Viruddha Ahara

‘Viruddha’ means incompatible, opposite or unwholesome or which is harmful for the body or dhatu (body-tissue). It possesses opposite qualities compared to dhatu and vitiates them, leading to various diseases or complications. The concept of viruddha is broadly explained in ayurveda. Viruddha ashana (intake of unwholesome food or diet) is mentioned as a causative factor for various diseases, especially skin diseases (kushtha), erysipelas (visarpa), psychiatric diseases like insanity (unmada) etc. In the context of agrya samgraha (collection of definitive and first choice of medication or treatment), in Charak Samhita, intake of viruddha ahara is the foremost causative factor for nindita vyadhi (wretched diseases like kushtha). [Cha. Sa. Sutra Sthana 25/40]
In modern time, knowingly or unknowingly unwholesome combinations of food, faulty diet/junk foods, or processed/packed food are consumed. This produces ill effects on the body, such as allergies, food toxicities, etc. The cases of food incompatibility and food-food interactions, food-drug interactions are increasing. Therefore, a need to understand the concept of viruddha has risen to know measures for preserving health. The dietary guidelines about what to eat and what is to be avoided; what type of food can be combined or taken together and what not; are important to prevent diseases too. Faulty dietary habits can be corrected and incompatibility with ill effects can be prevented by knowing concept of viruddha. This chapter describes concept of viruddha, its practices and its effects on health.

Contributors

Section/Chapter/topic	Concepts & Practices/Viruddha Ahara
Authors	Dubey M.1, Deole Y.S.2
Reviewer	Basisht G.3,
Editor	Basisht G.3
Affiliations	1Charak Samhita Research, Training and Development Centre, I.T.R.A., Jamnagar, India 2Department of Kayachikitsa, G. J. Patel Institute of Ayurvedic Studies and Research, New Vallabh Vidyanagar, Gujarat, India 3Rheumatologist, Orlando, Florida, U.S.A.
Correspondence emails	dr.manish181@gmail.com, dryogeshdeole@gmail.com, carakasamhita@gmail.com
Publisher	Charak Samhita Research, Training and Development Centre, I.T.R.A., Jamnagar, India
Date of publication:	May 31, 2023
DOI	10.47468/CSNE.2023.e01.s09.140

Etymology

The word ‘viruddha’ is originated from the Panini root word “Rudhir Avarani” by applying the prefix “Vi”. Thus, the word Viruddha means one which specifically obstructs, opposes or resists. The unwholesome or opposite food and practices that are opposite to the normal dhatu or body physiology is ‘viruddha’. Diet which dislodges dosha within the body but does not expel them out of the body are termed as ‘viruddha’ /ahita (unwholesome). [Cha. Sa. Sutra Sthana 26/85] Every dravya (substance/drugs) is ‘viruddha’ which provokes the dosha, but does not eliminate them outside the body. [A. H. Sutra Sthana 7/45-46] Viruddha ahara means the incompatibility of foods / food substances.

Types 

Some food items are unwholesome individually or in combinations for the dosha as well as dhatu of the body. Whereas some of them are unwholesome due to their contradictory qualities. Some by their combination, some by their preparation methods, some by their desha (geographical area or by body type), kala (time), matra (dose) and some by their swabhava (inherent nature). [Cha. Sa. Sutra Sthana 26/81] Mainly, eighteen types of viruddha are mentioned in Charak Samhita as follows: [Cha. Sa. Sutra Sthana 26/86-101]

