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Ama is a Sanskrit word literally meaning "uncooked" or "undigested".
In ayurveda, ama is used as a technical word for anything that exists in a state of incomplete transformation. In particular, it can refer to a toxic byproduct generated due to improper or incomplete digestion. The concept does not have a direct equivalent in standard medicine. Toxins that were produced at any stage of metabolism and that are circulating through the channels are also sometimes called ama. The first stage of any disease is also frequently called ama.
It represents, in a gross sense, mere indigestion which begins in the stomach, to, in a finer sense, even a faulty enzymatic pathway that prevents or hampers a metabolic cycle or chain. Agni, or the fire of life is supposed to be the most important factor that facilitates transformation and an improperly operating agni is the cause of ama. In ayurvedic pathology, ama is a very important factor playing a pivotal role in the genesis of any disease. It is also important in determining the prognosis, drug selection and all other stages of therapy. When ama gets properly transformed, either spontaneously or assisted by medicines, that stage is known as nirama.
References
- Kacera, Walter (2007). "Ama and Disease". Ayurvedic Tongue Diagnosis. Lotus Press. pp. 159–176. ISBN 9780940985773.