Excessive Sweating: Ayurvedic Medicines, Home Remedies, Tips

As per Ayurveda, excessive sweating is caused due to high Pitta, problems with fat metabolism, mental conditions like stress, anxiety etc. Ayurveda offers cause-based remedies for this condition. 

First thing :
Excess sweating is a subjective issue for many. You need to keep an eye on weather, ventilation of the room, stress levels  before judging yourself. The best way to test yourself is to compare with others.

Medically, heavy sweating is called hyperhidrosis. It can affect entire body or just  a few areas like palms, soles, etc.

Causes

Causes for excess sweating:
If heavy sweating has no underlying medical cause, it’s called primary hyperhidrosis. This occurs when nervous system responsible for sweating is triggered excessively without a reason.

If the sweating is caused due to underlying disorder, it is called secondary hyperhidrosis.
People with diabetes, heart attack, hyperthyroidism, stress disorder, nearing to menopause, usually sweat more. 

Ayurvedic explanation

Excess sweating as per Ayurveda:
Ayurveda explains this condition as Swedadhikya. Sweda refer to sweat and adhikya means excess. In Ayurvedic texts, this condition is not referred as a separate disease. But, in several contexts, this is mentioned as a dominant feature of complex diseases. Especially individuals with Pitta body constitution and those who are suffering from Pitta imbalance disorders are commonly found with this complaint.

Useful tips for excessive sweating

How to control sweating – Tips and tricks
Avoid heavy exercise above your actual strength. Heavy exercise can cause high sweating, even if you are perfectly healthy. As per Ayurveda, you should stop exercise when you reach half of your actual strength. This is observed by symptoms like sweating on thighs, forehead and arms, heavy breathing etc.

Read related: How Long To Exercise? How Much Time To Workout?

Extra padding under arm and collar is useful if you sweat more in these areas.
Keep multiple Kerchiefs and a perfume handy
Always try to find a place near fans, to sit in auditorium etc.
Take spicy foods, garlic and onions with dinner rather than breakfast or lunch. So as to avoid sweat odour during morning hours.
Garlic and spicy foods can cause excess sweating. Use them in moderate quantities only.
Avoid black colour dresses as much as you can It absorbs and traps heat.
Avoid pure white dresses as well. It makes the sweat patches on the dress visible.
Take cold water bath.
If you are nearing to menopause (above 35 year women), sweating might be occuring as a symptom of a condition called peri-menopausal syndrome. If so, click, read and follow these tips.
Consume nutritive food, fruits and vegetables and avoid junk and stale foods, aerated drinks.
Avoid excess alcohol. If you are addicted, follow these alcoholism treatment tips
Drink good amounts of water whenever you feel thirsty to make up for the dehydration caused by sweating.
Sleep for at least 6 – 7 hours at night.

Line of treatment

Line of treatment for excessive sweating:  
I have explained four way approach of Ayurveda to control sweating below. However, as you might observe, in many cases, these approaches overlap with one another.
They are –

• Treating High Pitta
• Correction of Medo Dhatu – fat tissue storage and metabolism
• Treatment for stress, anxiety
• Stambhana – Blocking therapy to treat unexplained excess sweating.

Four way approach to treat severe sweating problems:
I. Treating High Pitta Dosha –
Pitta Dosha is responsible for hotness, digestion, body temperature, skin health and eye health
People with Pitta body type and Pitta dosha increase in the body naturally sweat more.
This type of sweating is associated with excess hotness, burning sensation, skin conditions like prickly heat etc.
It is also found in High Pitta disorders such as gastritis, migraine, bleeding disorders such as menorrhagia, nasal bleeding etc.
Remedies:
Following Pitta pacifying measures –
wearing a hat while going out under strong sunlight,
Soaking 10 raisins in water at night, having it on empty stomach, the next morning.
Soaking 20 grams of coriander in a cup of water at night, filtering it the next morning and having it. Learn more about coriander drink
Having a teaspoon of Amalaki Choorna (Amla powder) with jaggery or ghee, once or twice a day. etc.
Regular Virechana Panchakarma treatment – Purgation therapy.
Related:
How To Balance Pitta Dosha? Line Of Treatment
Ayurvedic Pitta Diet – food suitable for Pitta body type

II. Correcting fat tissue storage:
As per Ayurveda, sweat is termed as a waste byproduct of fat tissue.
“Malam Svedastu Medasaha”.  
Sweda = sweat is the Mala – waste product of Meda = fat.