Table no.1: Types of viruddha

Sr. no.	Type of viruddha (incompatibility)	Examples
1	Desha (region)	Intake of ruksha (dry) and tikshna (sharp acting) diet in arid region or deserts (jangala desha) Intake of snigdha (unctuous) and sheeta (cold) substance in anupa desha (marshy land)
2	Kala (time)	Intake of sheeta (cold) and ruksha (dry) in winter,   Intake of katu (pungent) and ushna (hot) substance in summer.
3	Agni   (Power of digestion)	Intake of food opposite to the power of digestion i.e., agni, for example taking heavy food in case of poor digestive capacity (manda agni)
4	Matra (dose)	Ghee and honey (madhu) in equal quantity
5	Satmya (adaptability)	Intake of sweet and cold substance by person who is accustomed to katu (pungent) rasa and ushna (hot potency)
6	Dosha   (Regulatory functional factors of the body)	Using food, medicine or procedure having similar qualities with dosha, but at variance with the habit of individual
7	Samskara   (Mode of preparation)	Meat of peacock roasted on a castor spit.
8	Virya (potency)	Substance of ushna (hot) virya taking along with sheeta (cold) virya.
9	Koshtha (bowel pattern/nature of gut/ alimentary tract)	Administrating mild purgative to krura koshtha (hard bowel) or strong purgative to mrudu koshtha (soft bowel)
10	Avastha   (State of health)	Intake of vata dosha aggravating food by a person after exhaustion, sexual act and exercise. Intake of kapha dosha aggravating food by a person after sleep or by lazy person.
11	Krama (order of consumption)	Taking food without emptying bowel or bladder or when not having an appetite or after hunger has been aggravated
12	Parihar (Contraindication incompatibility)	Intake of hot things after taking pork
13	Upachara (treatment)	Intake of cold things after taking ghrita (ghee).
14	Paka (cooking method or process)	Preparing food with wrong or rotten fuel and undercooking, overcooking, or burning during preparation.
15	Samyoga (combination)	Intake of sour things with milk
16	Hrit (palatability)	Any substance which is not pleasant to take
17	Sampad (quality)	Intake of substances that are unripe, over ripe or putrefied.
18	Vidhi (rules for eating)	Not following dietary guidelines (aahara vidhi)

Common examples of viruddha

Following tables show the common examples practiced in ancient social practices with their consequences on health mentioned in Charak Samhita. [Cha. Sa. Sutra Sthana 26/82-83] Some of these are practiced in the current era, whereas some are not. The additional examples observed in today’s society are given in the table.

Table no. 2: Common examples of viruddha and the consequences

Sr. No.	Different combinations of viruddha	Diseases/ Consequences
1	Fish along with milk especially one should never consume Chilchima fish (a type of marine fish) with milk	Vitiates the blood and obstructs srotasa (channels of the body), causes constipation, diseases of blood (raktaja vyadhi), ama visha and it may cause even death
2	Meat of gramya (domestic), anup (marshy), audakya (aquatic animals) with honey, sesamum seeds, milk, jaggery, masha (Phaseolus radiatus), radish, lotus stalk or germinated grains	Deafness, blindness, tremors, loss of intelligence, loss of voice, causing nasal voice and it may cause death.
3	Vegetable of Pushkara (Nelumbo nucifera) and Rohini (Soymida febrifuqa A.) or Katurohini or meat of pigeon fried in mustard oil together with honey and milk	Abhishyandi (increase discharges and obstruction of channels), dilatation of blood vessels, epilepsy, shankhaka (a disease of the head characterised by pain in temporal region), galaganda (goitre), rohini (diphtheria) or even death.
4	Milk intake after intake of radish, garlic, krishnagandha (Moringa oleifera), arjaka (Ocimum gratissimum Linn.), surasa (Ocimum sanctum).	Kushtha (obstinate skin diseases/leprosy)
5	Jatuka (Ferula narehex Boiss) shaka or ripe fruit of nikucha (Artocarpus lakoocha Roxb.) with honey and milk	Loss of strength, complexion, sterility and other shukra vikara (diseases of reproductive system), and other serious type of diseases leading to death.
6	Shaka (leaves) of padmauttarika/ kusumbha shaka (Carthamus tinctorius Linn.), sarkara (type of wine), maireya (type of wine) and honey	Aggravate the dosha especially vata
7	Meat of haridraka bird fried in mustard oil	Aggravate the dosha, especially pitta.
8	Payasa (milk) when taken with mantha	Aggravate the dosha, specially kapha
9	Upodika (Basella rubra) prepared with the paste of tila (sesame)	Causes diarrhoea
10	Meat of crane with varuni (a type of wine)	Instantaneous adverse reactions
11	Kulamasha (dish prepared by steam cooked wheat/grams) is unwholesome, again if fried with shukara vasa (boar/wild pig muscle-fat)	Instantaneous adverse reactions
12	Meat of peacock roasted on a castor spit, burnt with castor wood as a fuel and mixed with castor oil	Instantaneous adverse reactions
13	Meat of Haridraka (a bird) roasted on a turmeric spit, burnt with turmeric wood as a fuel or when mixed with honey.	Instantaneous adverse reactions
14	Pippali (Piper longum) fried with fish oil	Causes death
15	Kakamachi (Solanum nigrum) with honey	Causes death
16	Hot honey or intake of honey by person afflicted with heat	Causes death

