The Digestive Fire Agni
In This Chapter
- Agni, your fire within
- Qualities of balanced and imbalanced agni
- What Dosha is your digestion?
- Eating for your digestive type
Inside of every person is a bright fire, called their agni. It governs digestion, metabolism, and nutrient assimilation and absorption. Essentially, your fire is the key to your health. When your fire is burning brightly, you can digest your food and reap its benefits. When your fire is depleted, toxins begin accumulating in your body.
In this chapter, I explain the importance of this internal flame that keeps your body alive. I also share the four types of agni—balanced, irregular, sharp, and dull—so you can see how your digestive system stacks up.
Put your hands on your belly and breathe for a few moments. You are touching the most powerful part of your body, which takes your food and turns it into energy, nutrients, muscle tissues, blood, organs, and so much more. This robust part of your body is your agni, your digestive fire.
In Ayurveda, it’s said that a man is only as old as his agni. If he digests food well, he will never age. But the moment your digestive system starts to falter, you begin aging and accumulating disease. This is why a healthy digestion is the cornerstone of health.
Definition
Agni is your internal fire, in charge of digestion, nutrient assimilation, metabolism, and creation of bodily tissues. It’s hot, sharp, light, mobile, dry, and subtle, most similar to the Pitta Dosha and most different from the Kapha Dosha. When your agni is healthy, you can easily digest both foods and emotions, making you physically and mentally sound. When your agni is too much or too little, you begin suffering from digestive, health, and emotional issues.
The Importance of Your Internal Fire
Think of your agni like the process of cooking a dish. When you open your mouth, you put all the raw ingredients into the pot to be cooked. If your fire is strong, the food will be cooked in no time. If your fire is too strong, the food will burn. If your fire is too weak, the food will remain raw. This is how your digestive fire works.
All plant-based ingredients contain nutrients available for your body to take in and use. However, if you aren’t properly cooking those foods in your body, they don’t do you any good. This undigested food begins to rot in your gastrointestinal tract, and over time, this rotting begins to ferment, spreading toxicity throughout your body. You experience these toxins through bad breath, a white coating on your tongue, acne, and other imbalances.
If you experience bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhea, heartburn or acid reflux, indigestion, water retention, heaviness or lethargy after meals, or weight gain, your digestive fire is not burning at optimal strength.
Digestion and the Doshas
Bloating, gas, and constipation are symptoms of Vata. Diarrhea, heartburn/acid reflux, and indigestion are signs of Pitta. Water retention, heaviness/lethargy, and weight gain are signs of Kapha.
Vata is an airy energy, so you begin experiencing symptoms of excess airiness in your digestive system, leading to bloating and gas. It’s also a cold and dry energy, attributing to hard, dry stools and constipation.
Pitta is a fiery energy, and agni is also fire. What happens when fire meets fire? Chaos. Diarrhea, heartburn/acid reflux, and indigestion occur when the fire in your body is too strong. Your body produces acid to break down food, but if you have too much acid, you’ll experience heartburn and acid reflux. Similarly, when food passes through your system too quickly, you don’t receive its nutrients, resulting in watery stool. Indigestion occurs when your digestion is too sharp, causing pain.
Kapha is an earthy energy, making you extremely grounded. Too much of this can make you heavy like the soil though. Kapha types tend to retain water, causing further heaviness. If the digestive system is dull, then you cannot utilize those calories as energy, attributing to weight gain. If you’ve ever felt exhausted after a meal, this was an increase in Kapha energy.
Ayurvedic Alert
Feeling bloated, gassy, and constipated? Vata’s wind has picked up in your colon. Running to the bathroom after meals or experiencing heartburn, acid reflux, or indigestion? Gotta put out that Pitta fire. Does a single meal make you feel like you’ve gained 10 pounds and want to hibernate? That means Kapha is on the loose.
Your Body Begins with Digestion
Once your food is digested, it turns into your physical body. A healthy agni can take a piece of raw material, food, and turn it into your liver, kidneys, skin, and blood. An unhealthy agni won’t be able to nourish these parts of your body to the level they need, resulting in disease.
