Ayurvedic Treatments in Kerala
All treatments at Agasthya are administered under the direct supervision of Dr. T.D. Bose, a Marma specialist with 30+ years of experience. Every treatment plan is customised after a detailed consultation, ensuring the right combination of therapies for your specific condition.
Marma Abhyangam
This is a procedure in which whole body massage is done stimulating the marma points of the body thereby reducing pain and inflammation pertaining to musculoskeletal system.
Muthira Kizhi (Kulatha Kizhi)
Muthira Kizhi (Kulatha Kizhi) is a dry-heat Ayurvedic therapy using warm horse gram boluses to relieve joint inflammation, swelling, stiffness and low back pain. A rooksha (dry) form of swedana, the coarsely powdered horse gram (kulattha) is tied into small linen boluses and massaged firmly over the body by two therapists. Because it works through dry herbal heat rather than oil, it is especially suited to conditions where swelling, fluid retention or heaviness aggravates the pain, and where oily therapies are not advisable. At Agasthya, Muthira Kizhi is used for inflammatory and rheumatic joint conditions, low back ache, and stiff, swollen joints, relieving pain and heaviness while improving mobility.
Pizhichil
In this treatment lukewarm medicated oil is poured over the person’s body in a special rhythmic manner (masseur soaks the linen in oil and squeezes it over the patient’s body) for 45 minutes.
Shirodhara
Shirodhara is one of the most profound and calming therapies in Ayurveda. The term derives from Sanskrit words Shira (head) and Dhara (continuous flow). In this procedure, a continuous stream of lukewarm medicated oil is gently poured onto the forehead, specifically over the ajna marma (the region between the eyebrows), from a perforated earthen vessel. Each session includes 15 minutes of Shiro Abhyangam (head massage) followed by 30 minutes of Shiro Thailadhara. The choice of medicated oil—such as Ksheerabala Tailam, Brahmi Tailam, or Dhanwantharam Tailam—is determined based on the patient’s prakriti (body constitution) and condition.
Njavarakizhi (Shashtika shali pinda swedanam)
Njavarakizhi (Shashtika Shali Pinda Swedam) is Ayurveda's most powerful muscle and disc-rebuilding therapy, prescribed at Agasthya for IVDP, disc prolapse, and post-injury recovery. Njavara rice — cooked in cow’s milk and Bala root decoction — is packed into linen boluses and massaged over the body by two therapists working simultaneously in seven positions. The boluses are continuously re-dipped into the warm rice-milk mixture to maintain therapeutic temperature and saturation. The unique combination of heat, the anabolic properties of Njavara rice, the nerve-strengthening effect of Bala decoction, and the nourishing quality of cow’s milk rebuilds intervertebral disc tissue, strengthens muscles, and reverses nerve damage — conditions where most other therapies have limited effect. At Agasthya, Njavarakizhi is a cornerstone treatment for patients recovering from disc prolapse, osteoarthritis, and spinal conditions over 14–21 day in-patient programmes.
Nasyam
Nasyam treatment at Agasthya Kerala is effective for cervical spondylosis, chronic sinusitis, migraine & frozen shoulder. This Panchakarma procedure instills medicated oils into the nostrils to purify all channels above the shoulder — sinuses, throat, head, and brain. The face, neck, and chest receive a preparatory warm oil massage before medicated preparations are administered drop by drop. As the medicine travels via the olfactory nerve pathway to the brain, Nasyam provides relief for conditions that standard treatments cannot reach. At Agasthya, Dhoomapanam (herbal smoke inhalation) and Kabalam (medicated gargling) are added as pashchat karma to deepen the therapeutic effect. Prescribed for 7–14 day treatment protocols by Dr. T.D. Bose based on each patient's specific prakriti and condition.
Shiro-Abhyangam
In this procedure, massage is done over the head and the scalp with medicated oils which is selected according to the condition of the patient
Ela Kizhi
Ela Kizhi is a herbal leaf bolus massage where warm herbal leaves are used in bolus form for massage therapy.
Upanaham
Upanaham is a sustained-contact poultice therapy where a warm medicated herbal paste is applied directly to the affected joint or region and held in place with a bandage — often kept on for several hours, frequently overnight. Unlike a massage that delivers medicine for a few minutes, Upanaham gives the herbs hours to penetrate deep into the tissue. At Agasthya, Upanaham is one of the most heavily relied-on therapies for chronic back pain, disc bulge, sciatica, knee osteoarthritis, and cervical spondylosis — wherever the goal is concentrated, localised, prolonged drug delivery into a specific region. The paste composition is selected by Dr. T.D. Bose based on whether the underlying picture is Vata-aggravated (warming, oily formulations), Pitta-inflammatory (cooling, soothing formulations), or Kapha-stagnant (drying, penetrating formulations).
Dhanyamla Dhara
Dhanyamla Dhara is a continuous warm stream of fermented grain decoction (dhanyamla) poured over the body, typically over the back, joints, or affected region. The fermented decoction is mildly sour, deeply anti-inflammatory, and especially effective in Vata-Kapha presentations — rheumatoid arthritis, sciatic flare-ups, inflammatory joint disease, and peripheral neuritis. Unlike Pizhichil (which uses warm oil), Dhanyamla Dhara uses a sour herbal decoction whose acidic, warming, penetrating nature breaks Kapha stagnation and reduces deep inflammation that oils alone struggle to reach. Two therapists work in coordination to maintain a steady stream and uniform warmth across the affected area. At Agasthya, Dhanyamla Dhara is regularly prescribed for inflammatory and rheumatic presentations of back pain, sciatica, and joint disease.
