Although stool is a waste product for body but it's timely formation, elimination, its amount, consistency, colour and odor indicates many things about your health that is why it is considered as one of the main component of body. In ayurveda, dosha, dhatu and maala are the 3 components of body, maala which are waste products of body and meant for excretion are of 3 types mal (stool), mutra(urine) and swed (sweat).

After taking food, body absorbs its nutrients and eliminates undigested part as stool. For good health its timely formation and elimination is important. You can easily observe this by discomfort in both the condition of constipation and diarrhea. 

Stool examination 

If you ever visited ayurvedic physician he must have asked you many things about your stool as it comes under 8 fold examinations in ayurveda which helps him in proper diagnosis and in treatment. 

Normal stool v/s abnormal stool

Consistency -  normal stool is semisolid, like ripe banana whereas abnormal one is either hard or watery.

Frequency - normally once or twice without straining. Abnormal stool has more or less than normal frequency and comes with straining. 

Smell - No foul smell is there in normal stool, in abnormal stool there is strong odour and it depends on disease.

 * Normal stool do not stick to toilet whereas abnormal one sticks. 

Pain - normally there is no pain. Abnormal stool comes with abdominal cramps and sound. 

Colour of stool depends on food, medicines if you are taking any, dosha and disease.

 Amount - If quantity is less then there is abdominal discomfort, gurgling sound from intestine, discomfort in chest and flanks. In increased quantity, there is distention of abdomen, flatulence, heaviness and abdominal pain.

Water test

When stool put on water  normal stool floats and abnormal stool sinks. 

What cause abnormalities in stool?

 1. Holding urge to defecation when it appears. 

2. Eating excess or less food than requirement. 

3. Eating without digestion of previous meal. 

4. Low digestive fire.

 5. Staying up till late at night and waking up late. 

6. Stress and anxiety. 

7. Long travel.

 8. Sedentary lifestyle. 

Importance of stool examination 

* Helps in knowing about state of digestive fire if it is low then there is constipation and if it is high there is diarrhoea. 

* Imbalance of dosha, like in vata imbalance, stool is hard, dark colored and frothy. In pitta stool is yellow, watery. In kapha stool is white, sticky and heavy. 

*Helps in diagnosis of disease. 

Treatment of abnormal stool

*  Avoid points mentioned in causes. 

* Eat easily digestible food.

* Fasting.

 * Use of ayurvedic oral medications. 

* Body cleansing through panchakarma procedures. No other science has given so much importance to stool as ayurveda, by observing it you can know many things about your digestive system and act accordingly to protect yourself from many diseases.