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Liver in Ayurveda: In Vedas, liver is called Takima or Yakna. Some other ancient literature uses different words for liver like Kalakhand, Jyotish, Hepatrakhanda, Hepatrpind, Raktdhara and Raktshaya. But the most common word for this vital organ in Ayurveda is 'Yakrit' which is derived from 'Yaha' which means one and 'Krit' which literally means to do. Thus, the word liver means an organ which is always active and performs important metabolic functions in the body.
What does Ayurveda say about the liver?
The understanding of the anatomy, physiology and pathology of the liver in Ayurveda is quite different from that of conventional Western medicine. Although the understanding of liver embolism is similar in both systems, the Ayurvedic approach to diagnosis and treatment of liver disease is not the conventional one. Treatment in Ayurveda is more symptom-based rather than organ-based, so we do not find a separate chapter on liver or kidney diseases in Ayurvedic texts. Rather, the concept of disease is based on the imbalance of the tridoshas, i.e. vata, pitta and kapha, which is similar to the balance of humors in Hippocratic and Galenic medicine.
5 Important Functions of the Liver
Dr. Anil Arora, a renowned gastroenterologist of India, told that bile is the most important bioelement from the hepatological point of view as most of it is produced by the liver and it controls the digestive and metabolic functions of the body. Pitta dosha controls many bodily functions. It works in 5 ways which are as follows.
1. Digestive bile
the digestive bile, located in the small intestine and stomach (whose main function is to digest, absorb and assimilate food),
2. Pigment bile
Pigmented bile, located primarily in the liver, gallbladder, and spleen, colors all tissues (especially the blood) throughout the body;
3. Critic's bile
Criticism bile, located in the eyes, is important for vision;
4. Heavy bile
Bharajaka pitta is located in the skin, where its main functions include maintaining skin color, texture, temperature, and moisture;
5. Sadhak Pitta
Sadhaka Pitta, located in the brain and heart, is responsible for emotions and conscious thinking.
The liver is an amazing organ
The liver is described in Ayurveda as a fiery, hot organ because of the fire-related functions it performs. 'Agni' literally means fire and the term fire is used in Ayurveda to refer to the digestion of food and metabolic products. Ayurveda describes at least 40 specific bodily “fire” functions, 5 of them known as the 5 Bhutagnis, which are specifically located in the liver. Functionally, the Bhutagnis are responsible for converting food into biologically useful substances. The digestive process breaks down food into its most basic form. There are 5 basic elements (earth, water, fire, air and ether) and the Bhutagnis (one for each element) convert these elements into a form the body can use. Only these more refined substances are actually made available to the tissues through circulation.