Cultural views on the navel Early Japanese poems feature many references to the female navel. In some, the word "navel" actually refers to an indentation or hole instead of the belly button. The shape of the umbilicus of a newborn baby would be discussed at length. If a baby's navel points downward, the parents would brace themselves for a weakling child who will bring them woe. The thunder god Raijin, with his terrifying drums, great horns, and long tusks, was said to have an insatiable appetite for young navels, and mothers had to nag their youngsters constantly to keep themselves well covered up. Due to
Cultural views on the navel applied to the navel of infants as a remedy for stomach aches. The Gonds, a tribe from central India, apply "Gloriosa superba" rhizome extract over the navel and vagina to cause labour pain and perform normal delivery. According to Ayurveda, the navel is an important site in the human body. Nearly 72,000 subtle nerves, or "nadis" converge in this area. By the principles of Ayurveda and yoga, the human body is made up of six "chakras", with the "Manipura chakra" located at the spine directly behind either the navel or the solar plexus, depending on the system, while its "kshetram",