Virechanam means medically induced purgation. This is a cleansing method to clean the lower digestive tract. This is a method of cleansing for elimination of excessive pitha dosha. Virechanam is usually done after proper preparations as in every panchakarma. The medicine used will be decided after a thorough evaluation of the koshtum of the patient or the nature of the digestive tract. The medicine will be given to the patient in the morning in empty stomach. Then he has to drink warm Water to stimulate the digestive tract. The activities of the patient and his food will be highly restricted on the day.
The medicine will start its action only after digestion. During the process of digestion it absorbs lot of water from the intestines and there by diluting the contents of the stomach. This will stimulate the defecating centre in the brain and activates various secretions in the body like bile, pancreatic juice, other digestive juices etc. These increased amounts of hormones and secretions get collected in the stomach and by the peristaltic movements it gives a push propelling the stomach contents out. The excessive production of secretions in these glands makes them clean by removing the long collected ones. By that way the purgation clears liver, spleen and pancreas along with the digestive tract.