Author Archives: AyurvedicOils

Ayurvedic Body Types: Determining The Real ‘YOU’

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Ayurveda is an interesting science of life guiding us to learn more about ourselves. It throws light into our unique system and aids us in exploring who we are, what suits us the best and how to live a holistic and comprehensive life?

Ayurveda trusts that the entire Universe inclusive of the human body is made up of 5 predominant elements known as Devanagari, popularly known as ‘Panch Booth’, where Panch indicates 5 and Booth stands for the chief elements of the universe namely:

  1. Water called as Jala
  2. Earth called as Prthvi
  3. Air known as Vayu
  4. Sky called as Akasa
  5. Fire known as Agni

According to Ayurveda the human body constitutes of 7 primary elements known as ‘Saptadhatu’ and they are:

  1. Rasa dhatu defines Plasma or Chyle
  2. Rakta dhatu indicates Blood
  3. Mamsa dhatu means Flesh
  4. Medha dhatu stands for Fat
  5. Asthi dhatu means Bone
  6. Majja dhatu stands for Marrow
  7. Sukra dhatu denotes female reproductive tissue or semen

Based upon these elements and its constituents, human body is classified and expressed as the equilibrium of 3 fundamental energies (Dosha) also known as humors or principles of mind and body. Ayurveda uses the 5 primary elements of the Universe to define human body types as a combination of these five elements namely air, water, fire, ether and earth in different proportions within the humors. The Ayurvedic science says that every individual is made up of a unique combination of 3 body and mind principles, creating our explicit physical and mental personality. The 3 major Doshas are:

Vata Dosha: Vata Dosha is a representative of wind and is a combination of air and space (ether) where air dominates. It can be called as the controlling authority of the power vested with our body and it directs the other two doshas. This humor regulates the circulation, function of the nervous system, and the movements of our body along with emotional and bodily development.

Predominant characteristics: When an individual has a chief composition of Vata, he/she will look lean, act faster and stay flexible while being creative, conversational, visionary, artistic and fervent with full of energy. Imbalance of this energy can cause loss of memory, restlessness, anxiety, insomnia, fear, dry skin, bloating and few other digestive disorders like indigestion, intestinal gas and constipation.

Pitta Dosha: Pitta Dosha is a blend of fire and water and it signifies bile. With fire being the superior element, Pitta is responsible for all kinds of corporeal actions concerning heat like digestion, creation of energy with the help of hormones and takes care of metabolism, body temperature and absorption.

Predominant characteristics: A proper balance of Pitta upholds intelligence, confidence, competitiveness, glowing complexion and leadership capabilities with a sizzling temper. Pitta disparity can cause jealously, anger, annoyance, disgust and other bodily problems like ulcer, high blood pressure, skin irritation, heartburn and soreness.

Kapha Dosha: With water as the overriding element, Kapha or phlegm is an arrangement of water and earth responsible for connecting bones, tissues, muscles and tendons. It is wholly in charge for the structure of the body by supplying fluid strength to all parts of the body while maintaining consistency, stability, solidity, skin health and proper lubrication of joints.

Predominant characteristics: Kapha balance aids in exhibiting tranquil, trustworthy, lovable and compassionate personalities, generally with hefty body structure. The unevenness of this type will lead to obesity, congestion, lethargic attitude and slow digestion.

Ayurvedic discipline states that the human body is said to be healthy when it strikes a balance between these 3 energy elements and when there is discrepancy, the body tends to become unwholesome and turns detrimental.

Reference Links:

  1. Ayurveda by Wikipedia
  2. Ayurvedic Body Type: Find Your Dosha by The Dr.OZ Show
  3. Ayurvedic Principles For Mind-Body Balance by Ayurvedic Talk

Ayurvedic Importance of Fragrance and Aroma

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Fragrance plays an important role in determining your mood and mood swings are often controlled by sweet smelling odors in the field of Aromatherapy, which is an incredible part Ayurveda. A celebrated book on Aromatherapy states that fragrance can aid in alleviating pain and have a significant impact on your behavior and personality. We cannot disagree with the fact that ‘Odors vest deeply within our minds even after many years’. If you ask me about my memorable fragrances I would tell you the fresh, elite and the exquisite fragrance of red roses that reminds me about my favorite time in my aunt’s garden during my childhood days and the relishing smell of fried potatoes make me feel like being with my Mom. At this juncture, let’s have a look at the Ayurvedic importance of fragrance and aroma in healing mankind.

1. Aroma for complete care: Aromatherapy is one of the significant methods of Ayurveda, which is used to treat the individuals according to their Ayurvedic body types like vata, pitta and kapha. For this purpose, Ayurveda suggests the use of essential oils and the natural aroma of herbs. This is trusted to enhance the function of the brain and promote well-being from within.

Most of the times these Ayurvedic essential oils are applied to the skin or used in some form or the other in which the skin comes in contact with the aroma. Human skin is the effective channel through which the benefits of these aromatic oils pass through the bloodstream making the system hale and hearty. Many researchers have proved that the natural aroma augments the functionality, relieves pain, supports mood fluctuations and revives the human body, which is a part of nature.

2. The healing properties of Ayurvedic essential oils: Ayurveda trusts in nature and any form of healing using nature’s gifts falls under Ayurveda. According to this thought, essential oils are extracted from leaves, stem, flowers, roots, bark or from other parts of a plant and essential oils is the backbone of Aromatherapy that is used to boost physical and mental fitness. There have been instances in which Ayurvedic essential oils are used to treat innumerable conditions and the gentle aroma of a handful of essential oils is proven to enhance the function of heart and blood circulation.

