Nagara Ghrita - Digestion Stimulator

Ghee or saturated butter is widely used in Indian cooking and is a very good and healthy substitute for butter. This recipe can be used in the same way, the only difference being that it is healthier and more appetizing. This is how it is prepared.

Ingredients:
1. Cow ghee (1Kg)
2. Freshly crushed ginger (250gms)

Mix the above two ingredients and boil on low flame. Leave to simmer, stirring periodically to avoid it sticking to the bottom of the vessel.
When it becomes thick in consistency, thick enough that it doesn't stick to two fingers when pinched, stop heating and filter it.
Put pressure so as to squeeze out all the ghee. Then store the liquid portion (Nagara ghrita) preferebly in a glass container.
Now, the solid portion is usually discarded but if you feel that its not good to waste, then you can add sugar, mix and store in the fridge. This is very similar to a sweet dish called halwa, found in India and also in Greece.
Apart from being a digestion stimulator it adds good taste to the food and is also used in many digestive disorders, especially in cases of weak digestive fire. It is also used for the treatment of piles.

Skin care with Ayurveda

Skin is the largest organ in the body and considered by many to be the most important. Depending on one's body type, the skin type also differs.

The Vata Skin type tends to be dry, cold and also rough at times (if there is dosha imbalance). It is more sensitive to cold climate and cold items becuase these cause the vitiation of Vata dosha in the body.
Since this skin type tends to be more dry, extreme cold temperatures must be avoided. Clarified butter (ghee) can be applied on the lips in case of chapped lips which is very common during cold seasons. Drink a lot of fluids to maintain the body fluid levels. One very good product is Shatadhouta Ghrita. It is clarified butter that has been boiled a hundred times over. This makes it very thin and very nourishing for the skin. It is also used for many skin disorders, in burns, cracked nipples during brestfeeding etc.

The Pitta skin type needs more nurturing and is hot or warm as compared to the Vata type.
To keep this skin type healthy, one must avoid hot spicy food items that tend to increase Pitta in the body. Instead, cold or cooling items can be partaken. Over here too, Shatadhout Ghrita can be used as it has a cooling effect on the skin.

The Kapha skin type tends to be unctuous, oily (shiny), with profuse sweat and thick. This type is more sensitive to oily, heavy and fried foods which all tend to increase Kapha in the body and therefore they must be avoided. Frequent massage can help improve circulation. Also, purificatory procedures can be undertaken so as to releave the body internally of toxins and also help in proper blood circulation and in removal of any collection of toxins that might occur in the body.

International Congress of Ayurveda

Image via Wikipedia

The first ever International Congress of Ayurvedic Medicine will be held in Milan, Italy on the 21st and 22nd of March 2009. There will be many well known speakers from the world of Ayurveda, both Indian and Italian. The congress will culminate with a workshop that will deal with introduction to ayurveda, nutrition and hygiene in Ayurveda.

Click here to have a look at the programme details.

Miracle cure for Diabetes

VIJAYSARA

Vijaysara (pronounced Vijaysaara), or Pterocarpus Marsupium of the fabaceae family is a tree that is commonly used in Ayurveda. Its common name is Indian kino tree. It is known for its magical effects in diabetes. It is also used in cases of inflammation, elephantiasis, leucodermia, diarrhoea, dysentry etc.
The most common method of administration is by soaking two teaspoons full of the powder of the wood of the indian kino tree in a glass of water overnight. In the morning, filter and then boil the water to half of its original quantity and drink it. This can be taken every morning. The result is the normalisation of blood sugar levels. This is achieved by the action that vijaysara has on the blood cells. It helps in the absorption or digestion of glucose by the cells (glucose synthesis). It has also been proven to improve the glucose transport in the body.
This of course works in tandem with an active lifestyle and the other measures that need to be taken or avoided in such a situation.
There is available in the market today, a glass made out of the wood of Vijaysara called Diaslim tumbler. The glass must be filled with water and kept overnight and its contents can simply be drunk in the morning. One glass can be used until the water stops changing colour in the morning, at which point, the glass will have to be replaced with a new one. Click here to check out a website that sells the diaslim tumbler.

Stevia- Natural Plant Sweetener

"Stevia Rebaudiana" or "Stevia" is the newest threat to multinational companies around the world concerned with production of artificial sweeteners and sugar based products. It is for this reason that its popularity has been hampered, although this did end up working out the other way round. With all the restrictions on its benefits and uses, and with internet today, its popularity has been blown out of proportion. But, of course that which threatens something that is already holding majority of the market share (which most of the time "happens" to be a product that is harmful), will always be shunned or banned.

