Ayurveda : Rasayan

Rasayana is responsible for longevity, outstanding memory, intelligence par excellence, health, youth, complexion, melodious voice, strength of body and sense organs, power of expressions, vigor etc. and it is the best means to obtain all dhatu. Rasyaan is one of the acclaimed concepts that deals with rejuvenation of physical body and wellbeing of psyche (mind). It also depicts remedy in the form of aahar (food), vihaar and aachar (conduct) closely related to mental hygiene, immunity and intellect.

Kamya Rasayan

The word meaning desire is further classified into:

• Prana kamya (longevity)
  
• Vayasthapan (rejuvenation)
  
• Medhakamya (intellect promoting)
  
• Varna (complexion)

These are the natural desires present in all humans and since rasayan helps us in fulfilling these desires it is called Kamya rasayan. Few examples are amalaki for prana kamya and brahmi for medha.

Naimittik Rasayan

This term refers to something that serves a specific purpose. In this process rasayan serves as a nimitta to treat a patient inflicted with a particular disease in order to restore health. The best example is of shillajit for treatment of diabetes mellitus.
Naimittik Rasayan is also classified according to the methods used:

• Vata Tapik (out patient basis)
  When rasayan is used in daily routine.
  

• Kuti Praveshik (in-patients basis)
  This refers to the use of rasayana in specially constructed Kuti (room). Further classification is on the basis of mode of action:
  

• Poshak or Rasvardhak (nutrition)
  It refers to the assimilation into rasadhatu and shatavari that happens aftre the process of digestion and absorption.
  

• Agnivardhak (bio transformation)
  Agni is inmcreased in this process due to rasayn i.e. they act at the levels of jatharagni and dhatvagni or influence the body by effecting digestion and metabolism e.g. pippali.
  

• Strotoshodak (purification of the microchannels)
  The action is by augmenting the micro- circulation in the body e.g. guggul.