3. Ayurvedic Tea: Nothing other than a refreshing cup of tea with an enriching aroma can give the right start to your day. The three types of Ayurvedic tea according to the individual body types are anti-strain tea, stimulating tea and balancing tea. These teas are caffeine-free and grant you the real freshness while maintaining the right metabolism of your body.

4. Expert Ayurvedic Massage therapy: An expert Ayurvedic massage therapy with the right essential oils can offer you plenty of health benefits. These essential oils are chosen in such a way that they are infused with a heartening and soothing aroma, which would help you chase out stress, depression, fear, anxiety, insomnia, nervous disorders and many more. An Ayurvedic massage aids in revitalizing your mind, reducing muscular pains, relaxing your nervous system, improving the texture of your skin and striking a perfect balance between your mind and body.

Ayurveda is a spiritual medicinal system that has been practiced for more than 5,000 years and if this historical healing art states that aroma has a greater impact on our health, how can we refute it?? Try using any of the above mentioned ways to experience the power of a natural fragrance.

Reference Links:

  1. Ayurveda and Aromatherapy: The Earth Essential Guide To Ancient Wisdom and Modern Healing by Dr. Bryan Miller and Dr. Light Miller
  2. Aromatherapy for the heart and Circulation by healthy.net
  3. Ayurvedic Teas by Tea Blossoms

Super Six Tastes Of Ayurveda: A Tasty Insight

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Tongue is a tantalizing part of the human body. Though it is scientifically proven to perform numerous significant tasks like cleaning the teeth, phonetic articulation etc, the predominant function of the tongue is often associated with gustation and the taste buds. Drinking and eating are highly essential for survival and every single time the food that we intake is encountered first by our tongue, which helps us identify the real taste. This is the entry point that decides the quality and nature of the food or medicines that we ingest. Ayurveda, the noble Indian science of healing had described about six different tastes of our food and insists that our diet should be a balanced proportion of all the six tastes for a healthy living.

Importance of tongue in identifying the basic tastes: Tongue might seem very simple to us but you will be surprised to know that there are about 8 intrinsic and extrinsic muscles. The basic tastes that are identified by our tongue are bitterness, saltiness, sourness, Umami, sweetness and metallic taste. The cell membranes and the receptors on the taste buds play a vital role in recognizing the unique tastes. I feel like saying ‘What a splendid Scientist, Genius, Master, Physiologist and Inventor our Creator is!!!!’

Super six tastes of Ayurveda: The ancient healing system known as Ayurveda defines six tastes for harmonized living. They are sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent. Ayurveda states that ‘the sense of taste is the natural guide map for a balanced nutrition’. This heavenly method of healing humanity says that each and every taste has a unique mechanism for nourishing our body, mind, spirit and senses gradually.

Most of the times the taste of our choice determines our personality and a popular adage that witnesses this statement is ‘We are what we eat’. Tasteless items are not at all considered and the booming restaurant industry proves the importance of taste since ages. According to Ayurveda, the six tastes are derived from the five vital elements. The significance of the six Ayurvedic tastes are as follows:

  1. Sweet: This taste is derived from the combination of earth and water. It is present in food items that are rich in carbohydrates, amino acids, fats, sugars, oils, milk and milk products, fruits, beans, and certain vegetables like beetroot, carrot and cooked potatoes. This taste has a heavy, oily, moist and cold characteristic. It is popularly known for building tissues of the human body.
  2. Sour: Sour taste is a combination of fire and earth. This taste in present in fermented food products, citrus fruits and vegetables with acids like ascorbic acid. It stimulates digestion by fortifying the digestive fire. It is hot, moist, oily and light in nature.
  3. Salty: It is derived from the fire and water elements having a moist, heavy and hot nature. Salty taste is found in sea salt, rock salt, refrigerated sea foods, salted nuts, pickles, chips and certain vegetables like kelp and seaweed. It calms the nerves, enhances digestion, supports in waste elimination and brings down anxiety and fear.
  4. Pungent: Being derived from air and fire elements, this taste is light, dry and hot. Pungent taste is a part of onions, garlic, ginger and chili peppers. It supports trouble-free digestion, reduces muscular pain and boosts circulation.
  5. Bitter: Bitter taste is a combination of ether and air. This taste is cool, dry and light in nature. It is found in spices like dandelion root, turmeric, fenugreek, green leafy vegetables like bitter guard, spinach, egg plant etc, Tea, coffee and olives also taste bitter. It has excellent detoxifying properties that aids in treating skin rashes, weight reduction, fever, water retention and much more.
  6. Astringent: This is a combination of the earth and air elements. Astringent taste is found in beans, potatoes, raw honey, resins, tannins, cranberries, cauliflower, broccoli, pears, turnip and few other spices like marjoram and turmeric. It is slightly cold in nature and purifies the tissues of the body.

Wow! Is all that I have to utter here as it’s really amazing to know the tastes that are good to our health. Hope our blind eating would stop here and help us start a healthy Ayurvedic diet with a combination of the all these six essential tastes.

Reference Links:

  1. Gustation by Wikipedia
  2. Ayurveda & Aromatherapy: The Earth Essential Guide to Ancient Wisdom and Modern Healing by Dr. Light Miller and Dr. Brian Miller
  3. The 6 Tastes: Our Guide Map To Optimal Nutrition by Eat Taste Heal