In Ayurveda, the concept of fire, or agni,is of central importance. In fact, the strength of agni in the body is among the most critical factors in determining overall health. By contrast, ama is a toxic, disease causing substance that forms as a result of impaired agni, and that, in turn, destroys agni. In this way, impaired agni and the creation of ama routinely enter into a vicious and self-perpetuating cycle. Unfortunately,the accumulation of ama is extremely detrimental to our health; it can lead to all kinds of imbalances and is a causative factor in any number of diseases. As a result, understanding ama as the antithesis of agni—learning what it is exactly, how to recognize it, how to rid the body of it, and how to kindle agni in its place—can be a very helpful step in the journey toward optimal health.
在阿育吠陀中，火（agni）的概念是最重要的。事实上，火在体内强度是决定整体健康的最关键因素之一。相反，毒素（amais）是一种有毒的致病物质，它是由于火受损而形成的，而火受损反过来又会破坏火。这样，受损的火和毒素的产生通常进入一个恶性和自我延续的循环。不幸的是，毒素的积累对我们的健康极为有害，它可以导致各种失衡，是许多疾病的致病因素。因此，将毒素理解为火的对立面，了解它到底是什么，如何识别它，如何清除它，以及如何在毒素上点燃火，将是迈向最佳健康的非常有帮助的一步。 什么是毒素？What is ama

Ama is a Sanskrit word that translates literally to mean things like “unripe,” “uncooked,” “raw,” “immature,” or “undigested.”Essentially,it is a form of un-metabolized waste that cannot be utilized by the body. To some degree, the formation of small amounts of ama is a normal part of the digestive process, provided it is efficiently removed. But when it is not regularly cleared and eliminated, ama becomes hugely problematic. In fact, amais said to be the root cause of all disease, and amaya, a Sanskrit word for disease literally means “that which is born out of ama.”The connection between ama and the disease process makes perfect sense because the qualities of ama are in direct opposition to those of agni. And remember, strong agni is essential to the maintenance of proper health. In other words, when agni is compromised and when ama accumulates, our health suffers, and the two situations are mutually reinforcing.Ama（毒素）是一个梵文词，字面翻译为“未成熟”、“未煮熟”、“生的”、“未消化”的东西。从本质上讲，它是一种未被人体代谢的废物，不能被人体利用。在某种程度上，少量毒素（Ama）的形成是消化过程的正常部分，只需有效地去除它。但是，当它没有被定期清除和排除时，毒素就会产生巨大的问题。事实上，毒素被视作所有疾病的根源，而amaya也是梵文，字面意思是疾病，是由ama（毒素）产生的。毒素与疾病有关是完全合理的，因为毒素的性质与火的性质完全相反。记住，火强大是维持良好健康必不可少的。换句话说，当火受损，毒素累积，我们的健康就会受损，这两种情况是相辅相成的。
The qualities of agni and ama illustrate their perfect opposition to one another.火和毒素的特性说明了它们之间的完美对立。

Agni is 火是	Ama is 毒素是
Hot 热	Cold 冷
Sharp 尖锐	Dull 迟钝
Light 轻	Heavy 重
Dry 干	Oily, Viscous, and Wet 油腻、粘连、湿润
Subtle 精微	Gross 粗糙
Clear 清澈	Sticky, Slimy 粘的、黏滑的
Spreading 传输	Stable, Stagnant 稳定、停滞
Fragrant 芳香	Foul Smelling 污臭

真的那么糟糕吗？Is it Really that Bad

Ama is fairly easy to clear from the digestive tract, but once it spreads into the deeper tissues, it becomes much more difficult to eliminate. As ama accumulates in the body, it inevitably clogs the channels of the body(srotamsi) and disrupts tissue nutrition. This alone is problematic, but ama can disturb physiological processes at the cellular level as well. When ama finds its way into the deeper tissues, it coats and clogs individual cell membranes—inhibiting cellular communication and weakening the immune response. This eventually leads to a loss of intelligence at the cellular level, which can cause much more serious diseases such as autoimmune disorders, or cancer.毒素很容易从消化道清除，但是一旦它扩散进入更深组织，就很难清除了。当毒素在体内积累时，它不可避免地堵塞身体的通道（srotamsi），扰乱组织营养。这本身就是问题，毒素也会干扰细胞水平的生理过程。当毒素发现途径进入更深组织时，它会包裹和堵塞单个细胞膜，抑制细胞交流，削弱免疫反应。这最终会导致细胞水平的智力丧失，从而导致更严重的疾病，如自身免疫性疾病或癌症。

 

毒素的症状和体征Signs & Symptoms of Ama

Generalized signs and symptoms of ama in the body include: 毒素在体内的一般征兆和症状包括：

• Clogging of the channels (may cause symptoms like sinus congestion, lymph congestion, constipation, fibrocystic changes,etc.)

