Kizhi treatment is one of the most effective therapies in Ayurveda. It is used for the treatment of several common and chronic ailments. Kizhi is a complete ayurvedic healing therapy that purifies and rejuvenates the body, mind, and soul. In Kizhi massage, heated herbs and medicinal oils are tied in cloth bags first and kept on the body parts. After that, a specific gentle massage with the help of fingers, a heel of the hand or palm is provided. The bags are then placed with varying degrees of pressure on different body parts, with a special focus on ‘marma’ or energetic points.
Kizhi is useful for osteoarthritis, spondylosis, muscular cramps, obesity, swelling, diabetes, and low Back Pain. Kizhi is very useful in:
(i) Pain Management – Aches and pains associated with the joints and muscular skeleton are caused by aggravation of Vata and Vata-pitta conditions. The heat generated in Kizhi helps to pacify the aggravated vata thus relieving the associated pain immediately. Moreover the enhanced blood supply due to hot fermentation helps to recover from muscular pain and stiffness.
(ii) Stress Reduction – Enhanced circulation reduces the oxidative stress thereby relieving the psycho-physical symptoms of stress.
Depending upon the type of material used, kizhi is classified as:
- Podikizhi that uses dry powdered herbs,
- Elakizhi that uses raw herbs mainly leaves and roots,
- Njavarakizhi that uses special Navara Rice
- Manalkizhi that uses sand particles.