This self-check asks about ten everyday signs over the last two weeks, such as feeling heavy, tired without effort or off your food, and shows how much of the picture the Ashtanga Hridayam gives for ama your answers match. Ama is the tradition’s word for the unripe residue of weak digestion. The ten signs are the ones the text lists in two consecutive verses, Sutrasthana 13.23 to 24, and the result shows each sign with its Sanskrit term.
It is a reflection on a traditional idea, not a test. There is no test for ama, and the result cannot say whether you have it.
How it works
The Ashtanga Hridayam, Sutrasthana 13.23 to 24, lists the marks of doshas mixed with ama: srotorodha, obstruction of the channels; balabhramsha, loss of strength; gaurava, heaviness; anila-mudhata, vata confused or held up in its movement; alasya, lethargy; apakti, indigestion; nishthiva, spitting; malasanga, retention of wastes; aruchi, loss of taste for food; and klama, tiredness without exertion. Verse 24 ends by saying that the doshas free of ama show the opposite. The next verse, 13.25, describes ama itself as the first tissue, rasa, left undigested when the digestive heat is weak.
The quiz turns each term into one plain question, and the wording is our own reading. You answer often, sometimes or rarely, and need to answer at least 8 of the 10. Often counts 2 points, sometimes 1 and rarely 0, out of 20. A total of 0 to 4 is shown as little of the picture, 5 to 10 as some and 11 to 20 as much. These bands are our own and are not from a text.
Reading the result
The result says how many signs you marked often, sometimes and rarely, and which band your total falls in. If you marked four or more signs as often, it opens with a note to see a doctor, because several of these together, lasting more than two or three weeks, deserve a medical check whatever the tradition calls them. Below that come the gentle habits from this site’s page on ama: regular meals eaten when hungry, fresh, warm, simply cooked food, a lighter and earlier evening meal, enough fluids, daily movement and sleep at night. None of them claims to remove ama, and the result never suggests a fast, a cleanse or a herb.
Where traditions differ
Teachers today add signs that are not in these verses, most often a thick coating on the tongue, foul-smelling or sticky stools and bad breath, as the page on ama describes. This quiz keeps to the ten signs of Sutrasthana 13.23 to 24 so that every question points to a line in a text. Teachers also read some of the terms differently: anila-mudhata is usually explained as wind that does not move as it should, and malasanga as constipation, or the retention of wastes in general. The word ama is often translated as toxins, which is not what the texts mean, as the ama page explains.
What it does not do
It does not diagnose, and it names no condition. The ten signs are common and have many causes, among them anaemia, thyroid problems, diabetes, infections, low mood and the side effects of medicines. See a doctor, and do not put it down to ama, if you have unexplained weight loss, blood in your stool or black stools, vomiting, difficulty swallowing, severe or lasting stomach pain, a change in bowel habit that lasts more than three weeks, a fever, or tiredness or low mood that does not lift. Please do not fast, take purgatives or follow a cleanse because of this result. The agni quiz looks at everyday appetite in the tradition’s words, and the medical disclaimer explains the limits of this site.
Frequently asked questions
↳ What are the signs of ama in Ayurveda?
The Ashtanga Hridayam, Sutrasthana 13.23 to 24, lists ten: obstruction of the channels, loss of strength, heaviness, vata held up in its movement, lethargy, indigestion, spitting, retention of wastes, loss of taste for food and tiredness without exertion.
↳ Can this quiz tell me if I have ama?
No. Ama is a traditional idea and there is no test for it. The quiz shows how much of the text's picture your answers match, and nothing more.
↳ Is a coated tongue a sign of ama?
Many teachers say so, but it is not in the verses this quiz follows. A coated tongue also comes from a dry mouth, smoking or infection. If it lasts, have it looked at by a doctor.
↳ Should I do a detox if my result is high?
No. There is no good evidence that detox programmes remove toxins, and fasting, purgatives and cleanses can cause harm. If many of the signs are with you often, please see a doctor first.
↳ What does the tradition suggest instead?
Ordinary habits: regular meals eaten when hungry, fresh warm food, a lighter and earlier evening meal, enough fluids, daily movement and sleep at night. They are general habits, not a treatment.