  经络堵塞（可引起鼻窦堵塞、淋巴堵塞、便秘、纤维囊肿等症状）

• Fatigue

  疲劳

• Heaviness

  沉重

• Abnormal flow of vata (there are many ways this can manifest in the body, but examples include excess upward moving energy causing heart burn or excess downward moving energy causing diarrhea)

  风（vata）的异常流动（这有很多方式在体内表现出来，包括向上移动的能量过多导致胃灼热，或向下移动的能量过多导致腹泻）

• Indigestion

  不消化

• Stagnation

  停滞

• Abnormal taste, muted taste, or poor appetite

  味觉异常、味觉减弱或食欲不振

• Sexual debility

  性功能低下

• Mental confusion

  精神困惑

• Feeling unclean

  感觉不干净

 Depending on where ama is in the body, it can cause more specific signs and symptoms such as a thick coating on the tongue,all kinds of congestion, loss of strength, dull eyes, skin blemishes, fevers,excess weight, poor circulation, edema and swelling, stiffness or inhibited movement, soreness at the roots of the hair, or generalized aches and pains. In the digestive tract, ama tends to cause changes taste perception, loss of appetite, indigestion, malabsorption, vitamin and mineral deficiencies,bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhea, sticky stools, or itching at the anus. Ama is also often responsible for foul smelling breath, mucus, urine, and stools. Mentally and emotionally, ama leads to a distinct lack of energy and enthusiasm, low selfesteem, anxiety, worry, depression, fear of the unknown, a foggy mind, and unclear thinking.根据毒素积累在体内部位，它可能导致更具体的症状和体征，比如：舌苔厚、各种身体堵塞、力量缺失、眼睛呆滞、皮肤瑕疵、发烧、体重过重、血液循环不良、水肿、肿胀、僵硬或抑制运动、头发根疼痛、或广义疼痛。在消化道，毒素容易引起味觉变化、食欲不振、消化不良、吸收不良，维生素和矿物质缺乏、腹胀，、胀气、便秘、腹泻、粘便、肛门瘙痒等等。毒素也常常导致呼吸、粘液、尿液和大便恶臭。在精神上和情感上，毒素导致明显的能量和热情的缺乏、自尊低、焦虑、担心、抑郁、对未知恐惧、头脑模、思维不清。 Modern diseases that are a direct result of ama accumulation include:现代疾病是毒素积累的直接结果

Atherosclerosis 动脉粥样硬化	Candida albicans  overgrowths 白色念珠菌过度生长
Elevated blood sugar 高血糖	Blood urea 血尿素
Late-onset diabetes 迟发性糖尿病	Gout 痛风
Some types of  depression 一些类型的抑郁症	Gall stones 胆囊结石
Rheumatoid factor 类风湿因子	Kidney stones 肾结石
Elevated Immunoglobulin  E高免疫球蛋白E	Increased liver enzymes 肝酶增加
Helicopylori bacteria 细菌	Glaucoma 青光眼
Leukocytosis 白血球增多	Fevers 发烧
Excess red blood cell  count 红细胞过多	Bacterial infections 细菌感染
Excess platelet count 血小板数过多	Tumors 肿瘤

毒素的根源The causes of Ama
There are any number of reasons that ama can begin to accumulate in the body, but impaired agni is always a piece of the puzzle. And because ama itself disturbs agni, it can sometimes be difficult to tease out which came first. In reality, it doesn’t matter. Habits that disrupt agni can often be implicated in the formation of ama. Likewise, habits that contribute to the formation of ama will disturb agni. Here are some examples of such habits:毒素在体内开始积累的原因有很多，但火受损始终是一个谜。而且，由于毒素本身会干扰火，有时很难分辨出哪个先出现。事实上，这并不重要。使火受损的习惯常常与毒素的形成有关。同样，有助于毒素形成的习惯也会干扰火。下面有一些这样的习惯的例子

