Upcoming Pancha Karma retreats:



We will be in Thailand in April 2018 to conduct a private Pancha Karma retreat and are now short listing students for our Bali Pancha Karma retreats in June and December 2018.




We are also open to working together with other spas or centres to offer Pancha Karma to students in other locations in Asia and New Zealand.



What is Pancha Karma?

‘Panch’ means five and ‘Karma’ means therapy or action. Pancha Karma refers to an intensive detoxification program using five actions or procedures to remove toxins from the body and mind.

These five actions are:

Vamana – emesis / induced therapeutic vomiting (for Kapha)

Virechana – purgation (for Pitta)

Asthsapana Vasti ― Herbal Decoction Enema (for Vata)

Anuvasana Vasti ― Oily Enema Therapy (for Vata)

Nasya – nasal administration (for Kapha)


It was an easy decision to choose Ancient’s Best for my first Pancha Karma treatment program. Having experienced previous Ayurvedic treatments in Australia and India, I had every confidence that Vaidya and the team at Ancient’s Best were best placed to manage my individual needs. In my experience their knowledge of traditional Ayurveda together with their genuine care and commitment is unsurpassed. I always felt supported and at ease. Throughout the 7 day treatment period I was always well informed, guided and supported. Their high levels of care and service extends post-treatment to include comprehensive lifestyle plans and supporting information such as dietetics, recipes and yoga postures. I offer my heartfelt appreciation and thanks to the team at Ancient’s Best.

Pancha Karma Treatment Client

Preparation for Pancha Karma


What happens during Pancha Karma Treatment?

The duration of Pancha Karma treatment may vary but a seven-day period of intensive therapy is usually recommended by us. Before starting you will prepare for a few days ensuring that you eat more fruits and vegetables etc. to get better bowel movements and make sure you are not constipated. For the three days directly before treatment starts you will consume a medicated ghee daily, reduce your food intake, and prepare yourself physically and mentally for the process ahead. Usually you will arrive at the retreat location at least one or two days before treatment commences. Removing yourself from all work and family commitments is essential so making these arrangements is another part of the preparation.



Ayurvedic Massage

We have to also remember that though the intake of food is greatly reduced and controlled and the food you eat is very simple (like plain rice porridge and kitcheree) there is ample food in the way of the herbs and the massage oil. Herbs provide you with nourishment and something that is already digested. So you never feel weak or like fainting; you are constantly conscious and awake.

Ayurvedic massage is an integral and vital aspect of Pancha Karma whereby toxins that are hardened and stubborn, are broken by means of the special strokes, and the herbal oil that penetrates through the skin directly bypassing the digestive system. This means the oil is ingested very quickly, and then there is the application of heat – the oil is warm, the strokes give you continuous heat, and this heat combined with the herbs becoming absorbed into the blood helps seek out toxins and loosens and breaks them.

So a combination of these factors together with hot showers and the steam bath after the massage allows whatever toxins have broken out to liquefy. Normally this is where massage therapy stops and the patient returns home after a hot shower. But in Pancha Karma this is when some of the five actions are carried out. Often times the toxins that have come loose and are now in the digestive tract have the potential to be reabsorbed via the intestines. These things (the five actions) are carried out to ensure that the toxins in the digestive tract are forced out and are not reabsorbed.

Just a note about the absorption of substances through the skin, be aware what you cannot put in your mouth as food you should not put onto your skin as this can be absorbed directly.

How does Pancha Karma remove excess Doshas and toxins?



Pancha Karma: The five actions:


Vamana – induced therapeutic vomiting (for Kapha)

Kapha is understood to predominate in the upper tracts of the body, the chest, lungs, head, ear, nose and throat, and mucus resides there. Induced vomiting is used for clearing the upper tract. Special herbs are given and about an hour or two hours after consuming the herbs the patient will feel nausea and want to throw up though sometimes vomiting has to be induced by putting their fingers in their throat. This is mostly carried out only for people with extreme Kapha, otherwise we avoid this as it is not a comfortable procedure for both patient and physician.

Virechana – purgation (for Pitta)

Purgation works mainly on the digestive areas and the mid portion of the system is purged of toxins. This is the area where Pitta predominates. Purgation is given in a liquid form that you drink. The herbs are ingested and digested and brought around every cell and tissue. The activity of the herbs is to draw out and loosen and suck out toxins that have already come loose and drain them out towards the digestive system. There are also herbs there that do not allow the toxins that have come into the digestive system to remain there but to be eliminated. That is why it is called purgation – toxins are purged out. It is quite unlike what often takes place when people do a physical flushing by taking some kind of laxative thinking this is detoxification. It is not. Such a process just physically cleanses your digestive passage but not your digestive system. Detoxification of the digestive system means it has to be ingested, it has to be digested, it has to be metabolised. This is what Pancha Karma is all about and so this is where it is so intense, so complete, and so perfect.

Asthsapana Vasti ― Herbal Decoction Enema and Anuvasana Vasti ― Oily Enema Therapy (for Vata)

Then we have two forms of Vasti or enema. This is basically to take care of Vata as the intestines are where Vata predominates. One enema is a herbal decoction which is basically cleansing and then the other is an oil decoction which is nourishing you.

The two forms of enema are given after 3-4 days of purgation meaning your intestines are virtually clear of physical faecal material and the introduction of the herbal solution into the intestines at that time allows 70-80% of absorption and assimilation of the fluids. The fluid once introduced into the intestines is to be retained up to 40 mins and it is understood that up to this period the assimilation is very good. Thereafter you can eliminate whatever is left. The herbs are assimilated and absorbed just as digested food is and brought throughout the body by the blood where toxins and excess doshas are sought and removed by the elimination process mostly back through the intestines. The oil is more difficult to hold because it is heavier but nevertheless it can be done. It takes a little bit longer to be absorbed. During this enema period you will regain a lot of strength, a lot of vitality, a lot of energy because food assimilation and digestion of food is virtually instant as it bypasses the whole digestive system.


Nasya – nasal administration (for Kapha)

Lastly we have Nyasa or nasal infusion. This is medicated oil dropped into the nostrils and then the face is massaged to allow for better absorption of the medicated oil. This is to support the the Ear, Nose and Throat and the eyes as well and also to help clear the Kapha in the head regions.


Why undergo Pancha Karma?

The process of Pancha Karma is mainly to remove toxins that have remained in the system for long periods of time. These toxins are like grease, the longer it remains in a place, the harder it becomes. Pancha Karma works on the system to remove these excess Doshas and toxins and may be effective in eliminating many chronic and degenerative conditions.



What happens after Pancha Karma treatment?
