Strotas – Channels/Ducts of Transportation
The entire body is composed of uncountable channels called srotas. These are the spaces that carry and transform materials.
There are 13 subtypes of srotas. Three input srotas – anna (food), udaka (water) and prāṇa (breath/air), seven srotas for seven dhātus, three srotas for three malas. ‘Vaha’ is indicative of a carrier flow. Hence, Prāṇavaha is the carrier of ‘breath’/ ‘prāṇa’ and so on.
Each of these has its defined sources/base, which are important to remember.
Input srotas
1. Annavaha Srotas – Nutrition channel
Root: Āmāśaya (stomach), left side of the flank.
Cause of dusti/vitiation: Excessive food, wrong times, wrong foods, agni vitiation.
Effects of dusti/vitiation: Loss of appetite, inability to taste foods, indigestion, bloating, vomiting, etc.
2. Udakavaha Srotas – Water
Root: Palate and kloma (pancreas).
Cause of dusti/vitiation: Excessively hot food, āma, fear, alcohol, dry foods, controlling thirst.
Effects of dusti/vitiation: Dryness of the tongue, palate, throat, excessive thirst.
3. Pranavaha Srotas: Prana/Breath
Root: Hṛdaya (heart), mahāsrotas (digestive channel).
Cause of dusti/vitiation: Depleted states of dhātu, suppression of natural bodily urges, exercising while hungry, excessive physical exertion.
Effects of dusti/vitiation: Shallow, restricted, excessive breathing with sounds.
Tissue srotas
4. Rasavaha Srotas – Plasma, Serum, or Lymph channels
Root: Hṛdaya (heart), 10 dhamanī (arteries)
Cause of dusti/vitiation: Eating very heavy, greasy, cold, excessive quantity foods, worry.
Effects of dusti/vitiation: See in dhātu depletion and increase page.
5. Raktavaha Srotas – Blood and its components
Root: Yakṛt (liver), plīha (spleen)
Cause of dusti/vitiation: Eating foods which cause burning, excessively lubricated, hot, increased exposure to sun and wind.
Effects of dusti/vitiation: See in dhātu depletion and increase page.
6. Mamsavaha Srotas – Muscle channels
Root: Snāyu (ligaments), tvak (skin)
Cause of dusti/vitiation: Congestive, heavy foods.
Effects of dusti/vitiation: See in dhātu depletion and increase page.
7. Medovaha Srotas – Adipose tissue channels
Root: Adipose tissue – vṛkka (kidneys) and vapāvahana (omentum)
Cause of dusti/vitiation: Not exercising, daytime sleep, eating fatty foods, alcohol.
Effects of dusti/vitiation: See in dhātu depletion and increase page.
8. Asthivaha Srotas – Bone tissue
Root: Meda (fat), jaghana (femur)
Cause of dusti/vitiation: Excessive exercise, trauma, eating vāta aggravating foods.
Effects of dusti/vitiation: See in dhātu depletion and increase page.
9. Majjavaha Srotas – Nervous tissue
Root: Asthi (bone), sandhi (joints)
Cause of dusti/vitiation: Trauma, congestion, eating viruddha foods (with conflicting properties)
Effects of dusti/vitiation: See in dhātu depletion and increase page.
10. Sukravaha Srotas – Reproductive channel
Root: Vṛṣaṇa (scrotum), śepha (penis)
Cause of dusti/vitiation: Having sex at wrong times, with wrong people, not having sex, surgery, fiery, alkaline substances.
Effects of dusti/vitiation: See in dhātu depletion and increase page.
Output srotas
11. Mutravaha Srotas – The urinary tract
Root: Vasti (bladder), vaṅkṣaṇa (pelvis)
Cause of dusti/vitiation: Suppressing the urge to urinate; intaking of drinks, food, or indulgence in sex while having the urge, suppressing the urge in extreme emaciation and trauma states.
Effects of dusti/vitiation: Excessive urination, frequent urination in small quantities, discolored urination, painful micturition, urine with residue.
12. Purisavaha Srotas – The fecal channel
Root: Pakvāśaya (colon) and sthūlaguda (anus)
Cause of dusti/vitiation: Controlling urge, excessive food, indigestion, eating when previous food is not digested, weak agni of a very thin person.
Effects of dusti/vitiation: Defecation with difficulty, pain, or sounds, very loose, chunky, excessive
13. Svedavaha Srotas – Sweat channels
Root: Meda (fat), lomakūpa (hair follicles)
Cause of dusti/vitiation: Excessive exercise, sun exposure, alternate hot and cold environment, anger, grief, fear.
Effects of dusti/vitiation: Lack of sweating, excessive sweat, roughness, hardness, excessive stickiness, burning of the skin
Other srotas which are often mentioned and treated
14. Manovaha Srotas – The mind channels
Effects of dusti/vitiation: Anxiety, depression, bipolar, ADHD, etc.
15. Stanyavaha Srotas – In women, the lactation channels
Effects of dusti/vitiation: Mastitis, breast cancer, etc.
16. Rajavaha (Artavavaha) Srotas – In women the menstrual channels
Root: Garbhāśaya (uterus), ārtavavāhini dhamanīs
Effects of dusti/vitiation: Menorrhagia, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, etc.
17. Maha Srotas
Root: The largest channel from mouth to the anus, containing the Annavaha and the Purīṣavaha srotas
