JIRNA AHARA LAKSHANA: AN AYURVEDIC VIEW OF DIGESTIVE READINESS WITH CONTEMPORARY GASTROINTESTINAL PHYSIOLOGY
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Keywords
Jirna Ahara Lakshana, Agni, Dosha, Jirne'ashniyat, gastric emptying, ghrelin, CCK, GLP-1, PYY, motilin
Abstract
Ayurveda advises that the next meal should be taken after adequate digestion of the previous food - "Jirne'ashniyat". Digestive completion is recognised through Jirna Ahara Lakshana (JAL), especially Udgara-shuddhi, Laghuta, Kshudha, Vatanulomana, appropriate Vegotsarga and Utsaha. These signs are closely linked with Agni, physiologic Dosha balance and orderly gastrointestinal function. Contemporary biology offers plausible correlates: progressive gastric emptying reduces gastric distension; postprandial CCK, GLP-1 and PYY signalling wanes; hunger-related ghrelin signalling re-emerges; and interdigestive motility returns. JAL can therefore be viewed as an Ayurveda-centred, physiology-guided indicator of readiness for the next meal, while avoiding simplistic one-to-one equivalence between Ayurvedic concepts and individual hormones.
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