Agni influences the following bodily functions:
Darshana: Promotes eye health
Matroshna: Regulates body temperature
Prakruti varna: Maintains (agni) skin color
Dhatu poshanam: Promotes bodily tissue health
Ojah kara: Production of ojas, immune system maintenance
Tejah kara: Production of tejas, maintenance of cell membranes and semipermeability of capillaries
Pranakara: Production of prana life force, maintenance of breath and life
Prabha: Maintenance of healthy skin glow and luster
Bala: Provides strength, energy, and vitality
So what happens when agni goes sour? Quite simply, you experience imbalances in the preceding areas.
Adarshanam: Impaired vision, glaucoma, cataracts, iritis, corneal opacity
Amatroshna: Hypothermia (decreased body temperature) or pyrexia (increased body temperature)
Vikruti varna: Abnormal skin color (If you have excess Vata, you’ll have dark pigmentation. If you have excess Pitta, you’ll have yellow or red discoloration. If you have excess Kapha, you’ll have extreme paleness.)
Dhatu karshyana: Tissue emaciation if agni too high; unprocessed bodily tissues if agni is too low
Ojohara: Diminished immunity, leading to autoimmune disorders
Tejohara: Decreased cell permeability, leading to decreased nutrient and mineral absorption
Pranahara: Weak life force, low energy, poor breathing
Imbalanced dirgham: Early death, loss of zest for life
Chaya: Unhealthy complexion
Kshaya: Decayed strength
Constipation, diarrhea, bloating, heartburn, and lethargy are more than just temporary grievances you have to deal with. They are signals that deeper components of your health are not functioning. It’s extremely important that you consume foods that are easy to digest because your agni is in charge of every function in your body and also your mind. Without healthy agni, your physical and mental health will deteriorate.
Your Second Brain
Agni controls more than just your physical digestion. It also helps you digest emotions. Have you ever heard someone say, “That person is so constipated.” Surely, they weren’t talking about their bowels! A “constipated” person is one who is tense and stuck, sort of like constipated stool.
The state of your digestion affects your mind. In fact, Scientific American reported that research has found that 95 percent of your serotonin is found in your bowels. For that reason, your gut is literally your second brain. This second brain contains 100 million neurons, which is more than you have in your spinal cord or peripheral nervous system.
Agni has several emotional functions listed in Ayurveda:
Shauryam: Confidence, courage, bravery
Harshna: Joy, cheerfulness, laughter, happiness
Dhariyam: Patience, stability, balance
Medhakara: Intelligence, cellular communication
Buddhikara: Logic, mental reasoning, discrimination
Prasada: Mental clarity, comprehension, consistency
Raga: Enthusiasm, interest, affection, colorful personality
Ayurveda knew back then, without any scientific evidence, that digestion also controls mental health. Research today confirms this finding and even has linked autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and other mental disorders to poor digestion.
When agni is imbalanced, you experience the opposite of the emotional functions listed earlier:
Ashauryam: Fear, anxiety (Vata related)
Aharshna: Depression, sadness (Kapha related)
Adhirata: Impatience (Pitta related) or sloppiness (Kapha related)
Medhahara: Lack of cellular communication causing illness, including cancer (can be related to any Dosha)
Buddhihara: Indecisiveness (Vata related)
Vishada: Confusion, scatter-mindedness, inconsistency (Vata related)
Viraga: Withdrawal, depression (Kapha related)
Which of these relate to you?
Wisdom of the Ages
A healthy gut means a healthy mind. When your digestion is working well, you experience confidence, joy, patience, logic, mental clarity, and enthusiasm. When it’s off balance, you might suffer from anxiety, depression, impatience, indecisiveness, confusion, withdrawal, or disease, depending on your Doshic constitution.
The Four Types of Digestive Fires
Now that you know the physical and mental symptoms of an imbalanced agni, let’s figure out which Dosha your digestion is. As mentioned earlier, the various qualities are related to specific Doshas. We all are susceptible to specific digestive imbalances depending on our Doshic constitution:
Vata Vikruti: Cold, dry, and irregular digestive system.
Pitta Vikruti: Hot, sharp, and acidic digestive system.
Kapha Vikruti: Slow, heavy, and weak digestive system.
It’s also possible to have no negative digestive side effects. That’s when your Doshas are balanced.
