Speciality Treatment
Pichu Treatment in Haripad
Pichu · പിച്ചു
Duration: 30-45 minutes
What is Pichu?
Pichu is a localised Ayurvedic treatment where a thick cotton pad or folded cloth is soaked in warm medicated oil and placed on the affected part of the body. It provides sustained, localised oleation and warmth to a specific area — making it particularly effective for conditions affecting the head, spine, joints, and muscles.
How It Works
The cotton pad acts as a warm compress, slowly releasing medicated oil into the affected area over an extended period. The sustained warmth and continuous contact with the medicinal oil allows deep penetration into the local tissues — reducing inflammation, relieving pain, nourishing the tissues, and promoting healing. The oil is periodically re-warmed and reapplied to maintain consistent temperature.
Benefits
- Provides deep, localised pain relief
- Reduces inflammation and swelling
- Nourishes and heals local tissues
- Improves circulation to the affected area
- Relieves muscle spasms
- Promotes tissue repair
- Complements other therapies effectively
Conditions It Helps
- Cervical and lumbar spondylosis
- Localised joint pain and stiffness
- Disc prolapse and spinal conditions
- Frozen shoulder
- Knee pain and osteoarthritis
- Cranial nerve conditions (when applied to the head)
- Post-injury healing
What to Expect
The session lasts 30–45 minutes. The therapist soaks a thick cotton pad in warm medicated oil selected for your condition and places it on the affected area. The pad is kept warm throughout the session by periodically re-soaking it in heated oil. You will feel a gentle, sustained warmth that is deeply comforting. Pichu is often performed as part of a broader treatment plan alongside other therapies.
Overview
Clinical Context
Pichu is a localised oil-retention therapy in which a thick cotton pad soaked in warm medicated oil is placed on a specific area — head (Shiropichu), spine (Prishtapichu), or affected joint — and replenished with warm oil at intervals to maintain therapeutic temperature. The continuous oil contact over 30–60 minutes allows much deeper penetration than a massage can achieve, making it particularly useful for chronic head and spine conditions: insomnia, chronic headache, sciatica, lumbar disc bulge, and localised joint stiffness. It is one of the gentlest therapies in our offerings and is often the right choice for fragile or elderly patients who cannot tolerate Kizhi or Pizhichil.
How It Works
Procedure
- 01
Cotton pad preparation
Sterile cotton is shaped into a thick pad sized to the application area. Warm medicated oil — Ksheerabala for head, Mahanarayana for spine, Sahacharadi for joints — is heated to a comfortable therapeutic temperature.
- 02
Site preparation
The skin is cleansed and a thin base layer of the same oil is applied. For Shiropichu, hair is parted to allow the pad to sit directly on the scalp; for spinal Pichu, the patient lies prone and the pad covers the affected vertebral segment.
- 03
Pad application and oil retention
The oil-saturated pad is placed on the prepared area and covered loosely. Warm oil is poured onto the pad every 8–10 minutes to keep it saturated and warm. The patient remains still for 30–60 minutes.
- 04
Removal and gentle massage
The pad is removed and a brief, gentle massage spreads the absorbed oil into surrounding tissue. The oil residue is left on the skin or scalp; the patient rests for 20 minutes before discharge.
Session Details
What to Expect
- Duration
- 45–60 minutes per session
- Frequency
- Daily for 7–14 days; often combined with internal medication or Abhyangam
- During & After
- A deep, sustained warmth at the application site without any vigorous manipulation. Most patients fall asleep during the session. Insomnia and tension-headache patients often see results from day 4–5; chronic spinal pain typically responds across a 14-day course.
- Contraindications
- Open wounds, fungal infection at the site, fever, recent shaving cuts on the scalp (for Shiropichu), and pregnancy (specifically for spinal applications). Patients with very oily scalp may prefer Thalam or Shirodhara for head therapies.
Indications
Conditions This Treatment Helps
Pichu is part of our protocol for the conditions below. Each linked page describes the full clinical approach for that condition, including how this and complementary therapies are sequenced.
FAQ
