Please note that I am not a doctor, nor a health therapist nor a Ayurveda specialist. The ideas presented in this article are for information purposes and inspiration only, an invitation for you to do further research. Please consult your doctor or therapist before you dive deeper into the field of ayurveda or try its products. We are not in any way connected to the websites mentioned, no advertisement nor benefits are involved. Enjoy and benefit!
It was the year 2010. I lived in Frankfurt, Germany at that time and felt highly exhausted. I just came out of a job as “Financial Analyst”, which was a 50 hours/week job. I had money saved up and felt like I must have suffered a fit of mental derangement when I originally chose that field of technology and AI. I seached for more and started back then to dive into the area of alternative healing, which later led me into the area of energy healing.
I planned on a backpacking trip to Thailand, when suddenly a general book about India fell into my hand. I opened it and read about Ayurveda and its supreme discipline Panchakarma. I was amazed and delved in deep into the matter. Love at first side so to say.
Let me start with an introduction of India`s pride, the alternative health system Ayurveda:
Introduction Ayurveda
Ayurveda literally meaning “Science of Life” is a holistic, philosophic medical system from India with a past of more than 5000 years. It is deeply rooted in the belief of a higher force and aims to balance body, mind and spirit/soul. For Ayurveda health is not the absence of disease, but rather a pro-active lifestyle state of inner harmony and resilience.
This health system aims to preserve one`s health, beauty and reproduction force, while focusing on nuturing one`s emotional state of mind and soul.
The core principles are based upon nutrition, herbal medicine, spices, massages, yoga practices, and certain lifestyle regulations. The connection to nature and the honor of one`s divinity, often in line with prayers and mantras are of upmost importance.
According to Ayurveda principles, every human being was born with a certain, unique constitution called the doshas – Vata, Pitta and Kapha. The doshas are supposed to shape the bioenergetics and the personality.
- Vata represents movement and dynamism; governing breathing, the nervous system, and activity.
- Pitta represents transformation and metabolic processes; regulating digestion and body temperature.
- Kapha symbolizes structure and stability; providing the basis for physical build and resilience.
The teachings describes that we all possess all doshas within in differing proportions. If the doshas are out of balance due to bad nutrition, stress and irregularities in the lifestyle, disease may arise. Ayurveda aims to help restore harmony within these three doshas.
Ayurvedic Panchakarma
The supreme discipline of Ayurveda for disease prevention or treatment of disease is known as Panchakarma. A cleansing treatment that pampers and purifies the body and soul.
For a period of at least 3 weeks, the patient visits a panchakarna centre or better even a professional clinic. With a fundamental cleansing regime, toxins are loosened and gently eliminated from the body, resulting in a better flow of life force energy and vitality, supporting the body`s self-healing process in the face of many lifestyle related diseases.
The intensive treatment employs five primary therapeutic measures to systematically remove accumulated metabolic waste (ama) from deep tissues, restore digestive capacity (agni), and re-establish the body’s natural ability to self-regulate.
The five actions, from which treatments are being chosen from, are:
- Vamana: controlled therapeutic vomitting
- Virechana: controlled therapeutic purgation
- Basti: Medicated enema therapy
- Nasya: Medicated oils or herbal preparations through the nasal passages
- Raktamokshana: Therapeutic bloodletting or blood purification
Many humans have absolved a panchakarma in a wellness setting/health retreat. But how does a real panchakarma looks like in a real old-fashoned Indian hospital?
My personal Panchakarma diary
I am writing of my perspective many years back. My viewpoint nowdays has been altered since.
Germany is a country with a great variety of alternative advanced health systems. We have many so called officially authorized “Heilpraktiker” who are no doctors but enjoy a lot of legal rights in the fiield of healing in Germany.
I was very curious with the idea of doing a real, traditional panchakarma in India. I googled and found a personal diary of a German Heilpraktiker. She spoke of her experiences. I saw it and I know I would go there. This is how I found the India Ayurveda clinic in Nadiad, India, in which I later spent altogether 5 months in three visits.
I found THE Ayurveda clinic: nadiadayurveda.org
The head doctor was the by now legendary Ayurveda doctor Dr Gupta, who is also the major adviser of the Ayurveda Academy in Birstein, Germany.
Akademie: ayurveda.akademie.org
The Ayurveda Academy in Birstein has its own shop with natural, traditional products, based on the teachings of Dr Gupta and the clinic in Nadiad.
Ayurveda Shop: rosenberg-ayurmed.de
I contacted Dr Gupta and he invited me to book my flight and come. One months back then cost 500 Eur including all. Nowadays I believe it is 1500 Eur, which is still very cheap when considering the worth.
Despite it was the hot July, I packed my bags and flew straigtht to Ahmedabad for a 2 months stay in the clinic. It is a huge city which has its modernity, but mostly poor and dirty. One pearl there is the Mahatma Gandhi Ashram.
A driver picked me up from the airport to embark on a 1 1/2 hour journey to Nadiad. I somehow survived even though I suffered many little heart attacks as of the catastrophic driving on the Indian streets. One believes to crash just around any car.
We arrived in Nadiad and I was driven into huge secured simple and modest campus. It consisted of a university in which Indian students studied to become Ayurvedic doctors. The hospital was divided into two sections, one for the Indian patients and another more comfortable one for the foreign patients, mostly from Germany. A herb garden, a production facility and the kitchen rounded up the campus. It all looked very old, neglected and poor.
