• Salty, sour, hot, spicy food.

• Sour curds

• Alcohol.

• Cheese

• Charred and overcooked food.

• Sesame , Bengal gram , horse gram , sesame oil, rice flour, garlic, fish.

Opposite foods

• Curds ,  salt, mushrooms , bamboo shoots , sour fruits , meat , prawn , pork,  should not be consumed with  milk . The above mentioned foods should not be consumed by mixing one item with another.
• Sprouts, honey and milk should not be consumed with meat and fish.
• Fish  & milk : fish &sugarcane juice;  jaggery & pork ;  honey & pork;  milk & mango;  banana & milk ;   are opposite foods.

The Transmission Of genital Herpes

A person can get genital herpes in following conditions

1. If he is sexual active and when he performs sex (oral or genital) with infected partners.
2. A person who has oral herpes transmits herpes to genital organs of a partner during oral sex and a person who has genital herpes transmits this to his partner during coitus when they have a genital contact.
3. The disease gets transmitted when mucous membrane comes in contact with infected area.

The disease gets transmitted mostly during active phase. But it may spread even during asymptomatic  (when person is free of symptoms for a particular duration) phase. The virus needs a fluid media for its transportation. The body fluids like saliva, semen, vaginal tract secretions etc. Mucous membranes in mouth, vagina, urethra or open wounds facilitate the virus invasion due to their moistness.

In Genital  herpes there is an imbalance of all three doshas  (VATA, PITTA , KAPHA) which in turn vitiate lasika (lymph) , blood (rakta) , muscle (mamsa) and skin (twacha) .

The imbalanced doshas vitiate skin and the immunity of skin cells is lowered. The virus attacks these weak cells and starts exhibiting symptoms on affected area.

Local symptoms

1. Pricking sensation
2. Edema
3. Pain
4. Feeling of constriction
5. A sensation of ant creeping
6. Many small eruptions gathering in a small area.
7. These eruptions or blisters burst soon with exudates.
8. These blisters will have different colors according to involvement of doshas.   (Blackish red or blue in vata , red ,yellow , copper colored in pitta , shades of white in kapha).

  The weakened  body  immune system tries to resist the virus invasion but fails to  achieve the goal. In this futile attempt the following systemic symptoms are exhibited.

Systemic symptoms

1. Fever
2. Weakness
3. Indigestion
4. Impaired bowels
5. Increased frequency of urination.
6. Body pain.
7. Increased thirst.

Imbalanced vata causes the symptoms like pain, swelling and body ache The imbalanced pitta and vitiated blood and skin cause

1.      Blisters,

2.      Change the color of skin,

3.      Cause burning sensation, and fever.

  The imbalanced kapha and vitiated lymph cause itching, tingling sensation.

After the first attack the virus moves from skin through the nerve paths to base of the nerve and becomes inactive. Now the herpes infected person will be devoid of all symptoms. But the imbalance of doshas still persists.

Reactivation of Virus to cause outbreaks

At unpredictable times, the virus becomes active. It multiplies and resurfaces on skin by traveling through the nerve path and exhibits the symptoms locally. The severity of symptoms of out break depends on the strength of body immunity.

The pelvis or shroni ,nerves and skin are dominated by vata. When vata gets vitiated due to precipitating factors , it reactivates the virus dormant in base of nerve end and the virus travel through nerve paths to reach the skin surface.

As we know the outbreaks have few precipitating factors like

1. Excessive exposure to sun.
2. Illness,
3. Poor diet,
4. Emotional stress
5. Physical stress,
6. Friction,
7. Steroids
8. Menstruation.
9. Emotional stress.
10. Genital trauma and intercourse.
11. Repeated infections such as a cold or pneumonia.

These factors increase vata and increased vata activates the virus which is dormant.

Low Immunity The systemically imbalanced doshas interfere with the body metabolism by vitiating the body fire (agni). This leads to indigestion and malassimilation of nutrients, which in turn causes poor immunity. Due to decreased immunity the body fails to offer resistance to outbreaks.

Ayurveda Tips to avoid outbreaks

1. Spicy, sour, fried and junk food, which aggravates vata.
2. Precipitating factors.
3. Sleeping in afternoon.
4. Meat products over fried or deep fried with oil or fat.
5. Charred and overcooked food.
6. Consuming opposite food like fish and milk etc
7. Physical exertion after a meal.
8. Taking bath immediately after exercise or heavy outdoor work
9. Include honey, pomegranate, fruits of Emblica officinalis, legumes, dates and raisins in your diet.
10. Practice Yoga and Meditation to control emotional disturbances

Ayurveda References

1.       Sushruta Samhita

2.      Charaka Samhita

3.      Madhava nidana

4.     Ashtanga Sangraha

5.     Yoga Ratnakara