Vatham Pitham Kapham(வாதம் பித்தம் கபம்-முப்பிணி) Tridosha Theory in Siddha Medicine | TKN Siddha Ayurveda Vaidhyashala (Hospital)

Vatham Pitham Kapham or Tridosha or Mukkuttram (வாதம் பித்தம் கபம்) ( wind,bile, phlegm) is the fundamental concept of Tamil Siddha Medicine system or Ayurveda system. These are the three important humors, when deranged causes all kinds of diseases from a small cold to cancer. Also called as வளி, அழல், ஐயம்.

Humoral pathology explains that a diseases are caused by the mixture of the three essential humors namely wind, bile, phlegm and that the relative proportion of these humors are responsible for a person’s physical and mental qualities and dispositions.

The three humors are called Muppini or Mukkuttram in Tamil siddha medicine system and Tridosha in Ayurveda system.

These are the three fundamental principles and cardinal factors in the composition and constitution of the human body. These Vatam pitham kabam represent the air, the fire, and the water of the five elements of nature, which form the connecting link between microcosm or man and macrocosm or world.

Kuthambai siddhar in his work also emphasized that the physician who does not know anything about these three humours cannot cure anybody.

முப்பிணி தன்னை அறியாத மூடர்கள்

எப்பிணி தீர்ப்பாரடி குதம்பாய்

எப்பிணி தீர்ப்பாரடி.

முப்பிணி=முக்குற்றம்=வாதம் பித்தம் கபம்= வளி, அழல், ஐயம்

Vatham pitham kapham and five elements and six tastes:

The five element theory propounds that the air, water, fire, earth and ether, mixes together to produce six tastes namely sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, astringent. And when the foods composed of these six tastes are consumed they further combined to produce the three humors Vatam pitham kapham. When food rich in particular taste is consumed at large, the derangement of three humors occurs which results in diseases.

நிலம் நீர் நெருப்பு காற்றோடு விசும்பாம் !
உலகத்தில் பூதமைந்தால் எடுத்திட்ட உடம்பாம் !

விசும்பு=ஆகாயம்

Arutprakasa Vallalar Chidambaram Ramalingam in his thiruarutpa has even acknowledged that the body is the constituent o the five elements of the nature.

An excerpt from the “naadi saastra” says, the soul takes the etheric body form in this word with the composition of Vatam pitham kapham and when these three humors derange, the body cease to function and soul leaves.

“ஊணப்பா உடலாச்சு உயிருமாச்சு

உயிர் போனாற் பிணமாச்சு உயிர்போ–முன்னே

பூணப்பா வாத பித்த சேத்து மத்தாற்

பூண்டெடுத்த தேகவளம் புகலுவேனே“

Even the great sage thiruvalluvar in his work thirukkural, says when there is derangement in the level of Vatam pitham kapham, gives way to disease.

மிகினும் குறையினும் நோய்செய்யும் நூலோர்

வளிமுதலா எண்ணிய மூன்று.

( வாதம், பித்தம், சிலேத்துமம் என்று மருத்துவ நூலோர் கணித்துள்ள மூன்றில் ஒன்று அளவுக்கு அதிகமானாலும் குறைந்தாலும் நோய் உண்டாகும்.)

The learned books count three, with wind as first; of these,

As any one prevail, or fail; ’twill cause disease.

(If excessive or deficient, the three things enumerated by medicinal persons, wind, bile, and phlegm, will cause disease)

External world and man:

The external air corresponds to the internal vayu; the external heat corresponds to the internal pitta and the external water corresponds to the internal phlegm .man is thus linked with the external world and any change in the elementary condition of the external world has its corresponding change in the human organism. And it is upon this inter change of influences that the tridosha theory and the doctrines of humoral pathology are based.

Vatham Pitham Kapham in human body:

According to siddha medicine system, the three humours their normal order occupy respectively the lower, middle and upper parts of the body and maintain their integrity i.e. vayu in the regions of the pelvis , the pitham in the region of the stomach and the internal viscera and phelgm in the regions of the breath throat and head.

It is also said that the characteristics of the three humours in the constitution o man is either hereditary or atavistic.

In the scientific parlance,

Vayu –> functions of the central and the sympathetic nervous system,

Pitta –> functions of thermo genesis , metabolism i.e. digestion, blood coloration, excretion and secretion.

Kapha –> regulation of heat and the formation of the various preservative glands.

Healthy equilibrium of vata pitta Kapha dosha:

According to siddha medicine system, all the substances of animal, the vegetable and the mineral kingdoms contain one or more of these vata pitta kapha, ie wind bile phelgm in their composition and that therefore diet should play an important role in the maintenance of these humours in men and women in preventing diseases or ailments and that the patient should seek the advice of a physician in the matter of diet in course of treatment.

This food as medicine and medicine as food concept can be well understood from the words of thirumoolar siddhar,

உணவே மருந்து மருந்தே உணவு.

So these three humours maintain the upkeep of the human body through their combined functioning. the normal order of vata pitta kapha are in the proportion of 4:2:1.

Vata dosha–>4

Pitta dosha–> 2

Kapha dosha–> 1

Any change in these proportions is sure to brin about disease to death, but the maintenance of their normal proportion gives vitality to the organisms and assures the preservation of health and longevity.