An increased awareness of inner beauty with a focus on detoxification through the skin provided the impetus for developing the Tanlepa treatment. The treatment is based on an ancient Ayurvedic therapy called Abhyanga (pronounced Aa-bhee-aan-guh) and Lepa (pronounced lay-puh) therapy that has been in practice in South Asia for the about 5,000 years.
The treatment is especially useful in helping to break down and then draw out toxins that are built up in the muscular-skeletal and lymphatic tissues due to toxic buildup from the environment, smoke, recreational or prescription drugs and stress. Detoxification benefits are provided in a single session helping to loosen and extract "stuck" toxins and move them back to the natural channels of elimination. The skin effectively and safely releases much of this and is therefore treated with nourishing herbal oils and a plant gel to rebalance and moisturize it in the recovery process.
Lifestyles that comprise incorrect eating patterns, smoking and drugs on a regular basis gradually build up inflammatory toxins in the systems. Sometimes these are more easily detected when they take root in physical areas such as the joints or the lungs. At other times though they are less obvious - the person might outwardly appear healthy, but reactions to stress then begin to minimize the immune system. The situation is then enhanced when stress related to work, travel and occupation becomes the norm for the individual. Men more than women, are prone to such pressures given their work environment and challenge. This is why men particularly benefit from the Tanlepa treatment.
Tanlepa effectively means "A medicinal plaster that is applied to the physical body". When the body is filled with toxic material then the normal organs of detoxification such as the liver, the colon, the lungs etc. become overloaded and impurities begin to show through the skin as rashes or acne outbreaks. Ayurveda has for centuries recognized the benefits of applying herbal oils to help dislodge impurities from the tissues and then applying plasters prepared from medicinal herbs to the body to help draw impurities out through the skin.
The Tanlepa treatment addresses overall wellness issues helping to maintain a balance of the three Ayurvedic doshas or bio-energetic forces - Vata (air-space bio-energetic force), Pitta (fire-water bio-energetic force), Kapha (water-earth bio-energetic force) such that they can best carry out their regular functions of movement, chemical change and structural support. Additionally, specially prepared clinical oils and plasters can also be utilized or applied locally on certain areas to achieve a specific purpose such as expectorating mucus, reducing joint inflammation, drawing out pus to a head or clearing a specific skin condition.
The Tanlepa treatment combines three different Ayurvedic therapies. First a dosha-specific oil abhyanga is provided along the nadis, or energy channels of the physical body. This works towards injecting oil into the seven tissue layers for loosening and liquefying congested matter. A herbal plaster called a Lepa is then applied all over the body in various thicknesses relevant to the doshas. The plaster is prepared from dried or fresh Ayurvedic herbs, its consistency is always semi-solid, neither too thick, nor too thin. The herbs can be prepared by mixing with water for easiest application.
It is however preferable to use ghee (clarified butter)as the Lepa mixer, as the mixture will then be better utilized for transporting herbal properties to the tissues and also ghee provides nourishing and emollient properties to the skin. The plasters are typically applied in an opposite direction to hair growth and are typically removed when they are dry or near dry. The individual is wrapped in dried banana leaves or a foil blanket to maintain warmth as the body releases heat. Then the plaster is washed off, and a longevity-enhancing herbal oil with Ayurvedic herbs such as tulsi, brahmi and ashwagandha, is poured along the energy channels of the body.
This helps to remove fatigue and initiate the process of recovery, building strong and healthy tissue. Finally, the Lepa is washed off and then skin nourished with a ghee and jatamansi flowers or aloe vera.
