Increased Appetite During Winter? Know with Ayurved.

On a weekend, me and my friends were sitting round the table in canteen of my college where i completed my masters. It was winter season and all of us were already hungry during early evening.

We used to normally have tea at that time during evenings, but that day we all were very hungry as if we had skipped our lunch.

One of my friends who was curious asked me "Do you know why do our appetite increase during winters?". So this is the detailed answer I want to share with you all, that I shared with my friends.

 

Many people agitate due to increase in appetite during winters. Do you know ayurved has already explained why this happens. 

Lets see what Acharya Vagbhat has to say for this so called problem, which is actually a phenomenon which keeps us away from side effects due to cold.

During hemant rutu i.e. cold, due to excesss increase in cold all the minute pores of body close. 

Here Acharya basically wants to explain the contractions of hairfollicles and goosebumps we all get due to cold. 

  

Acharya says that this a normal body tendency to protect the body which prevents from side effects of extreme cold. 

As all the minute pores are closed which locks up the heat inside the body. This creates increased amount jatharagni. 

Jatharagni is the heat responsible for creating hunger and helps in phases of digestion. 

As the heat inside the body cannot leave the body through sweating this creates excessive amount of increase in jatharagni. As jatharagni increases, it needs more amount of food to digest. This stimulates the hunger centre and we feel sensation of excessive hunger.

So in winters our appetite increase and that is physiologically necessary. 

Reference- 

बलिन: शीतसंरोधाध्देमन्ते प्रबलोऽनल:।

भवत्यल्पेन्धनो धातून्स पचेद्वायुनेरित:॥

(Chaukhambha surabhi prakashan, Sarth Vagbhat, sutrasthan, chapter 3, page 11, verse 7,8.)

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