Critical Review of Santarpana and Apatarpana Chikitsa Siddhanta: Relevance in Metabolic Syndrome Management
Author : Dr. Preeti V Sahu, Dr. Ashwini P Datir, Dr. Shivani R Naxine and Dr. Priti V Gahukar
Abstract :
The twin Ayurvedic doctrines of Santarpana (over-nourishment) and Apatarpana (depletion or under-nourishment) constitute one of the most clinically pragmatic Siddhanta in classical Indian medicine, offering a unified explanatory and therapeutic model for a wide spectrum of disease. Metabolic syndrome — the modern nosological cluster encompassing abdominal obesity, dyslipidaemia, hyperglycaemia, hypertension, and insulin resistance — maps with remarkable fidelity onto the Santarpana Janya Vyadhi (diseases born of excess nourishment) paradigm described in classical Ayurvedic texts. Conversely, conditions of systemic depletion, psychosomatic exhaustion, and nutritional deficiency are subsumed under the Apatarpana Janya Vyadhi framework, providing the physician with a decisive therapeutic counteraxis — whether to reduce, purify, and detoxify, or to replenish, nourish, and strengthen. This critical review systematically examines both limbs of the Santarpana-Apatarpana Chikitsa Siddhanta, their pathophysiological parallels in contemporary biomedical science, and their integrative therapeutic implications for metabolic syndrome management. The synthesis presented herein demonstrates that Ayurveda's nuanced conception of doshic imbalance — whether through excess or depletion — anticipates modern concepts of allostatic load, mitochondrial dysfunction, chronic low-grade inflammation, and metabolic dysregulation, underscoring its enduring clinical relevance.
Keywords :
Santarpana Janya Vyadhi, Apatarpana Janya Vyadhi, Metabolic Syndrome, Tridosha, Ama, Agni, Ojas, Srotas, Panchakarma, Ayurvedic Chikitsa.
