Ayurveda, the Indian traditional system of medicine describes a unique concept “prakriti” (constitution). This concept divides the population into different subgroups based on phenotypic characteristics such as appearance, temperament, and habits. According to the theory, choosing a course of treatment and forecasting a person’s prognosis for a given condition are all possible.
According to Ayurveda, the predominance of particular “doshas” is responsible for various constitutional traits of an individual. The three primary doshas—vata, pitta, and kapha—are described. Prakriti is an inherent nature of an individual determined at the time of your birth, which cannot be changed during your lifetime. Ayurveda broadly classifies human nature in two types – Mental and Physical Nature. Based on the predominance of individual doshas, there are three major types of prakriti named after predominant dosha, viz., vata, pitta and kapha. The prakriti is believed to be determined at the time of conception and is influenced by the milieu interior of the womb and the dietary habits and lifestyle of the mother.
These prakritis exhibit attributes of the dominant Dosha in physical, physiological and psychological characteristics. The disturbance in equilibrium of these doshas can lead to disease according to the prakriti of the person for example; a pitta prakriti person is described to be more prone to peptic ulcers, hypertension, and skin diseases, a vata prakriti person to backache, joint aches and crackling joints while individuals with kapha prakriti are prone to obesity, diabetes and atherosclerosis.
There are 7 types of Sharirika Prakriti:
- Vata Prakriti
- Pitta Prakriti
- Kapha Prakriti
- Vata Pitta Prakriti
- Pitta Kapha Prakriti
- Kapha Vata Prakriti
- Tridosha
