Rasa dhatu

Rasa is a Sanskrit word meaning 'juice' or 'essence'. Rasa dhatu refers to sap, juice or liquid; all extracellular fluids such as blood plasma (non-cellular portion of the blood), interstitial fluid and lymph.

How, what, why & everything about Rasa Dhatu:

• Proper digestion of the food by Jataragni (digestive fire) converts the food into an essence (nutritional extract coming from the gut after the digestion of food) called ahara rasa (food essence) or poshaka rasa (nutritional essence). This Rasa appears in the form of pure ghee.
• Rasagni (digestive fire of rasa dhatu) converts this ahara rasa into rasa dhatu along with minimal waste product mucus.
• This process of converting food to rasa dhatu takes about 12 hours.
• Quantity of rasa dhatu in the body is 9 anjali (measure of 9 own hallow handful). This is the maximum quantity of rasa dhatu in the body.
• Rasa dhatu being pushed by the Vyana vayu (vata subtype) to reach hridaya (heart).
• Rasa dhatu circulates all over the body to nourish each & every cells. However, its main site is said to be hridaya (heart - where it starts).
• From and by the heart, rasa dhatu is circulates to different parts of the body with the help of Vyana vayu.
• Rasa dhatu nourishes the tissues, organs, and every cell in the body.

Extracellular fluids blood plasma (non-cellular portion of the blood), interstitial fluid and lymph are all rasa dhatus.

Blood plasma

The extracellular fluid within the vascular system is the blood plasma. Blood cells and platelets suspended in the plasma. The blood plasma contains dissolved oxygen, carbon dioxide, salts, amino acids, fatty acids, hormones, and plasma proteins. Plasma acts as a protein reserve of the human body.

Interstitial fluid

When blood flows through capillaries, the blood plasma literally leaks out of the capillaries into the tissues (interstitial space), this fluid called interstitial fluid. Interstitial fluid is considering as ultra-filtrate of plasma. It transports nutrients from the plasma to the cells and transport back carbon dioxide and other wastes from the cells. Most of the tissue fluid (about 90%) is returned to the plasma through capillaries by osmosis.

Lymph

Interstitial fluid and lymph are same, although the fluid is not lymph until it enters the lymphatic system. When there is an increase in the interstitial fluid volume, the lymph capillary will open up to absorb the excess fluid, this absorbed liquid called lymph. Functions of the lymphatic system are

• Removal of excess fluids from body tissues,
• Absorption and transportation of fat and fat soluble vitamins from the intestine to the circulatory system,
• Production of immune cells (such as lymphocytes, monocytes, and antibody producing cells called plasma cells),
• Transport back metabolic waste & dead cell particles from the interstitial space to plasma.

When the volume of the blood reduces in the blood vascular system, the lymph rushes from the lymphatic systems to the blood vascular system. A functioning lymphatic system is important for a healthy immune system.

The plasma transports waste products such as uric acid, ammonium salts, creatinine etc. from the cells to the kidneys. The kidneys filter out these wastes from the plasma and excrete through urine.

Indications of healthy Rasa dhatu

Healthy rasagni produces healthy rasa dhatu along with minimal mucus (waster product) formation. The health of rasagni depends on the jatharagni (main digestive fire). A person with healthy rasa dhatu feels satiated both physically and psychologically.

Optimal rasa dhatu provides good physical and mental health. Signs of optimal state of rasa dhatu are:

• A Happy, warm, and loving person.
• Soft and lustrous skin.
• High intelligence and strong memory.
• Low deep voice and slowly talking person.

Rasa dhatu deficiency

Symptoms of rasa dhatu deficiency are skin dryness, fatigue, chest pain, palpitations, blackouts, trembling, and too much thirst.

Dry or cracked membranes indicate depletion of rasa dhatu. Decreased sweating also indicates rasa dhatu depletion. Redness, inflamed, and burning sensation of the membranes indicate depletion of rasa dhatu due to too strong rasagni that burnout rasa dhatu.

Treatment for rasa dhatu deficiency: Depleted rasa dhatu due to low rasagni can be corrected by raising jatharagni and rasagni by taking hot spices such as ginger, cumin and black pepper. Drink lots of liquid (preferably warm at least at room temperature), fruit juices according to your dosha. Home remedy for rasa dhatu deficiency is drinking juice of Jiggery, dates, and raisins in hot water.

Rasa Dhatu Surplus

Symptoms of increased rasa dhatu are nausea, feeling cold, over salivation, lethargy, feel heavy, low Agni, pale color, cold, cough, dyspnea (difficult breathing), asthma, and over sweating.

Treatments for rasa dhatu excesses:  Fasting, having drying property foods & herbs, and Vamana (vomiting therapy). Excess of rasa dhatu due to high rasagni, correct it by lowering jatharagni and rasagni by taking heavy to digest foods such as fats and oils (i.e. nuts and meats).

Rasa Dhatu vitiated (imbalanced)

Imbalanced rasa dhatu leads to following symptoms, they are destruction of digestive strength (metabolic fire), anorexia (lack of interest in the food), foul taste in mouth, tastelessness (lack of tasting capacity), nausea, feel heaviness, drowsiness, fatigue, malaise (illness whose exact cause is difficult to identify), body ache, fever, feel darkness before eyes, anemia (pale discolored skin), obstruction of body channels, pain in body parts, impotency, emaciation (abnormally thin or weak - shrunken body parts), weaken digestive power, premature wrinkles in the skin, and graying of hairs.

Causes of contamination of rasa dhatu are heavy to digest foods (consuming excess of oily foods), cold foods, excess eating, and excessive thinking (stress).

Treatment for contaminated rasa dhatu: Therapeutic emesis (induced vomiting), therapeutic purgation (evacuation of the bowels using laxatives), nasal medications, cleansing enemas (liquid injected into the rectum to expel contents and to clean it), not drinking water, exposure to breeze, exposure to sunlight, medicine to eliminate ama (metabolic wastes), fasting (starvation), and exercise.

Avoid all difficult to digest that vitiate rasa dhatu such as fried foods, heavy foods (cheese, meat, oil and fats), and eating or drinking anything cold.