Significance of Swasthavritta in females with regards to various life stages.

Abstract

The classics of Ayurveda provide us with a crisp account of its excellence in all walks of life. The objective of Ayurveda is ‘Sustenance of Health & Curing of Diseases’. All these aspects are specially described under the branch of ‘Swasthavritta’. Female-specific physiology includes three major phases, viz., menstruation (Rajahkala), pregnancy (Sagarbhavastha) and the puerperium (Sootika Avastha). Although these are physiological milestones, they contain a great danger of contracting various diseases. Ayurveda, especially the philosophy of ‘Swasthavritta’ requires following a specific code of conduct pertaining to diet and lifestyle even in these phases. It is denoted as ‘Paricharya’. Thus, we decided to carry out a present review in order to provide a compiled information of female-specific Swasthavritta regimes, viz., Rajaswala Paricharya (Code of conduct for menstruating women), Garbhini Paricharya (Code of conduct for pregnant women) and Sootika Paricharya (Code of conduct for puerperal women). In such places where the healthcare approach is limited, educating the masses regarding these female-specific Swasthavritta protocols can be helpful.