Bashpa Swedam (Medicated Steam Therapy)
Bashpa Swedam is medicated steam therapy — the patient sits or lies in a steam chamber while herbal-infused steam circulates around the body (the head is kept outside the chamber). It is rarely prescribed in isolation; instead, it is the essential second step after Abhyangam in almost every Agasthya protocol. The oil applied during Abhyangam needs heat to penetrate deeper into the tissues, and steam is what opens the srotas (channels) and lets that happen. Without Bashpa Swedam, oil sits on the skin; with it, oil reaches the muscle, joint, and connective tissue layers where the actual therapy works. Beyond its role as an enabler, Bashpa Swedam is therapeutic in its own right — it mobilises Ama (metabolic toxins), relieves stiffness, and is the foundation of every Vata-Kapha-pacifying treatment plan.
Naranga Kizhi (Lemon Bolus)
Naranga Kizhi is a warming, anti-Vata bolus therapy where sour lemons are sliced and combined with rock salt, fenugreek, mustard, and rasnadi powder, tied into a linen bolus, sauteed in warm medicated oil, and massaged over the affected area. The combination of sour-fermenting citrus, warming herbs, and oil penetration makes Naranga Kizhi one of the most effective therapies for stubborn Vata-Kapha presentations — frozen shoulder, painful sciatica, post-stroke spasticity, and chronic neck stiffness. At Agasthya it is commonly prescribed for frozen shoulder protocols, severe sciatica, and conditions where deep, penetrating warmth is needed to break long-standing stagnation. The therapy is intensely warming and is selected when softer approaches have not produced sufficient mobilisation.
Lepanam
Lepanam is the topical application of a freshly prepared medicated paste to an affected area — left exposed (not bandaged) to act for 1–3 hours before being washed off. It is the more straightforward cousin of Upanaham: where Upanaham seals the medicine in for hours overnight, Lepanam delivers a shorter, cooler, more accessible localised treatment. The paste is composed of herbs ground fresh with a suitable liquid (water, buttermilk, or herbal decoction), selected by the treating physician for the underlying picture — cooling paste for inflammatory, hot, swollen presentations; warming paste for stiff, cold, Vata-aggravated presentations. At Agasthya, Lepanam is regularly used for localised joint swelling, sprains, contusions, acute cervical inflammation, and skin-level inflammatory conditions where targeted herbal application is more appropriate than systemic therapy.
Mamsakizhi
Mamsakizhi is one of Ayurveda's most powerfully anabolic bolus therapies — prepared with carefully selected animal protein, medicated decoctions, and rebuilding herbs, then bundled into linen boluses and massaged warm over the affected region. It is reserved for cases where deep tissue rebuilding is the priority: muscle wasting after prolonged illness or surgery, post-stroke paralysis, severe debility, neurological weakness, and conditions involving Mamsa Dhatu Kshaya (depletion of the muscle tissue layer). Where Njavarakizhi is the cornerstone anabolic therapy for most muscle and disc rebuilding, Mamsakizhi is brought in when the rebuilding required is even more intense — typically in patients with significant emaciation, atrophy, or post-paralytic weakness. At Agasthya, Mamsakizhi is prescribed selectively by Dr. T.D. Bose for specific rebuilding indications within longer treatment programmes.
Nadiswetham (Tubular Localised Steam)
Nadiswetham is a focused, localised steam therapy where medicated steam is directed at a specific joint or affected region through a tube (nadi), rather than enveloping the whole body as in Bashpa Swedam. The tube allows the therapist to target a single area — a frozen shoulder, an arthritic knee, a stiff neck — with concentrated warmth and herbal vapour, opening srotas precisely where they need to be opened. It is the therapy of choice when the rest of the body is in good condition but one specific joint or region needs intensive, targeted treatment. Often paired with a preceding oil application (Abhyangam or local oil massage) so the warmth drives the oil deep into exactly the area being treated.
Snehapanam
Snehapanam is the internal administration of medicated ghee (or, less commonly, medicated oil) over a series of mornings in graduated, increasing doses. Unlike external therapies that work on the surface, Snehapanam lubricates the body from within — saturating tissues at the cellular level, lubricating joints, mobilising deep-seated toxins (Ama) lodged in the channels, and preparing the body for the major purificatory therapies of Panchakarma. The medicated ghee is selected by Dr. T.D. Bose based on your prakriti and condition: different ghee preparations target different organ systems and dosha imbalances. Snehapanam is also a stand-alone therapy in chronic skin disease, certain neurological conditions, and joint conditions involving long-standing Vata aggravation. The course typically runs 3–7 days with the patient drinking the ghee in carefully measured doses each morning on an empty stomach.
Beyond Treatment
Special Packages
Customized treatment programmes designed for specific needs — from post-retirement wellness to international patient packages.
Post-Retirement Rejuvenation Therapy
A one-of-its-kind special package designed by Agasthya for retirees. Combines therapeutic Ayurvedic treatment with rejuvenation therapies to address age-related bone and joint ailments, restore mobility, and promote overall vitality.
Enquire about this packagePanchakarma & Tourism Package
For international and domestic tourists who want to combine authentic Panchakarma treatment with Kerala's backwater experiences. Includes treatment, backwater boat rides, and nearby resort accommodation — fully customized to your needs.
Plan your visitKarkidaka Chikitsa (Seasonal)
Special treatment package during the Malayalam month of Karkidakam (mid-July to mid-August) — traditionally considered the best time for Ayurvedic treatment. The monsoon climate enhances the body's receptivity to herbal medicines and therapies.
Book in advancePost-Pregnancy Care
Specialized Ayurvedic care for new mothers — designed to restore strength, relieve post-delivery aches, and support recovery through traditional Kerala postpartum treatments including therapeutic massages and herbal medicines.
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