Agni Explained

The body’s biological fire

The central fire, called Jatharagni, governs the digestion and assimilation of food. The other agnis (the fire component in the cells, tissues and organs) perform the local process of digestion and nutrition.

When agni is robust and healthy, no matter what a person eats, the system digests, assimilates, and absorbs the food, then eliminates the impurities.

But when the dosha (bodily bio elements or doshas called Vata, Pitta and Kapha) is aggravated because of poor diet, an unhealthy lifestyle, or negative emotions, the aggravation first affects the agni, which becomes unbalanced. When agni becomes weakened or disturbed, food is not properly digested.