Zenodo
Food Cravings in the Antenatal Period and the Ayurvedic Concept of Dauhrida: A Critical Review of Classical Literature and Contemporary Evidence
By Subhash Waghe and Nilesh Dalvi.
Abstract
Background
Food cravings are among the most frequently reported experiences of pregnancy, yet their cause and clinical meaning remain uncertain. Classical Ayurveda addresses this phenomenon through the concept of Dauhrida (the "two-hearted" state), which attributes the pregnant woman's desires to the foetus's emerging consciousness and prescribes their judicious fulfillment.
Objectives
To critically examine the concept of Dauhrida as described in the Ayurvedic classics and to compare it with contemporary scientific evidence on the prevalence, timing, determinants and consequences of food cravings in pregnancy.
Methods
We conducted a critical narrative review. We studied relevant chapters of Charaka Samhita, Sushruta Samhita, and Ashtanga Hridaya, along with their principal commentaries, for descriptions of Dauhrida. We identified contemporary literature through PubMed, Google Scholar, and publisher databases using combinations of the terms "food craving", "pregnancy", "aversion", "pica", "Dauhrida", and "Garbhini Paricharya". Findings were organised thematically and compared.