Prakruti Assessment Handout PDF

Prakruti Assessment The word Prakriti is derived from a Sanskrit word which means “NATURE”. Ayurveda believes that the temperament of a human being is genetic in origin. Prakriti, or constitution, is formed at the time of union of sperm and ovum inside the wom...

Prakruti Assessment The word Prakriti is derived from a Sanskrit word which means “NATURE”. Ayurveda believes that the temperament of a human being is genetic in origin. Prakriti, or constitution, is formed at the time of union of sperm and ovum inside the womb. Predominance of the three Doshas, the five elements and the three Gunas (Satva, Rajas and Tamas) at the time of fertilization determines physical and mental traits of an individual. The three Doshas (Vata, Pitta and Kapha) are composed of the five basic elements. On the other hand, the five elements possess one or more of the three Gunas, namely Satva, Rajas and Tamas. According to Susruta Samhita, Aakasa is predominant of Sattva guna while Vaayu is predominant of Rajas. Agni is predominant of Satva and Rajas while Jala is predominant of Satva and Tamas. Prithvi is predominantly Tamasic. As the entire universe is panch bhautik (comprised of five elements) in nature, the food one eats and the activities one performs have a profound impact on the proportions of the three doshas, and hence the five elements in the body. To put it more simply: “You are what you eat.” There are three body types according to Ayurveda- Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Some individuals may have a one dosha Predominant Prakriti. Some individuals may have a dual dosha predominant prakriti. Eg- Vata-pitta, pitta-kapha, kapha-vata. Others may have a balanced prakriti with equal dominance of all the 3 doshas called the Tridosha prakriti. Prakruti Traits Physical Traits Mental Traits Prakruti Analysis Questionnaire References: Rotti H, Raval R, Anchan S, Bellampalli R, Bhale S, Bharadwaj R, Bhat BK, Dedge AP, Dhumal VR, Gangadharan GG, Girijakumari TK, Gopinath PM, Govindaraj P, Halder S, Joshi KS, Kabekkodu SP, Kamath A, Kondaiah P, Kukreja H, Kumar KL, Nair S, Nair SN, Nayak J, Prasanna BV, Rashmishree M, Sharanprasad K, Thangaraj K, Patwardhan B, Satyamoorthy K, Valiathan MV. Determinants of prakriti, the human constitution types of Indian traditional medicine and its correlation with contemporary science. J Ayurveda Integr Med. 2014 Jul;5(3):167-75. doi: 10.4103/0975-9476.140478. PMID: 25336848; PMCID: PMC4204287. Rastogi, Sanjeev. (2012). Development and Validation of a Prototype Prakriti Analysis Tool (PPAT): Inferences from a pilot study. Ayu. 33. 209-18. 10.4103/0974- 8520.105240. Sanmugarajah, V. (2019). A STUDY OF THE STANDARD TOOL FOR PRAKRITI ASSESSMENT IN INDIGENOUS MEDICINE. Mangampadath, Abhilash & B, Sudhikumar. (2021). Development of a clinically useful tool for Prakriti assessment. 12. 10.47552/ijam.v12i3.2042.