Ayurveda classifies these four varieties as sama agni (balanced), vishama agni (Vata), tikshna agni (Pitta), and manda agni (Kapha). Each of these digestive types has its own mental and physical imbalances. Let’s figure out yours with this quick quiz:
1. How do you feel after a meal?
a. Good, energized
b. Depends what I ate, often bloated or gassy
c. Usually good but sometimes suffer from heartburn if I ate the wrong foods
d. Heavy, stuffed, and exhausted
2. How often are you hungry?
a. Pretty regularly
b. Varies every day
c. Almost always
d. Rarely; I stay full for a long time
3. How is your stool?
a. Normal
b. Usually dry and small but sometimes diarrhea
c. Frequent, sometimes liquidy
d. Heavy, dense
4. Which foods tend to bother you the most?
a. I’m pretty good with most foods
b. Cauliflower, broccoli, any cruciferous vegetable
c. Fried or spicy foods, garlic, tomatoes
d. Sweets, carbs, heavy foods
Now count how many a, b, c, and d answers you got.
If you scored mostly a answers, you have sama agni, which is a balanced digestive system. If you scored mostly b answers, you have vishama agni, which is a Vata digestive system. If you scored mostly c answers, you have tikshna agni, which is a Pitta digestive system. If you scored mostly d answers, you have manda agni, which is a Kapha digestive system.
Wisdom of the Ages
Sama agni means the digestive fire is balanced with no issues. Vishama agni means there is excess Vata in the digestive fire, causing issues such as gas and bloating. Tikshna agni means there is excess Pitta in the digestive fire, causing acidity and constant hunger. Manda agni means there is excess Kapha in the digestive system, leading to sluggish metabolism and weight gain.
Sama Agni (Balanced)
Those with sama agni are the lucky ones who have achieved balance. They feel energized after a meal, not stuffed or exhausted. They even can eat ingredients not in season or not follow food-combining rules and still be fine. They have strong immune systems and reap the nutrients from the foods they eat. Their appetites are regular and stable, they feel hunger at mealtimes, and they have the ability to stop eating when they’re full.
Mentally, they are peaceful, vibrant, and loving.
These are the benefits of a healthy digestive system.
Vishama Agni (Vata, Irregular)
Those with vishama agni have many of symptoms of Vata. Their digestive system is irregular, just like the Vata wind. Some days they have never-ending appetites, and other days they just aren’t hungry at all. Similarly, their digestive fire is cold and weak, leaving them extremely bloated after meals. Gas forms in their colons easily, and they often suffer from constipation.
Mentally, they may experience Vata side effects like anxiety, insecurity, overanalyzing, and insomnia. This cold and dry digestive fire leads to Vata imbalances within the body, including dry skin, cracking joints, back pain, and other Vata side effects. It is important that they warm up and lubricate their digestive fires to regain balance.
Tikshna Agni (Pitta, Sharp)
People with tikshna agni have sharp and fiery digestive fires, just like Pitta. They have rampant appetites and become angry when they miss a meal. They often can get away with eating whatever they want, which causes them to eat the wrong types of food. They then may suffer from heartburn and hyperacidity. Their digestive fires are too hot, and food may move straight through their systems, resulting in loose stool.
Mentally, those with tikshna agni may experience Pitta side effects, including impatience, irritability, anger, and resentment. They are staunch perfectionists and may become obsessive. They also may experience Pitta side effects, including nausea, inflammation, and hot flashes. It’s essential that they cool down their sharp digestive fires to reach sama agni.
Manda Agni (Kapha, Dull)
Manda agni causes a slow, heavy, and cool digestive fire. Sufferers gain weight after almost anything they eat. At the same time, they don’t eat much. Their metabolisms are just so slow that whatever they do eat causes them to gain weight. They often aren’t hungry in the morning but still feel heavy and dull.
Mentally, those with manda agni may feel lazy, exhausted, or cloudy. After eating, instead of feeling energized, they feel lethargic and cannot move or focus. They may experience other Kapha side effects such as depression, attachment, emotional eating, and cold and clammy skin. It’s best they consume a well-spiced and hot diet to reignite their dull digestive fires.
Ayurvedic Alert
Are you a big fan of ice-cream? Unfortunately, that’s the number one thing that causes manda agni in Ayurveda. It is cold, heavy and full of dairy, all things that imbalance Kapha, causing weight-gain and lethargy. Though giving up ice-cream may seem impossible, you’ll feel so much better when it’s not in your system.
The following table compares the physical and mental symptoms of the various agni types and the Dosha they are related to.
The Best Foods for Each Agni Type
Food is medicine. You can heal your body just by changing your diet. As discussed, all parts of your body begin in your gut, including your physical and mental well-being. By following the right diet for your unique digestive fire, you can treat and prevent many of the imbalances outlined earlier.
