Itching is a form of Skin irritation which causes an urge to scratch on the affected area. It could affect either local area on the skin or could be present throughout the body. Regular scratching  of skin can lead to bruises and skin sores .

The most common cause of itching is associated with dry skin and ageing but there are many more reasons for Itchiness in the body that could be due to skin conditions like psoriasis , eczema , insect bite , due to allergens , due to side effects of certain medicines ,fungal infection and due to superficial infections like folliculitis and impetigo  beside all these reasons diet factors ,on contact with certain irritative chemicals ,sunburn and lack of hygiene is also responsible for causing itchiness in the body.

Itching also occurs when the person is diabetic  which is due to dry skin , poor circulation and common yeast infections  , it also occurs in pregnancy due to expansion of skin and lastly it is also seen in people suffering from obstructive jaundice .

Ayurveda science has also explained itching in its own way , it has referred itching as kandu which is known to be the symptom of vitiated kapha dosha .

Ayurveda always look after the state of dosha and agni in the body which is necessary for the healthy body  and the vitiation of dosha leads to manifestation of disease .

Due to false dietary habits and life style when kapha dosha start accumulate in the body it leads to agnimandya (lowering of digestive power) which further vitiates formation of dhatus in the body and also leads to rakta dushti  and this leads to kandu along with burning sensation , rashes and blisters .

Causes as per ayurveda

Diet factors

• Excessive intake of sweet and salt
• High intake of jaggery
• Excessive intake of new cereals
• Consuming fish in excess
• Eating incompatible food like fish with milk
• Intake of heavy meals

Other factors

• Lack of workout
• Sleeping during day time
• Improper panchkarma
• Not bathing daily
• Dry skin due to cold weather
• Sudden change in environment
• Exposure to sun for long time
• Contact with some allergen or chemical
• Obesity
• Bite of insect
• Suppressing natural urges

AYURVEDIC APPROACH TO PROVIDE RELIEF FROM ITCHINESS

Modern medicines works on suppressing the symptom and therefore they provide anti-inflammatory and anti-histamines  medicines in order to provide relief from redness and itchiness but ayurveda works differently, it not always work on suppressing symptoms but also on the root cause of the disease and therefore gives much better results in tackling allergies and itchiness of the body

The foremost motive of ayurvedic medicine  is to correct state of agni which is  to decrease ama (toxins) in the body and then they focus on balancing dosha back into normal state , also keep in mind ayurvedic medication never works until an individual bring strct changes to their diet and lifestyle .

Who so ever followed the whole line of treatment mentioned in ayurveda has surely got the results and is permanently cured .

So one should definitely follow the following points in order to get best results and immediate relief from itchiness.

DIET CHANGES

• Eat light food
• Avoid heavy foods
• Completely avoid packed preservative laden foods
• Avoid heavy intake of salt instead normal salt use sendha namak(rock salt)
• Consume vegetables like cucumber , bottle gourd , bitter gourd ,tomato etc,.
• Drink herbal tea instead coffee and tea
• Avoid heavy intake of refined sugar and jaggery
• Drink plenty of water and fresh coconut ,carrot ,beetroot and aloe vera juice to detoxify skin and blood purfication
• Add healthy spices to your food and avoid adding excessive salt and spices to your food

LIFE STYLE CHANGES

• Do not suppress natural urges
• Seep on time
• Avoid sleeping during day time
• Drink luke warm water in morning after waking up as it flushes out toxins from the body
• Do regular excercise ,yoga as it helps in keeping agni active and also helps in detoxification
• Take regular bath
• Do regular massage as it helps in nourishing dry skin and improve blood circulation of the body , it makes skin look brighter and lustrous
• Follow dincharya and ritucharya
• Avoid excessive exposure to sun
• Maintain personal and environmental hygiene

PANCHKARMA

It is the effective method in line of treatment of itchiness as it helps in detoxification of the body , activates agni and create balance of dosha . the panchkarma involves five types of procedure (vaman ,vircehna,nasya ,basti and raktamoshana) which is done after the purva karma that is pre panchkarma procedures snehna (oleation) and swedana (steam and spa) , after these procedures five procedures are done according to state of dosha . when there is excessive kapha then vamna is indicated , when pitta is in excess virechana is indicated , when vata is in excess then basti is indicated and when rakta involvement is there then raktamokshan is done .

These procedures are done after accessing prakriti , strength and root cause of disease and is one of the most effective method in detoxifying body naturally .

HERBAL MEDICINE

There are two methods by which herbal medicines are used to treat itchiness in the body that is externally and internally.

External remedies

• Lepa –lepa are prepared by making paste of medicincal herbs , they are applied over affected area and provide relief from symptoms like itchiness , redness .

Herbs used for preparation of lepa are aragvadha , triphala , tulsi , neem , aloevera ,karanja , haldi  etc,. And these are effective in curing itchiness and also cures the underlying disease.

• Oils – oils are prepared by using herbs like neem , karanja , jatiphal ,khadira and are applied externally over the skin and this provide relief from itchiness effectively and massaging improves circulation as well

Internal medicines

Herbal medicines taken in the form of kwatha  and tablet.

Neem – it helps in purification blood and removes toxins from the body , also has anti-inflammatory property . it provide relief from itching .

Aloe vera – it is having anti-inflammatory actions and also soothing property , its application over skin provide immediate relief from itching , it also purifies blood and ignites agni

Khadira – it is having wonderful anti-allergic , anti-inflammatory property , helps in blood purification .

Haridra – it is effective blood purifier , detoxifies skin due to rich in oxidants , has anti-microbial property which provide immediate relief from itching due to fungal infections . it also helps in boosting immunity.

Daruharidra-it eliminates toxins from the body  also helpful in providing relief from itchiness due to its anti-inflammatory property .

Giloy – it is one of the effective herb rich in oxidants , helps in balancing dosha , reduce inflammatory symptoms , having soothing effect on skin , boost immunity of an indivual.

Manjishtha  -it is also one of the effective blood purifier helps in detoxification of skin , also provide relief from itchiness and treat its underlying cause effectively  it also treat other conditions like hepatitis , jaundice  etc,. It improves blood circulation as well.

All these methods are beneficial in providing relief from itchiness and shows best results if followed properly .