Basti

External basti's are used for a variety of specific problem areas of the body. A dough dam, from chick pea flour, is made over an area like a knee, Janu Basti, and filled with oil to bathe the body part in medicine. Warm, dosha-specific oil, decocted with medicinal herbs is used for this healing treatment.

Uro basti strengthens the heart. Kati basti helps relieve the stress the lower back. Netra basti, sometimes called netra tarpana, relaxes and restores the eyes.

There is also internal basti. This is the Ayurvedic form of an enema. It is very different than a traditional allopathic enema. It is used mostly during the process of Panchakarma but it is valuable at other times as well.

In Ayurveda there are many kinds of basti. Basti is the word for the urinary bladder. In ancient times the bladder of a goat, deer or buffalo was cleaned, dried, oiled and then used as a container for the fluid of the basti. Naturally we have modern, clean equipment to use now.

Internal basti falls into two main categories. It is either anuvasana (unctuous) or niruha (non-unctuous). Niruha basti is cleansing. The base is water decocted with herbs and only a small amount of oil. Anuvasana is mostly oil but is used in very small amounts. These are used on alternate days during panchkarma and therefore the colon does not get overly dry, as it can with colonics.

The body bastis -- uro, kati, janu -- are used for loosening toxins, bringing strength and relieving discomfort. These procedures are used in a similar way to Lepa and Netra Svedhana. All of these treatments are used for specific, usually small, problem areas and range from $25 to $65.