• A poor diet, which might involve:

  不良饮食，可能涉及

1. Overeating or emotional eating

   暴饮暴食或情绪化进食

2. Improper food combinations

   不当的食物组合

3. Especially heavy food

   特别油腻的食物

4. Fried food

   油炸食物

5. Excess amounts of cold or raw foods

   生冷食物过量

6. Highly processed or sugary foods

   过度加工和高糖分食物

7. An excess of the sweet, sour, or salty tastes

   甜、酸、咸味过重

•  A detrimental lifestyle (e.g. high stress,excess or inadequate sleep, lack of routine, excessive or inadequate exercise,etc.)

  有害的生活方式（比如压力大、睡眠过多或不足、生活不规律、运动过度或不足等等）

• Irregular eating habits

  不规律的饮食习惯

• Sleeping or eating before food is digested

  在食物消化之前睡觉或吃饭

• Sleeping during the day (for some constitutions)

  白天睡觉（有些体质）

• Lack of exercise

  缺乏锻炼

• Repressed or unresolved emotions

  压抑或未解决的情绪

 In Ayurveda, removing the cause of an imbalanceis always one of the first steps in the line of treatment. While the exact cause in your case may not be entirely obvious to you, an Ayurvedic practitioner can help you to identify and redirect any aspects of your life that may be compromising your health. In the meantime, the following suggestions will be helpful.在阿育吠陀中，消除失衡的根源总是治疗的第一步。虽然你的情况的确切原因可能不是完全显而易见，阿育吠陀医生可以帮助你识别和改变你生活中可能危及你健康的任何方面。同时，以下建议将是有益的。
消化和排除毒素的一般支持General supportfor digesting & eliminating Ama
Fortunately, there are a number of ways to encourage the body to digest ama and eliminate it from the body. The following strategies support the body’s natural, physiological detoxification process. Ultimately, they bolster the digestive capacity, improve tissue nutrition, and help to eliminate ama via the urine, feces, and sweat.幸运的是，有许多方法可以促进身体消化毒素，并将其从体内排除。以下策略支持身体自然的、生理的解毒过程。最终，它们增强消化能力，改善组织营养，并通过尿液、粪便和汗水帮助排除毒素。

Therapeutic herbs 草药治疗

Herbal support is often indicated when the agni is strong enough to produce an appetite, but not strong enough to completely digest the food, resulting in the formation of ama. The bitter and astringent tastes are a powerful combination because the bitter taste dries and drains ama, while the pungent taste destroys and digests it. This is a common flavor combination in herbs and formulas widely used to digest ama.当火强到产生食欲，但又不够强，不能完全消化食物，从而导致毒素的形成时，通常需要草药的支持。苦味和涩味是一个强大的组合，因为苦味会使毒素干燥和流失，而辛辣味会破坏和消化它。这是草药和的配方中常见的味道组合，广泛用于消化毒素。

 

Ayurveda reveres a surprising number of herbs for their ability to digest and eliminate ama. Often, they are the same herbs that are taken before meals to kindle the digestive fire, but they are taken after meals, in significantly larger doses. In this way, the herbs themselves serve as a source of fuel to fan the impaired digestive fire. Obviously, the appropriate combination of ama-reducing herbs depends on the context of each individual and should be determined by a qualified practitioner. Special care should be taken in cases of high pitta or severe inflammatory conditions (e.g.ulcers) because herbs that digest ama also tend to be quite hot and can further aggravate the situation. It is also worth noting that many of these herbs are common household spices like fresh and dried ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, mustard seed, garlic, cumin, black pepper, fennel, and coriander.阿育吠陀推崇数量惊人的草药，因为它们具有消化和排除毒素的能力。通常，它们和餐前用来点燃消化火的草药是一样的，但它们是餐后服用的，剂量要大得多。这样，草药本身就可以作为一种燃料，来扇旺受损的消化之火。显然，适当的降低毒素的草药组方取决于每个人具体情况，应该由合格的医生来决定。对于pitta（火）高或严重的炎症情况（如溃疡），应特别注意，因为消化毒素的草药往往也很热，会使情况进一步恶化。同样值得注意的是，这些药草中有许多是常见的家庭香料，比如新鲜的干姜、肉桂、肉豆蔻、芥菜籽、大蒜、孜然、黑胡椒、茴香和香菜。 

