theory of aborption

[Guest guest]

Namaste!

 

According to modern medicine, the food that we eat is absorbed in the

small intestine/large intestine and it takes at least 2-3 hours for

food to get there. As per this theory, it should take 3 hours after

you drink coffee to get the caffeine lift; but we all know that the

caffeine boost is instantaneous or at most a few minutes.

 

Now ayurveda places so much emphasis on taste, but taste by itself

cannot explain how quickly coffee acts ( decaf coffee that tastes the

same gives no stimulation). So is food absorbed sublingually (this

would explain why a lot of writers place so much emphasis on slow

chewing and conscious eating)?

 

If this were so then taking pills of herb is not as good as tasting

the herb, since there is no sublingual absorption?

 

-yogaman

[Guest guest]

Namaste!

yes food does get absorbed in small & large intestines as per modern as well as

ayurveda

the question about coffee is interesting..same examples can be true for

substances like liquor, wines & other alcoholic products as wella s poisons too.

in ayurveda there is a special mention to certain gunas (properties)as per which

the substances act on the body.

"vyavayi" is a specail property mentioned in ayurveda which refers to the

property of substances which show there action immediately or instantaneously.

(before undergoing digestion)...which ultimately refers to your point of

sublingual absorption.

all substances do not possess this property so nedless to say that they will

only show there action after being processed by agni...which is the process of

digestion.

i think this should satisfy your query about taking herbs instead of pills too.

apart from this even if herbs are taken in form of choornas will not be absorbed

enough sublingually to show the action completely.

yes the taste will be perceived properly in choorna form than in pill form.

 

we must also remember that ayurveda stresses importance of taste(rasa), veerya

(potency) as well as vipaka (post digestive taste or effect) for the action of

herb on the body. apart from these three gunas & prabhava too have a role to

play in action of herbs.

one more most imporatnt thing is most of the substances will need the digestion

to take place before being absorbed & start the action.

 

though you have said that taste is the way the herb acts........still it is

utmost necessary for the herb/substance to undergo digestion & absorption to

show its action (may be it be by taste or veerya or vipaka)

 

childofdevi <childofdevi wrote:

Namaste!

 

According to modern medicine, the food that we eat is absorbed in the

small intestine/large intestine and it takes at least 2-3 hours for

food to get there. As per this theory, it should take 3 hours after

you drink coffee to get the caffeine lift; but we all know that the

caffeine boost is instantaneous or at most a few minutes.

 

Now ayurveda places so much emphasis on taste, but taste by itself

cannot explain how quickly coffee acts ( decaf coffee that tastes the

same gives no stimulation). So is food absorbed sublingually (this

would explain why a lot of writers place so much emphasis on slow

chewing and conscious eating)?

 

If this were so then taking pills of herb is not as good as tasting

the herb, since there is no sublingual absorption?

 

-yogaman