Concept of samyoga viruddha

Samyoga (combination of two or more substances) viruddha means some drugs or food items will act as unwholesome when taken together or mixed. [Cha. Sa. Sutra Sthana 26/82-83] [Su. Sa. Sutra Sthana 20/13]

Table no. 3: Examples of Samyoga Viruddha and the logical reasons behind their incompatibility:

Sr. no.	Examples of samyoga viruddha	Logical reasons of incompatibility
1	Ripe fruit of nikucha (Artocarpus lakoocha Roxb.) with soup of masha (Vigna mungo L.), sugar and ghee	Mutually contradictory
2	Amla Rasa food items such as amra (Mangifera indica), amrataka (Spondias pinnata), matulunga (Citrus decumana), nikucha (Artocarpus lakoocha Roxb.), karamarda (Carissa carandas), mocha/shalmali (Salmalia malabarica), dantasatha (Citrus medica), badara (Ziziphus jujuba), koshamra (Schleichera oleosa), bhavya (Dillenia indica), jambu (Syzygium cumini), kapittha (Limonia acidissima), tintidi (Ras parviflora) with milk	Mutually contradictory
3	Aksoda (Juglans regia Linn.), panasa (Artocarpus heterophyllus), narikela (Cocos nucifera), dadima (Punica granatum), kulathi (Macrotyloma uniflorum), and amalaki (Phyllantus emblica) or meat of paravata (pigeon) with milk	Mutually contradictory
4	Kangu/Kangini dhanya) (Setaria italica Beruv.), vanaka (vana kodo), makustha (Phaseolus aconitifolius), kulattha (Dolichos biflorus), masha (Phaseolus radiatus), nishpava (cowpeas) with milk	Mutually contradictory
5	Honey and ghee or honey and rain water in equal quantity, honey with seeds of pushkara (Nelumbo nucifera/ blue lotus), intake of hot water after taking honey, Moolaka (radish) with honey	All are unwholesome
6	Bhallataka (Semecarpus anacardium) with hot water	All are unwholesome
7	Kampillaka (Mallotus phillippensis) boiled with butter milk	All are unwholesome
8	Meat of Bhasa (bearded vulture) roasted with the spit or fire	All are unwholesome
9	Stale Kakmachi (Solanum nigrum), Kakmachi with jaggery, Kakmachi with Pippali (Piper longum) or Maricha (Piper nigrum).	All are unwholesome
10	Fish with jaggery	All are unwholesome
11	Varaha mamsa (pork meat) with milk or jaggery	All are unwholesome
12	Kadaliphala (Musa paradisiaca Linn.) i.e., banana with milk, curd or buttermilk or lakuch (Artocarpus lakoocha Roxb.) with milk or curd	All are unwholesome
13	Sura (beer), krishra (mess), and payasa (milk pudding) not to be consumed together	All are unwholesome

Concept of rasa, virya, vipaka viruddha

Unique concept of viruddha combinations based on rasa (taste), virya (potency), vipaka (post digestion effect) explained in Sushruta Samhita which are as follows: [Su. Sa. Sutra Sthana 20/16]

Table no. 4: Examples of viruddha combinations based on rasa, virya and vipaka:

Sr. no.	Examples of viruddha combinations based on rasa, virya and vipaka	Combinations of rasa
1	Rasa viruddha	Madhura (sweet) and lavana (salty), amla (sour) and lavana, katu (pungent) and tikta (bitter), katu and kashaya (astringent), tikta and kashaya.
2	Rasa and virya viruddha	Madhura and amla.
3	Rasa and vipaka viruddha	Madhura and tikta, madhura and kashaya, amla and katu, lavana and katu.
4	Sarvata viruddha	Madhura and katu, amla and tikta, amla and kashaya, lavana and tikta, lavana and kashaya.