Now, why is it a threat one may ask.

It is nature's answer to all aching diabetics who suffer a hard time because they cannot indulge or even get a taste of their favourite dessert because their life depends upon it. Well, this of course doesn't mean that with Stevia, one can eat himself or herself to obesity or chronicity.

It is nature's pure alternative to sugar. It is scientifically proven to be 200 to even 300 times sweeter than sugar.

This plant is native to Paraguay, where the natives have widely used it for it's many curative abilities. Apart from it being a sweetener, it also helps in cleansing of the oral cavity, it fights high blood pressure, is a natural anti-bacterial and anti-viral agent, it also has a therapeutic effect on topical (local) application.

The reason why stevia is such a life saver is because the human body reacts in a completely different way to it as compared to the way it does with sugar.

This plant's active principle (Steviosido/Steviosides) are glycosides that are extremely sweet agents that the body does not metabolize but it gets flushed out directly. This is unlike sugar which is converted into glucose and is absorbed into the blood stream thus leading to increase in blood sugar levels and could consequently lead to diabetes. This is not the case with Stevia. It has also been proven to stimulate the production of insulin in the body & is also good for heartburn.

As of today, only one market in the world has openly accepted the import and the sale of Stevia and that is Japan (other than Paraguay of course). Over 50% of the market is governed by the use of Stevia .

Since the majority of  markets in the world are against promoting this beatiful plant, the only way to spread knwoledge about it is to talk about it. So, go ahead and spread the word!

CHIKUNGUNYA

Chikungunya, also commonly known as "Chicken Guinea" (a misnomer), is a viral disease caused ue to the bite of a mosquito, the aedes aegypti  mosquito to be more precise and the aedes albopictus that is more commonly known as the "tiger mosquito". The disease orginiated in 1952 in Tanzania. Chikungunya means "to turn upwards" which refers to the joints that start bending upwards and are very painful which is a characteristic of this disease. Along with this symptom, fever is also common. Therefore it is likened to a disease called "Sandhijvara" that has been mentioned in the ancient classic texts. It consists of two words, Sandhi & Jvara. Sandhi meaning joints and jvara meaning fever. As of now, the region that is afflicted the most in the world today is the south of India.

CAUSES

The cause is vector bourne by a bite from aedes aegypti or aedes albopictus (tiger mosquito). Stagnant water is where they thrive and lay their eggs. Regions afflicted with floods and that have more water stagnation are most susseptible.

SYMPTOMS

The symptoms start with;

Fever with high temperature (Jvara)

Body pains/aches (Angamarda)

Profuse rashes

Conjuntivitis

Pain and swelling in joints

Ulcers in the mouth etc

TREATMENT

The only systems of medicine that have found a cure for Chikungunya are Ayurveda and Homeopathy. Modern medicine (allopathy) administers only pain killers to relieve the patient of the pain. There is no vaccination against this disease. This is why many people are turning towards Ayurveda since it offers the only effective cure.

Ayurvedic medicines used to combat the disease  most commonly are:

Sudarshana churna,

Dhanvantaram gutika,

Mahasudarshana churna,

Yograja guggulu,

Panchatikta Kashayam,

Amruta Arishta,

Chewing of holy basil and carrots that help alleviate the fever etc, etc.

These are some of the medicines that are used to allaeviate the symptoms in the patient.

Homeopathic medicines used to combat the disease most commonly are: 

Eupatorium-perf,

Pyroginum,

Arnica,

Belladonna,

Cedron.

Note: This article is only for information. Please do not take any medicine or undergo any treatment without consulting your Physician. The administrators of this blog, decline any responsibility.

Home remedies for Acidity

There are various age old remedies that one can undertake to combat acidity. It was infact a major ailment of one of our team members who is now fine thanks to one of these remedies. Here are mentioned some of the commonly used ones.

Warm Water:

This is a very simple solution to fight acidity. One would thing that something hot cannot reduce   the heat in the body that is already causing the acidity but ironically it works! The fact is that cold items are harder to digest than warm or hot foods. One glass of warm water first thing

 in the morning daily does a lot to reduce acidity.

Basil Leaves:

Chewing on a few basil leaves (tulsi) helps fight burning (heart burn), nausea and gas which are common symptoms that can be felt in acidity.

