Oiled Reality: Ayurveda in Kerala

(Or how to tell ancient wisdom from a mediocre massage with an ocean view)

📖 Introduction to Ayurveda

We’re not doctors, not gurus, not licensed oil therapists, and not even organizers of the VIP retreat “How Not to Get Fooled”. We just live here. We listen. We observe.

So let’s get this straight: this article is our subjective take. We’re not claiming the truth, we don’t promote any specific clinics, and we definitely don’t give medical (or other) advice. We’re simply sharing what we see with our own eyes and hear from those who’ve encountered Ayurveda not in a glossy brochure, but in real life.

 Facts, opinions — and you’re welcome to draw your own conclusions.

🌴 Ayurveda Today: The Oil Is Flowing 🌊

Kerala has long prided itself on being the birthplace of Ayurveda. But in the past couple of years, something more intense than a monsoon-on-schedule has been happening. This isn’t just interest anymore — this is a full-blown Ayurvedic boom.

Clinics, consultation huts 🛖 and “deep-dive personal sessions” are sprouting like mushrooms after rain.

Practitioners seem to pop up overnight: yesterday someone was pouring tea at the bus stop, and today they’re “double-certified” with a portfolio on LinkedIn. Some of them — no joke — are ready to come to your home. Or, if you invite nicely, to your country. And for surprisingly little money.

 Locals are flocking to train as Ayurvedic specialists. On top of English, many are now learning Russian, reading Slavic forums, rehearsing phrases like “your pitta is slightly agitated,” and confidently aiming at clientele with northern accents.

The Kerala government is riding this wave. Endless conferences, symposiums, and global strategy meetings are held to discuss development, standardization, and export.

The Kerala government is riding this wave. Endless conferences, symposiums, and global strategy meetings are held to discuss development, standardization, and export.

And don’t think that the love for Ayurvedic wonders is only for fair-skinned spiritual seekers. Locals line up too — some for weight loss, some for back pain, and some to relieve serious conditions. And a few — just to finally experience chavitti thirumal — the massage where someone literally walks on you. Slowly. With pressure. With heart.

💬 10 Real Questions That Prove Ayurveda Is Now Cultural Code

❓Can I go swimming in the ocean during vasti, if I’m careful?

❓Is it okay to have vamana right after breakfast?

❓I want to bring my kids along for full panchakarma. Will they have something to do?

❓I’ve only got 2 free days left — can I get rid of excess Vata in that time?

❓Coming for the full 21-day panchakarma — by the way, what’s the alcohol situation in Kerala?

❓Is there such a thing as Ayurveda without oil?

❓They told me I shouldn’t eat after six — is that local time or Moscow time?

❓How do I switch my dosha?

❓What’s the best month for virechana?

❓What works better — karna purana or nasya? Looking for honest feedback from those who’ve tried!

🧪 Quick Guide to What Ayurveda Actually Is

In simplest terms, Ayurveda is a traditional Indian medical system that’s over 3,000 years old. Its core principle is the balance of three doshas — vata, pitta, and kapha — and it sees health as a holistic state of equilibrium between body, mind, digestion, daily rhythm, and mood.

Diagnosis in Ayurveda is usually slow and thoughtful. It often includes:

 – a detailed interview,

 – examining tongue, skin, eyes, and pulse,

 – analyzing diet and lifestyle.

❗️And no, Ayurveda is not just panchakarma. That may be its signature export, but the system includes dozens — if not hundreds — of treatments. Some lesser-known examples include:

 – Pitta vasti — oil enemas to cool internal fire,

 – Udvartana — dry herbal powder massage,

 – Tapa sweda — local heat therapy with herbal pouches,

 – Charana abhyanga — oil massage of the feet with medicinal oils,

 – Akshitarpana — a therapy where your eyes are bathed in ghee inside a ring of dough (!).