Diseases caused by viruddha ahara

Viruddha ahara causes toxic effects on the body. These unwholesome food combinations produce toxins within the body, causing various diseases or may prove fatal. Combinations of such viruddha food sometimes produce immediate effects and sometimes act like gara visha, that produces untoward effects afterwards. [A. H. Sutra Sthana 7/29]
Intake of such unwholesome food combinations results in manifestation of many diseases such as sterility, blindness, erysipelas (visarpa), ascites (jalodara), bullae (visphota), insanity (unmada), fistula in anno (bhagandara), syncope (moorcha), intoxication (mada), abdominal distension (adhmana), goitre (galagraha), pandu (anaemia), poisoning due to ama (ama visha), vitiligo (kilasa), skin diseases (kushtha), digestive disorders (grahini gada), oedema (shotha), acid peptic diseases (amlapitta), fever (jwara), rhinitis (peenasa), genetic and hereditary diseases (santana dosha) and even death. [Cha.Sa. Sutra Sthana 26/102-103]
The following table shows examples of disease caused by the intake of viruddha ahara.

Table no.5: Diseases caused by intake of viruddha ahara:

Sr.no.	Diseases	References
1	Unmada	Cha. Sa. Chikitsa Sthana 9/4
2	Visarpa	Cha. Sa. Chikitsa Sthana 21/115
3	Kushtha	Cha. Sa. Chikitsa Sthana 7/4
4	Krimi	Su. Sa. Uttara Sthana 54/3
5	Apasmara	Su. Sa. Uttara Sthana.61/4
6	Arsha	Su. Sa. Nidana Sthana 2/4(4)
7	Udara roga	Su. Sa. Nidana Sthana 2/5(5)
8	Gara visha	A. H. Sutra Sthana 7/29
9	Vatarakta	A. H. Nidana Sthana 16/1
10	Grahini dosha	A. H. Chikitsa Sthana 10/92
11	Ashta mahagada (eight dreaded diseases)	A. Sa. Sutra Sthana 9/11

General treatment

Four main measures have been explained viz., vamana (therapeutic emesis), virechana (therapeutic purgation), virodhi dravya sevana (administration of antidotes) and samshamana (prior use of wholesome substance) for the diseases caused by intake of unwholesome food combinations.

Factors deciding effect of viruddha ahara

If a person is habituated to the intake of such unwholesome food combinations or if taken in very little quantity, then there will be no or less adverse effect of viruddha ahara. Deeptagni (good digestive power), taruna avastha (young age), undergone oleation therapy, having strong physique due to exercise are protective factors against viruddha ahara. In presence of these factors, adverse effect of such unwholesome food combinations is not observed. [Cha.Sa. Sutra Sthana 26/104] So, these practices can be promoted to prevent adverse effects of viruddha ahara.

Importance of knowing viruddha in healthcare

Viruddha Ahara i.e., improper dietic regimens or incompatible food habits, plays a major role in the pathogenesis of various diseases. The incompatible mentioned in classics are not very much in practice now a days, so attempt should be made to identify such dietary incompatibilities. The healthy and unhealthy people should be aware about such factors and must avoid them. Nidana parivarjana i.e., avoiding causative factors of disease is the first and prime treatment. For avoidance of incompatibilities the rules and regulations such as ashtavidha ahara visheshayatana (eight specific dietary guidelines), dwadash ashan pravichara (twelve principles of diet), ahara vidhi (dietary guidelines) are mentioned in Ayurveda. The need of the day is to increase awareness among the public about hazards of such incompatible foods.

Current researches

The concept of viruddha ahara mentioned in classical texts is very much relevant in today’s era because of altered life style of fast food or junk food in their daily life. Many studies have found that some dietary constitutes affect transcription of genes. Association between dietary pattern and diseases has always been a field of interest. Frequent intake of combination of incompatible food leads in to the production of toxins i.e., ama further leads to formation of ama visha (product of improper metabolism), and vitiation of rasa dhatu. It spreads to another dhatu and leads to the manifestation of various diseases. The effects of such incompatibles can be understood by following aspects.

1. Effects on immune system: Incompatible food combinations impart untoward effects on immune system, cellular metabolism, and Dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS). Viruddha ahara if taken regularly, can cause inflammation at a molecular level, by increasing proistaglandin-2 and thromboxane by disturbing the eicosanoid pathway. This inflammatory effect is important for the basic pathologies which create agnimandya (poor digestion) or ama (undigested food metabolites) which in turns leads to number of metabolic diseases.
2. Release of toxins: A recent study found that toxin called 4-hydroxy-trans-2-nonenal (HNE) forms when oil such as soyabean and sunflower oils are reheated. Consumption of foods prepared with such reheated oils increases the risks of various ailments such as stroke, cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, various liver diseases and even cancer.

Send us your suggestions and feedback on this page.