Fruits:

A banana everyday goees a long way to fight acidity. It also helps in proper bowel movements. Also, apple and watermelon are good for the digestive process.

Buttermilk:

Buttermilk is considered to be a very good appetizer as well as a very good digestive. When prepared with some curry leaves and some cumin powder, it aids digestion even more. Ayurveda has not put any limit to the consumption of buttermilk. It can be drunk before meals, during meals and also after meals, allbeit in a limited quantity because one must avoid too many liquids soon after the meal to avoid "damping" the digestive fire.

How to prepare buttermilk:

Take one part of curd and add about 3 parts of water (in a mixer/blender). This can vary according to how thick or thin you want to make it. It is preferable to make it thin though. Add a pinch of salt. Mix for sbout 2-3 minutes. (even though buttermilk is made from curd, which is heavy to digest, it has the complete opposite effect because of its water content.)

Seasoning (optional)

Add a pinch of cumin seed powder along with 2-3 curry leaves to taste.

Avoiding the causes:

This of course can also be preventive. 

Avoid eating prior to the completion of digestion of the previous meal. The fact is that a person gets into such a routine in life that he or she eats only out of habit. Very rarely does one consider or assess their hunger before eating. The habit is to eat everyday at a certain time and people live their lives in this manner irrespective of their body's real wishes. Ayurveda says that when getting up from the dining table, a slight little hunger must always remain. Never must one fill the stomach to the brim. This a very common cause of acidity and many other major ailments.

There are many food items also that must be avoided, like spicy foods, ginger, dry foods and snacks (with a lot of sugar and preservatives), fried food items etc. 

Do not lie down or sleep soon after eating because it hampers digestion.

JALANETI

Jalaneti, in essence, is a procedure of nasal cleansing or irrigation of the sinuses. It is done using a Neti pot. This is a yoga practice which is advised by many doctors to relieve a clogged nose, for sinus problems and also problems related to stress. It can be done every morning and is not complicated. 

Take luke warm water and add a bit of salt, preferably himalayan pink salt (in the ratio of 1 teaspoon for half a litre of water). The water must not be too hot nor too cold, it should be comfortably warm. Take care to add the right amount of salt.

Now, bend down (at the waist) over a sink and tilt your head slightly downwards and to the side  of the nostril that will be irrigated first. Breath through the mouth and keep its slightly open.

Then, put the nozzle of the neti-pot on the nostril in such a way that it seals it. Now slightly tilt your head and tilt the pot upwards to slowly empty its contents into the nostril. Take care that water doesn't leak from between the nozzle of the pot and the nostril. If the nose is clogged, the water may take a few more seconds than expected but it will eventually flow out the other nostril. Remember, throughout the procedure, one must breath through the mouth. One must be calm and not laugh while doing jalaneti.

Once the pot has been emptied, blow the nose through both the nostrils so as to remove any remaining water. Do not block the other nostril while doing this because this can cause an increase in pressure in the sinuses and can be harmful. Repeat this again with the second nostril.

There are many benefits of Jalaneti. It is indicated by many physicians for 

sinusitis

nasal blockages

insomnia (it improves sleep)

asthma

olfactory disfunction (loss of sense of smell)

ear problems (improves vision and also demarcates dark part and light part of the eye)

chronic mucus and nasal catarrh 

clarity in the functioning of the sense organs.

Here is a demonstration.

Click on the following link to do a test to find out what body type you are.

http://www.holisticonline.com/ayurveda/w_ayurveda-dtest1.htm

The various body constitutions

DEHA PRAKRUTI

The word "Deha" means "body" and "Prakruti" means constitution. Depending on the state of the three doshas in the mother & father and other factors such as the time, age, strength of both sperm and ovum during conception and also the food habits and activities of the pregnant mother, the bodily constitution is formed. There are seven types depending upon the dosha involvement.
3 that are from one dosha each i.e;
Vataj
Pittaj
Kaphaj
3 that are from two doshas each i.e;
Vata Pittaj
Vata Kaphaj
Pitta Kaphaj
and 1 is from all the three doshas put together.

The above types denote the predominance of the doshas in an individual, although all the three doshas are present in every person.
There are various factors that help determine the prakruti of a person. Following are some factors that help to determine one's body type.