Sweating 出汗

Warming the body and inducing a gentle sweat thins ama, loosens its grip on the tissues, and helps to move it toward the digestive tract, making it easier to eliminate. So whether this is accomplished with a gentle steam bath, a sauna, or appropriate exercise, sweating can be tremendously helpful. However, take care if pitta is high, as too much heat and sweating can inadvertently aggravate pitta and trigger additional imbalances.让身体暖和起来，出点汗，就会使毒素变薄，它对组织的控制就会放松，并有助于将其传送到消化道，从而更容易排除。因此，无论你是用温和的蒸汽浴、蒸桑拿还是适当的运动来达到这一目的，出汗都是非常有益的。但是，如果皮塔（pitta火）偏高，就要小心了，因为过多的热量和出汗会在无意中加剧皮塔（pitta），并引发额外失衡。

Sun bathing 阳光浴

While we certainly need to be particular about when and for how long our skin is exposed to direct sunlight, appropriate doses of sunlight increase lightness, kindle agni, and are especially good for certain types of eczema, psoriasis, arthritis, depression, and water retention. For some, just 10 minutes of morning or evening sunlight is enough; others can easily tolerate 40 minutes. Special care should be taken not to receive too much sun, and this is especially important in fair-skinned pitta types, who will tolerate the least amount of sunlight. For these types, moon bathing might actually be more balancing.当我们的皮肤暴露在阳光直射下时，我们当然需要讲究什么时间和多长时间，适量阳光增强亮度，点燃消化火，尤其适合某些类型的湿疹、银屑病关节炎、抑郁和保持水分。对一些人来说, 早上或晚上仅10分钟阳光就够了，别人可以轻易容忍40分钟。应特别注意不要暴晒太多阳光，这对于皮肤白皙的皮塔类型是特别重要的，他们只能忍受少量阳光，对于这些类型的人，月光浴可能会更加平衡。

Receiving Prana 接收生命之气

Prana, the vital breath, is the subtle essence of the life force that animates each of us. It infuses every cell and tissue through out our bodies. It is carried on and stimulated by the breath. Imbibing prana is very helpful in digesting and eliminating ama. There are a number of effective ways to bathe our tissues in fresh prana. These practices are especially good for asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, anxiety, fear, the nervous system as a whole, and the mind. The simplest method is to spend some time in nature and either take several deep, relaxed breaths into the belly, or go for a relaxed, enjoyable hike. Pranayama—either indoors or out of doors (as long as it is not excessively windy)—is another powerful way to infuse the mind-body organism with prana. Beginning practices that are appropriate for most any one include Full Yogic Breath, Ujjayi (Breath of Victory), and Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing).Prana是生命之气，是赋予我们每个人生命力量的微妙精华，它渗透到身体的每个细胞和组织中，它是通过呼吸来进行和刺激的。吸入生命之气有助于消化和排除毒素。有许多有效的方法可以将我们的组织浸润在新鲜的普拉那气中，这些练习对哮喘、支气管炎、肺气肿、焦虑、恐惧、整个神经系统和心智特别有效。最简单的方法是花点时间在大自然中，放松地深呼吸几下，或者来一次轻松愉快的徒步旅行。无论是室内还是室外的调息练习（只要风不太大）是另一种将普拉那注入身心有机体的有效方法。对于大多数人来说，最适合的初始练习包括完全瑜伽呼吸（Full Yogic Breath）、成功式呼吸（Ujjayi）和交替鼻孔呼吸（Nadi Shodhana）。 

Yoga 瑜伽

Yoga is similarly beneficial because it awakens prana through out the body, warms the body, usually induces a mild sweat, helps to stretch nd wring out tissues that may be storing accumulated ama, and calms the mind. While the most balancing style of yoga may vary from one person to the next, just 10–20 minutes of yoga per day can be remarkably transformative.瑜伽同样有益，因为它能唤醒普拉那流经整个身体，温暖身体，通常会引起轻微的出汗，帮助拉伸和扭转组织里可能储存的毒素，并使心智平静。虽然最平衡的瑜伽类型因人而异，但每天10 - 20分钟的瑜伽就能带来翻天覆地的变化。

Diet 膳食