Publication

Abstract :

Gut transit time is referred as the time taken for a particular meal or food to travel from the mouth, to the digestive tract till its elimination through all bowel movements. For a healthy person bowel transit time is 8 to 14 hours. People should have two to three bowel movements per day. Transit time varies greatly from person to person due to age, dietary habits, climate, exercise habits, immobility, use of medicines and so on. Due to the involvement of different factors , an exact bowel transit times for the general public cannot be determined. Modulation of gastrointestinal transit time is having great importance in maintaining the health. For a healthy transit time fiber-rich diets, good physical fitness, and avoiding use of medications with constipating side effects , is recommended1 . In Ayurvedic view digestion and transit time can be correlated with concept of Jataragni Agni and its types. Ayurveda is emphasizing the importance of the digestive fire, as the foundation of our overall health and well-being, influencing everything from the nourishment of our tissues to the strength of our immune system. Jatharagni is located in the stomach and small intestine. Ayurveda identifies four basic varieties of Jatharagni: Mandagni (low digestive fire), Tikshnagni (high digestive fire), Vishamagni (irregular digestive fire), and Samagni (balanced digestive fire). Maintaining Sama Agni and balancing the other three Agni is the key to preventing disease and achieving a state of balanced health2 . Among the four types of Agnis persons with samagni will be having a normal Gut transit time. The gut transit time in persons with tikshnagni will be less than the normal whereas in mandagni, transit time will be more. The transit time in person with vishamagni will be irregular, The strength of Agni, or our digestive fire, plays a crucial role in maintaining a healthy gut microbiome, removing Ama (toxins) and preventing all diseases. By understanding the link between Agni, the gut microbiome, and the accumulation of Ama, we can take preventive steps to support our digestive fire, thereby maintain gut transit time and prevent the buildup of toxins by treating the root cause before it leads to disease. By identifying the type of Agni in each person through his constituition and by following the methods to balance those Agnis will help in balancing and improving transit time . This paper tries to highlight the role of Ayurveda in maintaining the GTT by adopting the measures to improve jatargni.