Written by John Immel, Asheville, NCAyurveda speaks of 3 types of tonics: Those that restore and build tissues, those that stimulate and improve energy in organ systems, and those that aid in regulation of bodily processes (hormones, etc). Balancing these three basic vital forces is the key to your longevity, rejuvenation, and resiliency, as well as successful, happy living. They include healthy, well nourished tissue (ojas), regulation of bodily processes (tejas), and energy levels (prana).

Ojas

Ojas is the poetic term used in Ayurveda for heartiness. If a person has a healthy skin & flesh, is resilient to disease and injury, and has "juiciness" Ayurveda says they have good ojas. Ojas is associated with mental stability and an earthy strength to endure. Its nurturing presence is calming and grounding. It brings quality and peace of mind. It satisfies the flesh, bringing with it the confidence needed to protect the body, mind and spirit from burning desires. Ojas may be compared to a cement or glue that binds and contains the body, mind, and spirit into a functional whole.

Strong fertility is a sign of ojas because the body nourishes reproductive organs only after other tissues have been nourished. In a sense, your body's ability to nourish reproductive organs is dependent upon the confidence that your survival needs are assured. Food that is high in ojas also feeds the genital organs.

Ojas is said to have the smell of burnt rice and the color of ghee. Some ojas building foods include ghee, rice, milk, sugar, almonds, and raisins. The body transforms food into ojas through digestion and metabolism.

Maintenance of ojas requires conservation of your vital energy (prana), as well as a healthy metabolism (tejas) to refine the quality of your fluids and tissues. Inability to nourish yourself, lack of self-care and self-nurture create internal insecurity and ojas deficiency. Over-exertion can further deplete Ojas. If you are underweight, you might be ojas deficient. Hyperactivity and erratic behavior indicate a lack of satisfaction also associated with deficient Ojas.

A person who is overweight with clammy skin might have lots of ojas, but poor quality because the tissues are toxic and overwhelmed with fluids. Poor quality ojas is similar to ama and mucous.

Tejas

Tejas measures the intelligence of our body and mind, the ability to regulate bodily processes, and appropriate reaction and response to stimuli. It is associated with regulation and right use of energy, including metabolism rate, thoughts, digestion, immunity, etc. It is associated with:

• Hormones and function of endocrine organs
• Liver, Kidney, Pancreas and other blood regulating organs
• Nerves & the brain
• Blood (as transport mechanism)
• Cell membrane (as accepting / resisting chemical messages)

Natural intelligence becomes occluded due to:

• Injury
• Toxicity
• Pharmaceuticals
• Infectious diseases
• Resistance to hormones (as in insulin resisance, unresponsive thyroid, etc.)
• Tension, stress
• Poor circulation

When Tejas is vitiated, regulation breaks down. Auto-immune conditions ad allergies are examples of hyper-response - Tejas out of control. Vitiated tejas similar to Pitta type ama and is yellow in color, such as when a person has jaundice or too much bilirubin in the blood. Deficient tejas may be Vata or Kapha in nature.

Immune modulators and adaptogens are herbs which help the body regulate.

Prana

Prana is the usable energy directed by tejas and provisioned by ojas. Oxygen is also form of prana because oxygen helps us convert food into energy. Prana is kinetic energy while ojas is potential energy. Using too much prana causes a deficiency of ojas. Prana is called pneuma zotikos in Greek Medicine, spiritu vitalis in Latin, and Qi in Chinese medicine.

Any imbalance or stress on the body may cause a lack of prana. Lack of prana is characterized by weak function and low energy, which is perhaps a complication of:

• Inadequate nourishment (reduced Ojas)
• Reduced innervation or reduced endocrine stimulation (reduced Tejas)
• Lack of tissue tone (hypotonia)
• Injury to tissues
• Exhaustion of tissues / overwork

Symptoms of systemic low prana include:

• Weakness, debility, sluggishness, stagnation
• Weak pulse & puffy tongue with scallops
• Cool body temperature

Lack of prana may be systemic or local. Low prana is common in the elderly and convalescing clients.

Treatment usually involves addressing the root cause, but can also include rebuilding vital minerals and nutrients (Ex: Alfalfa sprouts, seaweed, etc), and mild stimulation (mild bitter or pungent taste). A person who is very weak may need restoratives before they can be stimulated.

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