Ayurvedic Diet Guide for Painful Anal Fissures: Know What to Eat

Understanding the Relationship Between Ayurveda and Anal fissures

The Ayurveda term for anal fissure is "Parikartika", which means a cutting type of pain as if being injured by scissors.

Ayurveda explains that you get anal fissures when you face defecating difficulties, such as chronic constipation and diarrhoea.

When it comes to the causes of anal fissures, ayurvedic experts explain the following additional causes-

1. Sitting in the same place for a long time or improperly.
2. Severe constipation due to improper diet.
3. Improper application of enema treatment during panchakarma.
4. An increased dosage of laxative medications which leads to excessive diarrhoea
5. A deranged Vata dosha, especially Apana type of7( which manages the function of the bowels).

Apart from the anal fissures caused due to injuries from repeated trauma in the anal canal, all others are due to an improper diet.

Ayurveda's Perception of Foods that Cause Anal Fissures

If you ask an Ayurveda expert or a doctor about the type of food that may cause your anal fissures, they will explain the action of vata and pitta dosha in your gut.

Any habit, especially food habits, that can increase your vata leading to anal fissures are as follows:

• Excessive intake of dry and rough food items.
• Intake of processed, fried and highly salted food items.
• Irregular timing of having food.

Habits that cause an excess of Pitta are listed below:

• Hot and spicy food items.
• An increase in temperature around your buttocks region.
• Injury to the anal canal

5 Groups of Healing Foods for Anal Fissures

If you are doubtful that your pain during bowel movements every morning may be due to the presence of anal fissures, then this section is for you! You can prevent and heal your anal fissures with the following foods.

The above are some of the foods you can add to your diet to heal anal fissures.

Pro Tip: Adding herbal teas with ginger, fennel, coriander and liquorice tea helps balance vata and Pitta in your body.

What Diet Do You Need to Stay Away From? 

Ayurveda experts recommend that if you have symptoms of anal fissure, you must stay away from any food items or practices that cause an increase in Pitta dosha (driving burning and inflammatory signs in the body).

Apart from this, anything that causes an irregular bowel movement, especially constipation, has to be avoided.

Some of the top food lists that go into the list of avoiding food for fissure treatment are as follows : 

• Spicy and Irritating foods
• Processed and frozen food items
• The food items that cause constipation, such as dry items
• Pre-prepared foods
• Red meat 
• Hot sauces
• Habanero, Jalapenos or any hot peppers
• Foods with chilli powder
• Caffeinated beverages

Expert Lifestyle Tips for You

Here are some additional tips from our Ayurveda experts for healing anal fissures.

1. Apply soothing creams like anaesthetic gels to relieve yourself from pain.
    
2. If you know you will have pain while you use toilet paper after defecation, try washing slowly with water (Avoid fragile and sharp streams of water from the bidet).
    
3. Avoid harsh soaps that can dry off your anal skin while cleaning.
    
4. Apply any medicated ointments or medicated ghee on the opening of your anal canal if you have painful defecation.
    
5. Practise sitz bath using warm water or medicated water after bowel movements for 10-15 minutes.
    
6. Always wear clothes which do not put pressure on the anal region.
    
7. Avoid anal sexual activities.

Wrapping it Up

Anal fissure, though an excruciating condition, is one of the most manageable conditions of the anal canal through dietary and nutrition modification.

All you have to do is follow a diet suitable for your bowel movements and gut health. In addition to this, the Ayurvedic way of everyday life, filled with a balanced diet and monitoring yourself for digestive health, is the best diet for your fissures and the best way to say goodbye to them.