then you can recover from it.

How is Ojas made?

According to Ayurveda, the entire digestive process to produce ojas takes 48 days to complete. During this time, nutrients from the food are used to build seven major tissues of the body. Ojas is the final additional product of the seventh dhatu. Remember, ojas is the most refined product of digestion.

Mother's milk promotes ojas in the body of the child. So mother's milk is important for the child biological strength.

What weakens Ojas?

Ojas is diminished by

• Under eating, overeating, eating before previous food has digested, consuming poor quality foods, faulty digestion, consuming stale foods, canned foods, irregular diet, and too much of fasting. Excessively salty, pungent and bitter tasting diet.
• Excessive exercise,
• Stressors such as anxiety, anger, sadness, grief, hatred, jealousy, long held resentment, fear, and grief.
• Alcohol and smoking.
• Lack of sleep - Waking up at night, skipping night sleep.
• Any excessive waste matter discharge such as mucus, semen, and other waste products.
• There is any depletion of tissues such as by hemorrhage.
• Frequent injury by other organisms; assault by microorganisms like bacteria, virus, etc.
• Too much expose to the wind and the sun.
• Excessive sexual activity.
• Poisoning.

Signs of weakened Ojas

Below is the list of signs of a person with weak ojas:

1. Timid - lack of courage or confidence and easily frightened.
2. Weak - lacking the power to perform physically demanding tasks.
3. Anxious - nervousness, or unease about something with an uncertain outcome.
4. Depressed - in a state of unhappy or downhearted.
5. Lack of luster (poor complexion) - Lack of shine or glow.
6. Poor appetite - a natural desire to satisfy a bodily need (food).
7. Fatigue - extreme tiredness.
8. Emaciated - abnormally thin or weak.
9. Sense organs disorders
10. Low immunity

Vitiation of Ojas

You require balanced ojas for healthy biological function and strong immunity.

Ojas is closely associate with kapha, aggravation of kapha vitiate ojas and vice-versa. Vitiated ojas creates kapha related disorders such as diabetes, bone & joint looseness, and numbness of limbs.

Ojas deficiency causes vata related disorders such as fear, weakness, sense organ deficiency, and unconsciousness.

Decreased Vata and Kapha cause ojas vitiation by pitta that leads to debility, sense organ weakness, excess thirst, fainting, and depleted body functions.

Increased pitta burnout body tissue, depletion of body tissues leads to ojas depletion.

8 Ojas increasing Lifestyle changes

1. Cow’s milk is the best ojas and immune building food. Other ojas building foods are ghee, almonds, dates, and avocados.
2. Ojas nourishing herbs are Amalaki, ashwagandha, and Shatavari.
3. Proper digestion restores ojas.
4. Proper breathing and practicing pranayama increases ojas.
5. Yoga and meditation help to increase ojas.
6. Socializing – mix with the community helps to reduce stress, increase happiness, makes you joyful, and provides emotional support. Research has shown socializing helps to prevent age-related cognitive disorders like Alzheimer’s disease.
7. Spending time with nature – provide stress relief, reduce inflammation, boost immune function, improves mental health, betterment cardiac function, and increased creativity.
8. Daily routines – maintain proper regular timing for eating, sleeping, and other activities.

6 Ojas enhancing herbs

1. Ginger – improves digestion and decreases vata and kapha aggravation. Helps to fight infections, improves immunity, and boost ojas.
2. Turmeric – balances all three doshas (vata, Pitta & kapha), thus useful for a large variety of ailments, enhance immunity, and boost ojas.
3. Licorice – calms down the stomach and digestion disturbances. When taken with honey and ghee help revive immunity and enhance ojas.
4. Ashwagandha – increases ojas, restore energy, and slow down aging. Ayurveda text depicts ashwagandha as natural stimulator and rejuvenator.
5. Amla (Emblica Officinalis) - contains a very high concentration of vitamin C, a natural antioxidant. It supports healthy metabolism, digestion, and elimination. Builds ojas, support healthy immunity and youthfulness.
6. Brahmi - help build strong ojas, reduce bad habits, and treat addictions.

Ayurveda medicines like Saraswatarishta help boost ojas.

How to improve ojas in a kapha person?

Balanced kapha itself acts as Bala (immunity). Kapha individuals are usually nourished well compared to vata or pitta that is why they have a relatively better body built.

The best way to improve ojas is to keep the right balance of kapha dosha. If kapha goes uncontrolled, leads to obesity and respiratory disorders.

You can control kapha with an active lifestyle, diet control, and regular exercise. Seasonal Vamana (emesis) therapy helps to bring back kapha to control. Herbs Tulsi and long pepper can be useful.

How to improve ojas in a vata and pitta person?

The best way to improve increase ojas in vata and Pitta individuals is cow’s ghee. Ayurveda recommends regular but limited intake of cow’s ghee in your diet. Amla is also useful to increase ojas in pitta and vata individuals

Home remedies to increase ojas

• Almonds – Soak 5 to 10 almonds in water in the night; next day morning peel off & discard the skins and eat the almonds.
• Milk - take a cup of milk with a pinch of cardamom & ginger power (support proper digestion), one teaspoon ghee, a pinch of saffron, and one or two teaspoon brown sugar blend all the ingredient and drink to increase your ojas.
• Amla - is another great food ingredient to increase Ojas. Eat fresh/steamed Amla or Amla powder with ghee or honey.
• Dates & Raisin – to increase ojas soak 10 to 20 raisins and 2 to 3 dates; on the next day morning blend it well with a pinch of saffron, cardamom & black pepper and drink it.

You can help built healthy ojas by practicing yoga, meditation and pranayama regularly.