In addition to procedures, Ayurveda is a lifestyle: diet, sleep schedule, physical activity, breathing techniques, mental clarity, and seasonal adjustments are not optional — they are key components of healing.Some call it science. Some call it a way of life. Some — marketing in warm oil. In Kerala, it’s not a theory. It’s daily life, with appointments, oil quotas, and price tags.

✅ What Actually Works

Naturally, when it comes to traditional medical systems, people want to know: is there any scientific backing?

 Answer — yes, but selectively.

 Some Ayurvedic treatments and approaches are indeed supported by modern research — especially in areas like gentle recovery, stress reduction, improved sleep, chronic pain relief, and digestive support.

 📌 Sample areas where Ayurveda shows effectiveness:– Chronic pain and arthritis — studies show Ayurvedic oils and plant-based remedies can reduce inflammation and improve joint mobility.

👉 Singh et al., 2011, Rheumatology International– Digestive disorders — Triphala and other preparations help regulate digestion, reduce bloating, and improve gut health.

👉 Kumar et al., 2016, Journal of Integrative Medicine– Post-trauma recovery — in several Indian government hospitals (e.g., Sreedhareeyam, Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala), Ayurveda is used for rehabilitation after fractures, surgery, and even eye procedures.

👉 WHO Global Report on Traditional and Complementary Medicine, 2019– Stress, anxiety, and insomnia — especially in combination with yoga, pranayama, and structured routines.

👉 Telles et al., 2012, Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine– Oil therapies like abhyanga and shirodhara — improve blood circulation, promote relaxation, and help normalize sleep.

⚠️ Important: None of this works in isolation. It only helps when part of a full system:

– accurate diagnosis

– personalized recommendations

– dietary compliance and routines

– ongoing contact with the physician

– no one-size-fits-all "just oil everyone and let’s hope for the best" approach

📚 For the curious: search for 'panchakarma' on 

🐍 What Raises Questions

Here’s where the oil starts to slip into the territory of mysticism and marketing.

 Yes, Ayurveda is ancient. But that’s often exactly what gets used to justify anything.

 In touristy areas, you might hear:

 — 'Ayurveda cures everything!'

 — 'After seven sessions, you’ll be a different person!'

 — 'Panchakarma cleanses not only your body, but your karma!'

This kind of universal claim should raise red flags. Medicine that cures everything usually cures nothing. Especially when the treatment is prescribed without examination, medical history, or conversation. That’s not therapy — it’s an expensive oil bath.

Worse still is the 'template treatment': you walk in, sit down, and without a word they prescribe abhyanga and shirodhara, hand you a bottle of oil, and say, 'Come back tomorrow, you're almost purified.'

In those moments, it feels like you’re not seeing a doctor, but a kind of ancient hookah master who offers the same mixture to every client — just with a different scent.

 You begin to wonder:

 – Why don’t the medicines list their ingredients?

 – Why was I prescribed a cleansing enema without a single dietary question?

 – Why did the 'eye therapy' turn out to be a bowl of ghee and a prayer?

 No answers. But the course? Pre-paid.

🧭 In the end, the takeaway is this: Ayurveda isn’t magic or scam — it’s a serious system that requires wise choices, self-awareness, and common sense. Especially in a place where someone’s ready to balance your pitta before you’ve even said namaste.

📚 For balance: here’s a review from the Cochrane Library on the evidence base for Ayurveda

🧴 What Locals Say: Three Heads and One Coconut

Ask any local in Kerala about Ayurveda — and you’ll likely get three answers. Sometimes even from the same person.

 Opinions diverge like the heads of a mythological hydra. Or, as they say in Kerala, like a coconut tree with two trunks — one root, but growing in wildly different directions.

🟢 The Respectfully Natural Head

Most common among elders, villagers, and those who turn to Ayurveda as real medicine, not a leisure activity:

— 'Herbs are better than pills.'

— 'Every illness has a dosha.'

— 'A true doctor knows you since childhood.'

They know which leaf to boil, what root to add to rice, and which healer to visit when your pitta misbehaves.

