srotas

Srotas, from Sanskrit srota meaning channel or conduit, is a foundational concept in Ayurveda. It refers to the body's network of passages through which substances travel, including doshas, tissues (dhatus), and waste products. Healthy srotas enable nourishment, metabolism, and elimination, while disease is viewed as the result of srotas vitiation or obstruction (avarodha) by imbalanced doshas, weakened agni (digestive fire), or faulty tissue function. Srotas are not limited to blood vessels; they encompass macro and micro channels that connect sense organs, tissues, and excretory systems.

Several authorities enumerate major srotas; commonly cited are eleven: annavaha srotas (the digestive and nutrient-transport system), pranavaha srotas (the breath and prana channels), rasavaha srotas (nourishing fluids to the rasa dhatu), rakta vaha srotas (blood channels), mamsavaha srotas (muscle channels), medovaha srotas (fat tissue channels), asthivaha srotas (bone channels), majjavaha srotas (bone marrow and nervous tissue channels), purishavaha srotas (fecal-excretion channels), shukravaha srotas (reproductive fluids), and artavavaha srotas (female reproductive channels).

In practice, the health of srotas guides diagnosis and treatment. Interventions aim to restore free flow and prevent obstruction through diet, lifestyle, and targeted therapies such as cleansing procedures (shodhana) and herb formulas that balance doshas and support tissue nourishment. Clinically, disorders are attributed to specific srotas: pranavaha for respiration, rasavaha and rakta for nourishment and circulation, purishavaha for defecation, and shukravaha/artavavaha for fertility and reproductive health; the remaining srotas pertain to tissue-specific disorders.

Overall, the srotas framework reflects Ayurveda's systemic view of health, emphasizing integrated circulation of energy, nutrients, and wastes to maintain bodily harmony.