Udwarthanam or Powder massage: This massage is done with dry warm herbal powder from the limbs towards the heart. This is meant for better lymphatic drainage and thereby reduces the water collection in the body. At first suitable oils for the body and the head are applied and a gentle massage done on the body. Then the warm, dry coarse powder massaged upward which imparts friction on the skin and helps to dissolve the fatty layer below the skin. This is usually done by 2 persons and for 45 minutes. After the massage the patient is allowed to take rest for a few minutes and later a hot water bath is given.

The powder usually used is a mixture of the following herbs:

• Sesame seeds
• Horse gram
• Cotton seeds
• Castor roots

Mode of action

This is mainly useful for reducing the amount of fat just under the skin layer. The warmth and the upward movements with rubbing help to dissolve the fatty layer and also to clean the skin. This gives good tone to the muscles and relieves the stiffness of the joints.

Indications

• To reduce body weight
• To clean the skin off discolorations and scars as in chronic skin diseases
• In early stages of nervous and muscular diseases
• In inflammatory joint diseases etc.