Foods for Vishama Agni
If you have many of the symptoms of vishama agni, you’ll want to follow a Vata-pacifying diet. That means staying away from cold, raw, and dry foods and consuming more warm, cooked, grounding foods.
Foods to eat more of:
- All types of nuts and seeds
- Mung beans
- Roasted vegetable soups, stews, and curries
- Root vegetables, particularly ginger, yams, and squash
- Sesame oil
- Sweet fruit
- Warming grains
These Vata-pacifying foods enhance your digestive fire and are easy to digest, bringing you back to sama agni.
- Chips
- Crackers
- Granola bars
- Iced water, coffee, tea, or soda
- Popcorn
- Salads
- Smoothies
These foods further extinguish your already-weak digestive fire. Instead, you must warm it up and create moisture from within. A dehydrated colon leads to constipation, which is why it’s best to drink warm water frequently and add warming oils to your diet.
Foods for Tikshna Agni
If you have many of the symptoms of tikshna agni, you’ll want to follow a Pitta-pacifying diet. That means staying away from spicy, oily, and fried foods, as well as stimulants like caffeine and chocolate. Instead, focus on cooling and cleansing ingredients.
Foods to eat more of:
- All legumes
- Coconut oil
- Cooling grains
- Cruciferous vegetables
- Fresh fruit
- Greens
- Herbs
- Seeds
These Pitta-pacifying ingredients cool your aggravated digestive fire, allowing you to regain sama agni.
Foods to stay away from:
- Chiles
- Chocolate
- Coffee
- Fried foods and tempuras
- Garlic and onions
- Nuts
- Oily curries, stews, or stir-fries
- Tomatoes and all nightshade vegetables
These foods disrupt your already irritated digestive fire, causing your symptoms to become worse. Focus on cooling your body and cleansing it with hydrating foods. Avoid nightshade vegetables and garlic, which are very pungent and also disrupt Pitta.
Wisdom of the Ages
Nightshade vegetables are part of the Solanaceae plant family and contain alkaloids to defend themselves from insects at night. These alkaloids are particularly disruptive for Pitta types. Nightshades include tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, chiles, and potatoes.
Foods for Manda Agni
If you have many of the symptoms of manda agni, you are best following a Kapha-pacifying diet. This includes avoiding heavy, sweet, starchy, and fattening foods, which will make you feel more exhausted and cause you to gain more weight. To shed those pounds and regain energy, eat a diet that is well spiced and vibrant.
Foods to eat more of:
- All types of spices
- Blended vegetable soups
- Cruciferous vegetables
- Legumes
- Low-sugar fruit
- Seeds
- Small amounts of grains and oils
- Steamed bitter vegetables, including leafy greens, brussels sprouts, and asparagus
These Kapha-pacifying ingredients are easy to digest and stimulate your digestive fire, helping you regain sama agni.
Foods to stay away from:
- Dairy products
- Fried foods
- Starches, including bread, pasta, and excess rice
- Sugar, maple syrup, honey and other forms of sugar
- Sweet fruit, including dates, bananas, mangoes and dried fruit
These foods make you feel heavier and more lethargic, attributing to weak digestion and weight gain. Stimulate your body through your diet with light, well-spiced, and easily digested meals. Cook vegetables slightly to make them easier to digest.
Wisdom of the Ages
Having manda agni doesn’t mean you have to avoid all sweet things forever. Monkfruit and stevia are two types of natural sweeteners that have no impact on your blood sugar levels, making them a great option for Kapha types, those seeking to lose weight, diabetics, and those with manda agni digestive systems.
The Least You Need to Know
- Your digestion is referred to as your agni because it is a fire within your body, cooking your food and turning it into nutrients.
- Digestion plays a role not only in your body, but also in your mind, causing everything from indecisiveness to depression.
- There are four types of agni: sama, vishama, tikshna, and manda.
- Sama agni means balanced. Vishama agni is Vata-imbalanced. Tikshna agni is Pitta-imbalanced. Manda agni is Kapha-imbalanced.
- To regain sama agni, or a balanced digestive fire, you must follow a diet to pacify the imbalanced Dosha. That means more cooked and warming foods for vishama agni, more hydrating and cooling foods for tikshna agni, and more light and stimulating foods for manda agni.