ASSESSMENT OF VARIOUS UPAVASA (FASTING) PRACTICES AND THEIR METABOLIC EFFECT ON HUMAN HEALTH, ALIGNING THE SAMYAK LAKSHANA OFLANGHANA CONCEPT

Background and Objective: Rooted in Ayurveda, Upavasa (Fasting) is considered a therapeutic approach to cleansing the body and restoring balance to the doshas (life forces). The study investigates various Upavasa (fasting) practices and their metabolic effects on human health. The primary aim was to evaluate the prevalence of these Upavasa (fasting) methods and their metabolic effects, aligning with the concept of Samyaka Lakshana of Langhana (appropriate signs of lightening therapy). Materials and methods: In this Survey-based observa-tional study, 500 healthy individuals from Paprola, Baijnath, Distt. Kangra and Sub-division Joginder Nagar, Distt. Mandi in Himachal Pradesh was recruited. The whole population was divided into two subsets. Subset-1 (Control): comprised of 250 participants not practising Upavasa(fasting). Subset-2 (Observational): 250 partic-ipants regularly practised Upavasa (fasting) for at least three months. For the assessment of Samyak Lakshna of Langhana, a self-structured questionnaire was developed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Statistical methods were used to analyse the data, including the Mann-Whitney U test and unpaired t-tests. Results: Data from 500 subjects was analysed. The maximum number of subjects who did Upavasa were females (74.8%), in the age group of 27-36 years (45.2%), and married (62.3%). The majority of the subjects were vegetarians (63.6%), had normal dietary habits (73.2%), had normal appetite (98.2%), normal thirst (81.2%), had no addic-tion (100%), normal sleep (71.6%), regular bowel movement (90.8%). Maximum subjects (66.8%) do Upavasa because of their religious beliefs, (34.8%) practising Upavasa for 12 hrs, (32.8%) do it once a month. Out of 250 (37.2%) subjects consume fruits and vegetables during Upavasa. Upon breaking Upavasa, 78.4% of subjects chose to eat cooked millet, green leafy vegetables or cereals, and 60% maintained their usual food intake after Upavasa. 51.2% experienced no change in hunger after Upavasa, and 44.4% felt better after doing Upavasa. Symptom (Samyak Lakshana of Langhana) (Cha. Sa. Su. 22/34-35) wise distribution of the two subsets of the study population. Data revealed that symptoms of two subsets, i.e., Vata visarga, Mutra visarga, Purisha visar-ga, Gatra laghava, Hridaya shuddhi, Kantha shuddhi, Udgara shuddhi, Ruchi (for food), Kshudha, Pipasa showed highly significant difference (p<0.001). Meanwhile, for Nirvyathe, cha antaratmani was moderately sig-nificant (p=0.002).Conclusion: The study analysed data from 500 subjects practising Upavasa and found that the majority were females aged 27-36 years, married. Religious beliefs were the primary reason for fasting, with most participants practising it for 12 hours once a month. Significant improvements in metabolic and physiologi-cal markers, such as Vata visarga, Mutra visarga, Gatra laghava, and Ruchi, were observed, aligning with the Samyak Lakshana of Langhana. These findings highlight the therapeutic potential of Upavasa in maintaining health and balance by Ayurvedic principles.