VATAJ PRAKRUTI (Nervous Temperament)

People of this body type are lean and tall with rough, dry, lustreless skin and prominent visible vein structure on the body. They have aversion towards cold things and cold weather.
They have unsteady memory, strength, mind (restless and continuous thought process) and gait.
They have less bodily strength and life span. They talk fast, unsteady and in an interrupted manner. They like sweet, sour & hot foods.
Their dreams most frequently are of the sky, open spaces, mountains etc.

PITTAJ PRAKRUTI (Bilious Temperament)

People of this body type are usually of pale complexion, warm in body, coppery red palms, soles and face, have less hair. They tend to sweat profusely and thus emit foul body smell. Their eyes are small, unsteady and with few eye lashes. They are of medium body build, strength, life span.
They are highly intelligent, very courageous, very passionate and emotional persons. They have a short temper.
They like sweet, astringent, bitter and cold foods.
They dream mostly of forest fires, thunderstorms, bright sunrays.

KAPHAJ PRAKRUTI (Phlegmatic Temperament)

People of this body type usually are more heavily built, with long arms, broad chested, broad fore-head, thick hair, well defined body parts. Eyes are red at their outer angles, wide, long with well defined sclera and cornea.
They are highly intellignet, truthfull, righteous. They have good sexual power, great vigour and life span.
They speak sweet words and kindly. Usually are very friendly people. Their gait is like that of an elephant, their voice is prominent, they have good memory.
They like dry, pungent, astringent, bitter foods.
They dream mostly of lotus filled ponds, flying birds, clouds etc.

The Tridosha Theory

Ayurveda states that the human body is governed by three humors. They can be considered to be three entities. These are Vata, Pitta and Kapha.

The basic principle is that if the three doshas are in a balanced state then health is obtained. Any derangement of this balance will lead to disease or disharmony in the body.  There are various factors like eating habits or daily activities in one's life that can cause for abnormal increase or decrease of these three humors.

To get an idea as to the functions of the tridoshas, one must know their elementary composition.

Ayurveda mentions that the whole world (animate & inanimate) is composed of 5 basic elements viz,

Prithvi - Earth

Ap/Jala - Water

Teja - Fire

Vayu/Vata - Air

Akash - Space

VATA

Vata is composed primarily of Air & Space. It is dry, light, cool,hard,coarse and clear (as in clarity). If you take the body as a whole, it is situated in the lower one third meaning to say from the waist (lower abdomen) down. It is considered to be the most important among the 3 doshas. Its most important function is that it is responsible for movement. Thus, it helps in the proper functioning of all the three of the doshas.

                                  

PITTA

Pitta is primarily composed of Fire & Water. It is oily, penetrating, hot, light, bad smelling, liquid and has a spreading nature. Its main site is between the abdomen and the neck. It controls the heat of the body and aids in metabolism. It also helps in digestion.

KAPHA

Kapha is primarily composed of Earth & Water. It is unctuous, heavy, cold stable, slow & slimy. It is responsible, among other things, for good vision, bodily complexion, strenght & stamina. Its also responsible for a good memory. Its general site is the area of the head & neck.

Only the predominant basic elements for each dosha have been mentioned although each dosha is composed of all the 5 elements. This was a brief intrduction to the tridosha theory. They will be discussed more in detail where and when necessary.

Introduction

Hello everyone,

This blog is dedicated to everything and anything related to health through natural means, particularly through Ayurveda. These can range from home remedies to news and any other information that we find to be interesting which aids one in how to lead a healthy life.

Since this is our first post, we think it is natural for us to start with a brief introduction as to what Ayurveda is all about.

It is an ancient Indian traditional system of medicine that deals with the curing of diseases through natural means.

The word Ayurveda consists of two words, "Ayu" and "Veda".

"Ayu" in Sanskrit means "Life" and "Veda" is a holy Indian scripture. There are totally four main vedas viz; Rigveda, Yajurveda, Saamaveda and Atharvaveda. Ayurveda is a subtype of Atharvaveda.

The word "Veda" can be understood to mean "science". So, "Ayurveda" in the most basic sense of the word means "The science of Life".

The basic concept in this system of medicine is the "Tridosha Concept". This will be explained in detail in the following days.

Ayurveda not only deals with cure but also has to do with "prevention of diseases". This is done by following an "Ayurvedic lifestyle" that consists of various cleansing procedures etc that one can follow on a daily basis. These too will be mentioned in following posts....

We are hoping that this blog will be of help to anyone interested in living a healthy life the natural way.

Do feel free to comment and give us your feedback.