Hence, reducing fat tissue in the body leads to reduction of Sweda.
For the said purpose, Ayurvedic medicines are required to
a. Reduce fat tissue in the body.
b. As per Ayurveda, fat tissue nourishes Asthi dhatu. (This is why, use of sesame oil, coconut oil and ghee leads to improvement in bone density and relief from arthritis). In some cases of obesity, the channels between Meda dhatu and bone tissues are blocked. So, Ayurvedic medicines also help to open up these channels, leading to easy conversion of excess fat tissue into bone tissue.
Few Ayurvedic medicines used for the above two purposes (a and b) –
(Click on the respective names of medicines to know more about them)
Triphala churna, Varanadi Kashayam, Varadi kashayam, Ayaskriti etc

III. Stress management:
Stress, fear and anxiety are related with excess sweating. They disturb the normal physiology of the body.
A few tips:
Try to breath slowly during anxiety and panic attacks.
Practice Pranayama. Click to learn a simple Pranayama technique
Apply a few drops of Brahmi oil or Ksheerabala oil on the scalp.

Read related:
Stress symptoms and remedies
Anxiety management with Ayurveda

IV. Stambhana chikitsa – Blocking therapy:
In cases of primary hyperhidrosis (where the cause is not known) and in cases of local excess sweating, like high sweating only in palms and feet, this therapy is useful.
The technique here is to partially block the sweat channels.

This is achieved by – 
a. Application of Chandanadi taila 1 hour before bath is beneficial. Rubbing it opposite to the hair follicles gives more and prolonged benefit. Then, warm water bath is taken first and later cold water bath is advised. It relieves the blemishes.
b. Use of astringent herbs like lotus stalk, betel nut, acacia, etc.
c. Fine powder of Sariva (Hemidesmus indicus), Chandana(Santalum album), Amalaki (Emblica officinalis), Lodhra(Symplocos racemosa), Khadira (Acacia catechu) and Musta (Cyperus rotundus) is made and mixed thoroughly. For 25 gram of powder approximately 50 ml rose water is added and fine paste is made. This is applied all over the body. Later it is left as it is for 15-20 minutes and bath is taken with cold water. It gives freshness and relieves bad body odours.
use of medicines like Chandanasava.

Click to read more about Sthambhana treatment

Home remedies

Home remedies to reduce sweating:
2-3 ml (10-15 drops) of jasmine oil or lavender oil or 20 ml of rose water is added to the bathing water (cold water). This decreases the sweating as well as bad odour of the body.

2 grams each of drugs Licorice – Yastimadhu,  Amla (Emblica officinalis), Haritaki(Terminalia chebula), Usheera (Vetiver) and Sandalwood (Santalum album) are taken and fine powder is made. This is added to cold water and taken twice daily (internally as drink). It relieves excessive sweating and fatigue.

Ayurvedic medicines

Ayurvedic medicines for excess sweating:
Sarivadyasava – Coolant and blood purifier.
Arvindasava-Soothes the tissues and pacifies the Pitta.
Usheerasava-Well known diuretic, coolant and body freshener.
Padmakadi kashaya– Rejuvinative, coolant and replenisher of the soft tissues.
Nishosheeradi Kashaya-Qualities as like Padmakadi kashaya.
Chandrakala Rasa -Cools and calms the mind.
Sarivadi Vati -Body soother and complexion enhancer. Reduces the chances of itching.
Saptamruta Loha-Potent drug to fulfil the need of Vitamin C and Iron content.