The word ‘koshtha’ literally means enclosure or gut. Over the past decade, the concept of gut has revolutionized the health and wellness industry. The state of gut and its flora in every aspect of life, their impact on health and disease, interaction with the other parts of the body and external stimuli have been areas of interest in current research. Ayurveda has appreciated the role of gut in all the domains; conceptual, diagnostical and therapeutical. The multidimensional term ‘Koshtha’ has been used to denote the gut in Ayurveda. It has been comprehended as an organ, a collection of organs or a system, a channel, a disease pathway, and a therapeutic target. In the present article, the contributions of Ayurveda in each of these realms have been explored.
| Section/Chapter/topic | Sharira / Koshtha (The concept of gut in Ayurveda) |
|---|---|
| Authors | Karthik K.P.1 |
| Reviewers | Basisht G.2 |
| Editor | Deole Y.S. 3 |
| Affiliations |
1 Department of Kaumarabhritya, A.I.I.A., New Delhi, India 2 Rheumatologist, Orlando, Florida, U.S.A. 3 Department of Kayachikitsa, G.J. Patel Institute of Ayurvedic Studies and Research, Anand, India |
| Correspondence email | kpkarthik131@gmail.com, carakasamhita@gmail.com |
| Date of first publication: | May 08, 2022 |
| DOI | under process |
The anatomical and physiological extent
Anatomy of koshtha
The meaning of the word ‘Koshtha’ is ‘enclosure’. In Ayurveda, koshtha denotes the following anatomical ranges:
- Stomach to large intestines (amashaya to pakvashaya).[A.Hr.Sutra Sthana 12/46][1]
- Mouth to rectum (asya to payu).[Gayadasa commentary on Su.Sa.Nidana Sthana 7/6][2]
- Site (sthana) of collection of undigested food (ama), digestive fire (agni), digested food (pakva), urine (mutra), blood (rakta), and the organs, heart (hridaya), caecum (unduka), and lungs (phupphusa).[Su.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 2/12-13][2]
- The term koshtha is also used to refer to duodenum (grahani), which is the pivot of digestion.[Su.Sa.Nidana Sthana 7/6][2]
- It is considered as a separate pathological terrain (rogamarga), serving as a stratum for its own unique set of diseases.