🟡 The Critically Scientific Head

Often voiced by the younger generation, IT workers, and city pragmatists:

— 'Just grandma’s tales.'

— 'You get oiled, washed — and sick again.'

— 'In our village, we only trust the dentist — and even then, only when he's sober.'

They see Ayurveda as a kind of poetic massage — pleasant, but not necessary.

🔵 The Philosophically Esoteric Head

This one comes with a whisper and wide eyes:

— 'True Ayurveda died 200 years ago.'

— 'Today it’s all for tourists. The real doctor lives in the forest. No sign. He finds you.'

— 'If he doesn’t appear in your dream — he’s not the one.'

This worldview leans more on mythology than medicine. Yet in Kerala, mythology is part of daily life. And many who come for a massage to post on Instagram end up on a ghee diet, looking for a healer known only to a taxi driver in a fishing village.

🧴 How to Tell Ancient Wisdom from Coconut Oil Head Rubs

If you walk into a clinic and hear:

 — 'Undress and lie down. Right here. On this table. You’re going to feel amazing.'

 And before you can say anything, they start pouring oil on your forehead —

 turn around. Slowly. With dignity. Your dosha will survive.

 Here’s a checklist of red flags that have nothing to do with real Ayurveda:

❌ No questions about your medical history

❌ No interest in past diagnoses or test results

❌ No in-depth consultation (a three-minute pulse check doesn’t count)

❌ No discussion about your goals or concerns

❌ Generic diet advice like: 'don’t eat onions'

❌ No lifestyle recommendations or daily schedule adjustments

❌ No personalized medicines (or you’re handed a one-size-fits-all powder)

❌ The whole treatment boils down to abhyanga, shirodhara, and smiles

A real Ayurvedic doctor isn’t just someone who smears warm ghee on your scalp.

 They are someone who:

🟢 Asks uncomfortable questions

🟢 Demands lab results

🟢 Digs into your full medical history

🟢 Asks about your lifestyle

🟢 Discusses your goals and expectations

🟢 And only then — with the soul of a sage and the rigor of a therapist — prescribes treatment

If the doctor didn’t ask what’s wrong, what you want, and what you’ve tried before — run. Even if it’s barefoot.

That’s not Ayurveda. That’s spa-lore with a Sanskrit flavor.

🧘‍♂️ Conclusion: Where the Oil Ends and Meaning Begins

Like any ancient practice, Ayurveda demands not blind faith but thoughtful commitment.

Yes, many things in it really work — especially if you’re willing to work with it: maintain a regimen, change habits, stop expecting instant results, and listen not just to your body but to reason.

We know people who return to Kerala every year for treatment — they look and feel fantastic.

But we also know those who left after three enemas and one shirodhara asking, ‘Was that medicine or just a show in warm oil?’

Ayurveda isn’t magic. And it’s not a luxury spa trend. It’s a complex, deep, multilayered medical system thousands of years old — and still alive today, despite mosquitoes in your shirodhara and marketing glitter on a therapist’s forehead.

It can truly help — if:

Ø You know why you’re going

Ø  You’ve found a doctor, not just a guy in white with oil

Ø  You’ve found a doctor, not just a guy in white with oil

Real Ayurveda takes:

🕒 Time

📋 Discipline

🧠 A deep dialogue between doctor and patient

And — believe it or not — it doesn’t start with massage, but with questions:

What’s bothering you?

What’s your goal?

How do you live?

What do you eat?

What are you hoping for?

And — believe it or not — it doesn’t start with massage, but with questions:

What’s bothering you? What’s your goal? How do you live? What do you eat? What are you hoping for?

But it exists.Sometimes — in a roadside clinic.Sometimes — in a government hospital.Sometimes — with a quiet old man whose waiting room is full of locals, not tourists in cotton tunics.Ayurveda is alive. But don’t look for it in the brochure.Look for it in essence. With a good translator — and even better patience.