The campus was well secured and guarded. Only visitors were allowed inside. We were not allowed to leave the campus.
I was taken to the 1st floor into my room situated next to 10 other rooms sharing a long balcomy. My room was about 15 qm2 with two beds, one closet, one television. In the back was a bathroom with a sink and a toilet, no shower. We were not allowed to use any artifical products for hygiene. I was given powder for my cleaning and beauty routine.
I started the strict treatment already the first morning. I was given 3 times a day medicated Ghee to drink while being put on a fast, nothing else to eat. It tasted horrible and I nearly vomitted each time I had to take it. The amout grew daily. I was very weak and rested in bed most of the time. One overcomes this procedure when the body starts to vomit, which happened with me after 2 days.
I was ready now and well prepared for a normal treatment day. At 7 o´clock the foreign patients met in a gymnastik room to do yoga. It was kept very simple and easy for the body as sports is to be avoided during the panchkarma. The yoga seance was followed by breathing exercises and closed up with 20 minutes meditation. Altogether the session lasted one hour.
When returning to the room, the breakfast was awaiting me. A spoon full of Chyawanprash, a herbal paste that is full of healthy plant based ingredients. We consumed it together with a glass full of fresh milk from the cow in the garden in the back of the house. (Milk and cows are holy in Ayurveda).
At 9 am we all went to the massage room. I was given a 20 minute full body massage with Mahanarayana oil, an oil full of herbs, nourishing for the musculoskeletal system and the joints. I loved the smell as it gave me peace. Immediately after, I went to the steam room for sauna. The sauna was very old fashioned and looked like a vertical guillotine. For 15 minutes I relaxed in the steam so that the oil could fully be absorbed into the body.
Back in the room I rested for about 1 hour. At 11 am the water was being boiled so I was able to wash myself with the help of two big buckets of water as there was no shower. I had very long hair which was full of oil and it was very difficult. But I was always grateful and modest and adapted well. Nowdays they have more luxurious rooms with showers.
When I was clean, I was awaiting the doctor lady, who would come for nasya. I was given a few drops of herbal nasya oil for my nose. I would pressure it up so that the oil would come back out of the mouth.
My favourite treatment approached right after, the basti, a bowel evacuation. The doctor placed oil into my intestinal system. I immediately had the urge to empty my bowels, but I had to keep it in for 10 minutes. After, one runs in high speed to the toilet and stays there for about 30 minutes. It was nearly diarrhea. Afterwards, I felt very happy and clean. I loved it.
Depending on one`s condition, every second day one got in the evening another type of basti with a different kind of oil. The oil was being placed into the intestinal system to remain inside for the night to nurture the intestinal system.
At 12 am was lunch time and a fresh Ayurveda dish was being served. Always consisting of chiapati, white rice, Mung dal, brown dal, some sort of vegetable or potatoe. For me and my taste it was the world`s best food and I ate plenty.
Afterwards I usually collapsed tired into bed and slept. My body needed rest.
In the afternoon I just had sometimes some sort of treatment. Then I was taken to have the Shirodara, the hot oil pour on the forehead for 40 minutes. In my opinion that is a holy treatment and the most beautiful feeling of all. Very deep relaxing for the whole body, even more for the essence.
In the afternoon I started to speak to the other patients who were mostly students from the German Ayurveda academy in Birstein and Heilpraktiker. I was eager to learn and had a lot of different input. They gave me their study books, so that I could self study.
I learned to be resting within myself, to feel my essence and to be well centred.
Sometimes we had seller coming around with jewellery, clothes, scarves, and other services. It was very cheap to have custom-made clothing tailored.
Regularly Dr Gupta would gather the foreign patients together to teach them about health and healthy living. I could ask my questions.
At 6 pm we had dinner very similar to the lunch, freshly prepared in the kitchen. I got used to eating with my hands and preferred it.
Once a week we had a little evening event like musicians, a mediation class, etc.
Each day I was given medicine powder, Brahmi for the brain and Shantavari for longevity. I would put the powder into water and slowly drink it.
Ashwaganda, Amla and Triphala are also well known. They had herbal medicine for any type of disease.
After 2 months I felt new born. My body felt so clean and healthy. When I was there I always lost a few kilos and looked far younger. I was happy and peacful. If would have had the chance, I could have stayed for half a year as I felt so protected there.
If the university in Nadiad would have offered all in English I would have stayed and studied Ayurveda medicine. Part was in English, part was in Hindi, part in the local language.
Nowadys I still cook a lot of Ayurveda food. There is a cook book sold at the Ayurveda Academy that has some recipes from the clinic. It is called “The new Ayurveda cuisine, die neue Ayurveda Küche”. I love to drink hot milk Kurkuma latte.
I still massage myself with the oil, I take daily my nasya oil drop. I have a spoon full of Chyawanprash daily. In addition, I sometime intake Brahmi and Shantavari. I use morning and evening a tongue scraper to reduce harmful bacteria in my mouth. Moving sesame oil in the mouth through your teeth in the morning is also very advisable.
The Ayurveda Academy in Birstein employs Dr Gupta as their chief adviser, by now for a very long time. The Academy is growing and now even offers all in English. Dont miss out to take a look.
Dr Gupta, his team and his clinic have my highest respect for their dedication.
With my heart I hope you enjoyed my little diary and I was able to give you inspiration in the field of Ayurveda and where you find serious addresses.
Spirit of White, France, 14.09.2026
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