The Three Malas in Ayurveda: Stool, Urine and Sweat Explained

Mala is the Sanskrit word for waste or impurity. In Ayurveda the malas are the waste products of the body, and the tradition teaches that health depends on their being formed and passed in proper measure. The three principal malas are purisha (stool), mutra (urine) and sweda (sweat).

This page describes what the classical texts say about the malas, how they relate to digestion and the tissues, and what the tradition suggests about regular elimination. The malas are part of a traditional vocabulary, and this page is not a guide to diagnosing bowel, urinary or skin conditions. Those need a doctor.

Why the malas matter in the texts

The Ashtanga Hridayam, in its chapter on the doshas, dhatus and malas, says that the body is rooted in these three groups. The doshas are the active principles, the dhatus are the tissues they support, and the malas are what is left over after the tissues have been nourished. The Charaka Samhita and the Sushruta Samhita agree that the malas are not merely rubbish. Their quantity and quality are read as signs of how digestion and the tissues are working.

This is why Ayurvedic practitioners ask about stool, urine and sweat as a routine part of history taking, and why the tradition teaches that these should be observed with attention and not embarrassment. A modern doctor also asks about bowel habit and urine, for much the same reason.

The three malas

Purisha, stool. The texts describe stool as the waste of the digested food, formed in the large intestine, which is also the main seat of vata. Healthy stool is described as formed, easily passed and without strong odour, and the passage as regular, usually once or twice a day. Teachers connect hard, dry, infrequent stool with vata, loose, hot, yellowish stool with pitta, and sticky, heavy, pale stool with kapha.

Mutra, urine. Urine is described as the waste of the fluid part of what is drunk and digested. It is said to be formed in the bladder region, and healthy urine is described as pale straw in colour, passed several times a day without difficulty or pain. The tradition links changes in amount and colour with the doshas in a similar way, and the modern advice to notice colour and frequency is an ordinary one.

Sweda, sweat. Sweat is described as a waste associated with the fat tissue, and as the means by which heat is regulated through the skin. The texts note that sweat in healthy measure keeps the skin soft and the body at an even temperature, and that excessive sweat or no sweat in the heat are changes to be noted. The tradition says it is worth observing smell, quantity and the circumstances.

The waste products of the tissues

The texts also name by-products of each tissue, sometimes called dhatu malas. The Charaka Samhita gives, for example, a kapha-like waste from the first tissue, a pitta-like waste from blood, secretions of the ear and nose from muscle, sweat from fat, and hair and nails from bone. The lists differ between the texts and between teachers, so these should be read as examples and not as an agreed scheme. The tradition uses them to teach that every stage of nourishment has its by-product, and that a tissue that is working well produces its by-product in proper measure.

Elimination habits the tradition describes

The tradition lists a set of natural urges, called vegas, that should not be held back. These include the urges to pass stool and urine, to pass wind, to sneeze, to cough, to belch, to yawn, to sleep and to eat or drink. The texts say that suppressing them is a cause of vata disturbance. Teachers advise answering them when they arise.

As general wellbeing habits, and not as treatment, they suggest the following.

• Go when the urge comes. Do not delay or strain.
• Keep a regular time for the morning visit. Waking at a regular hour and a warm drink are the traditional aids, and the daily routine section gives a full morning routine.
• Drink enough through the day. Sip water or warm drinks, according to the weather.
• Eat regular meals with vegetables and whole grains. This matches mainstream advice on fibre, and the food section will cover it.
• Keep the skin clean and the body moving. Washing and exercise are the traditional means of caring for sweat.

What modern research says

Doctors ask about bowel habit, urine and sweating because changes in them can be early signs of a range of conditions. Fibre, fluids and activity are linked in studies with regular bowel movements. The idea that holding back natural urges causes particular diseases is not tested as the texts put it, though holding urine or stool for long periods is known to cause discomfort and can contribute to problems. The malas as a system are a traditional concept and not a clinical test.

Safety notes

Please do not use laxative herbs, enemas, purgatives or fasting to change elimination without medical advice. These can cause dehydration, loss of salts and dependence, and some imported Ayurvedic laxatives have been found to contain heavy metals. Pregnant or breastfeeding women, children, older adults and anyone with kidney, liver, heart or bowel disease, or on regular medicines, should ask a doctor first.

See a doctor promptly for blood in stool or urine, black stool, pain on passing urine, a lasting change in bowel habit, constipation lasting more than a couple of weeks, diarrhoea lasting more than a few days, unexplained weight loss, or heavy night sweats. These are not a matter of dosha.

This is educational content only. Read the medical disclaimer, see a doctor for any bowel, urinary or other health concern, and see a registered Ayurvedic practitioner (BAMS in India) for Ayurvedic treatment.

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