RaktMokshan

Although Ayurveda favors prevention wherever possible, traumatic invasive surgery is advised in certain acute cases. Sushruta's extensive experience in the examination of blood during the course of surgery enabled him to gain a deep understanding of the relationship of the blood to rakta dhatu, pitta dosha and diseases associated with their toxicity and malfunction.

Sushrut attributed particular importance to the blood because it performed the important job of providing transportation within the body. He noted that when ama or toxins collected, they were circulated throughout the body with the blood. He devised RaktaMokshan as a purification treatment to be used when excess toxins are being carried in the blood to the periphery of the body.

Although Raktamokshan is the most limited of the five major procedures, it provides a rapid and sometimes dramatic reduction of symptoms in certain acute disorders, especially where time is a crucial factor. Rakta Dhatu and Pitta Dosha are closely associated and their functions interrelated. The blood, which represents rakta dhatu, is formed and regulated by the liver, spleen and bone marrow, which perform pitta related work. For this reason, when toxins appear due to excess pitta, they concentrate in the blood.