The entire body is composed of uncountable channels called srotas. These are the spaces that carry and transform materials.
There are 13 subtypes of srotas. Three input srotas – anna (food), udaka (water) and prāṇa (breath/air), seven srotas for seven dhātus, three srotas for three malas. ‘Vaha’ is indicative of a carrier flow. Hence, Prāṇavaha is the carrier of ‘breath’/ ‘prāṇa’ and so on.
Each of these has its defined sources/base, which are important to remember.
Input srotas
1. Annavaha Srotas – Nutrition channel
Root: Āmāśaya (stomach), left side of the flank. Cause of dusti/vitiation: Excessive food, wrong times, wrong foods, agni vitiation. Effects of dusti/vitiation: Loss of appetite, inability to taste foods, indigestion, bloating, vomiting, etc.
2. Udakavaha Srotas – Water
Root: Palate and kloma (pancreas). Cause of dusti/vitiation: Excessively hot food, āma, fear, alcohol, dry foods, controlling thirst. Effects of dusti/vitiation: Dryness of the tongue, palate, throat, excessive thirst.
3. Pranavaha Srotas: Prana/Breath
Root: Hṛdaya (heart), mahāsrotas (digestive channel). Cause of dusti/vitiation: Depleted states of dhātu, suppression of natural bodily urges, exercising while hungry, excessive physical exertion. Effects of dusti/vitiation: Shallow, restricted, excessive breathing with sounds.
Tissue srotas
4. Rasavaha Srotas – Plasma, Serum, or Lymph channels
Root: Hṛdaya (heart), 10 dhamanī (arteries) Cause of dusti/vitiation: Eating very heavy, greasy, cold, excessive quantity foods, worry. Effects of dusti/vitiation:See in dhātu depletion and increase page.
5. Raktavaha Srotas – Blood and its components
Root: Yakṛt (liver), plīha (spleen) Cause of dusti/vitiation: Eating foods which cause burning, excessively lubricated, hot, increased exposure to sun and wind. Effects of dusti/vitiation:See in dhātu depletion and increase page.
Root: Adipose tissue – vṛkka (kidneys) and vapāvahana (omentum) Cause of dusti/vitiation: Not exercising, daytime sleep, eating fatty foods, alcohol. Effects of dusti/vitiation:See in dhātu depletion and increase page.
8. Asthivaha Srotas – Bone tissue
Root: Meda (fat), jaghana (femur) Cause of dusti/vitiation: Excessive exercise, trauma, eating vāta aggravating foods. Effects of dusti/vitiation:See in dhātu depletion and increase page.
9. Majjavaha Srotas – Nervous tissue
Root: Asthi (bone), sandhi (joints) Cause of dusti/vitiation: Trauma, congestion, eating viruddha foods (with conflicting properties) Effects of dusti/vitiation:See in dhātu depletion and increase page.
10. Sukravaha Srotas – Reproductive channel
Root: Vṛṣaṇa (scrotum), śepha (penis) Cause of dusti/vitiation: Having sex at wrong times, with wrong people, not having sex, surgery, fiery, alkaline substances. Effects of dusti/vitiation:See in dhātu depletion and increase page.
Output srotas
11. Mutravaha Srotas – The urinary tract
Root: Vasti (bladder), vaṅkṣaṇa (pelvis) Cause of dusti/vitiation: Suppressing the urge to urinate; intaking of drinks, food, or indulgence in sex while having the urge, suppressing the urge in extreme emaciation and trauma states. Effects of dusti/vitiation: Excessive urination, frequent urination in small quantities, discolored urination, painful micturition, urine with residue.
12. Purisavaha Srotas – The fecal channel
Root: Pakvāśaya (colon) and sthūlaguda (anus) Cause of dusti/vitiation: Controlling urge, excessive food, indigestion, eating when previous food is not digested, weak agni of a very thin person. Effects of dusti/vitiation: Defecation with difficulty, pain, or sounds, very loose, chunky, excessive
13. Svedavaha Srotas – Sweat channels
Root: Meda (fat), lomakūpa (hair follicles) Cause of dusti/vitiation: Excessive exercise, sun exposure, alternate hot and cold environment, anger, grief, fear. Effects of dusti/vitiation: Lack of sweating, excessive sweat, roughness, hardness, excessive stickiness, burning of the skin
Other srotas which are often mentioned and treated
14. Manovaha Srotas – The mind channels
Effects of dusti/vitiation: Anxiety, depression, bipolar, ADHD, etc.
15. Stanyavaha Srotas – In women, the lactation channels
Effects of dusti/vitiation: Mastitis, breast cancer, etc.
16. Rajavaha (Artavavaha) Srotas – In women the menstrual channels
Root: Garbhāśaya (uterus), ārtavavāhini dhamanīs Effects of dusti/vitiation: Menorrhagia, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, etc.
17. Maha Srotas
Root: The largest channel from mouth to the anus, containing the Annavaha and the Purīṣavaha srotas
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