Abdominal Cramps Abdominal Cramps See “Muscle Cramps and Spasms”
Acne See also “Skin—Ayurvedic Care”
Acne is the result of high pitta moving under the skin and breaking out in pimples. Ayurveda recommends several natural approaches that, taken together, can effectively control acne.
The possible pitta-provoking causes are numerous. They include emotional stress, premenstrual hormonal changes, and exposure to chemicals or too much sunlight. The problem might also be a bacterial infection. It is important to find out the cause, so it can be properly treated or, in the case of exposure to chemicals or sunlight, simply avoided.
FOLLOW THE PITTA-PACIFYING DIET. Because acne is a pitta condition, the first step is to follow the pitta-pacifying diet detailed in chapter 8. Avoid spicy and fermented foods, salt, fried foods, and citrus fruits. Favor blander foods such as rice, oatmeal, and applesauce.
USE THESE HERBS TO BALANCE PITTA. The following formula is excellent for pacifying the excess pitta that causes acne:
kutki
guduchi
shatavari
Make a mixture of equal proportions of these three herbs (you might start with 1 teaspoon of each), and take ¼ teaspoon of your mixture 2 or 3 times a day. After meals, place the powder on your tongue and wash it down with warm water.
• A helpful tea, made from common household herbs, is cumin-coriander-fennel tea. After each meal, steep ⅓ teaspoon of each of these three seeds in hot water for 10 minutes, strain, and drink. Use this tea 3 times a day.
DRINK BLUE WATER. Fill a clear glass bottle or jar with water, and cover it with some translucent blue paper (such as blue cellophane, available at art supply and some grocery stores). Put the bottle in the sun for about 2 hours. Drink 1 to 3 cups of the water each day. This will have a cooling, soothing effect. Believe it or not, it works!
Healing Pastes for Your Skin
Here are three pastes you can make at home and apply to your skin. They can be effective in reducing acne.
DRINK ALOE VERA JUICE. You might try drinking half a cup of pure aloe vera juice twice a day.
KEEP YOUR COLON CLEAN. Keeping your colon clean is important, in order to remove toxins from the body. You can easily accomplish this by taking the herb amalaki, ½ to 1 teaspoon daily, as a powder on the tongue. Take it before bedtime, and wash it down with warm water.
APPLY MELON. Rub some melon on the skin at bedtime, and leave it on overnight. Its cooling, anti-pitta quality will help heal acne. It also makes the skin soft.
YOGA POSTURES. Recommended yoga asanas for acne are the Lion Pose and the sequence of postures called the Moon Salutation. (See appendix 4 for illustrations.)
BREATHING EXERCISE. Breathing through the left nostril only, for 5 to 10 minutes, will help to reduce pitta. (This is called the Moon Breath and is said to be cooling; breathing through the right nostril is called the Sun Breath and is heating.) Simply cover the right nostril with your thumb, and breathe normally through the left side. If the nostril is blocked, don’t force it; try again later.
RELAX YOUR FACE. Rub your hands together vigorously to create a bit of warmth, and place both hands over your face for a couple of minutes. This will relax the facial muscles and increase the blood supply.
You can also rub your hands until the palms become warm, then gently touch just the heart of the palm to the eyelashes. Our eyelashes are intensely electrically charged; they take that warmth and relieve the pitta under the skin that is coming out in the form of acne.
VISUALIZATION. The root cause of acne is emotional stress. One effective way to relieve that stress is visualization. Close your eyes and visualize that the acne is clearing up and going away—as if you are communicating with the tissues in your skin that are bursting out in acne. This works.
A final suggestion: Avoid frequent looking in the mirror and feeling bad about the acne.
Addictions See also “Smoking”
Why are people addicted? In the majority of cases (excluding tragic situations such as babies who are born addicted because of their mother’s addiction), people who are addicted start out simply seeking more pleasure and joy in their life. Their life is difficult and unhappy, their relationships may be painful and unfulfilling, they may be dissatisfied and stressed at work, and they simply don’t know how to deal with the situation. So they escape from the reality of their circumstances into drugs or alcohol.
Whether the addictive substance is tobacco, marijuana, alcohol, or something else, it soon goes beyond being a psychological escape and becomes a chemical dependency. Then, unless a certain level of the addictive substance is present in the blood, the person’s brain doesn’t function properly.
Treatment depends on how serious and long-standing the addiction is. For milder addictions, such as a recent smoking habit, the person may simply be able to stop. But if a chronic alcoholic suddenly stops drinking, it creates alcohol withdrawal syndrome that is difficult to deal with.
CLEANSING. To effectively handle the problem of addiction, it is important to do panchakarma, an effective Ayurvedic cleansing and detox program. See chapter 4 for a description of panchakarma treatments you can receive at an Ayurvedic clinic, and a home panchakarma program you can do for yourself.
DOSE REDUCTION. Along with this cleansing program, slowly decrease the dose of the addictive substance. According to Ayurveda, unless some strong medications are available to deal with withdrawal, it is not good to completely stop using the addictive substance all at once, or a stressful withdrawal syndrome will probably occur.
• With nicotine toxicity (which affects the lungs and cardiovascular system) and alcohol toxicity (which affects the liver) we have to strengthen the affected organs. For alcohol toxicity, use this formula:
chitrak 3 parts
kutki 3 parts
Take ½ teaspoon of these herbs, with 2 tablespoons of aloe vera juice, 3 times a day.
• Ayurveda suggests a bitter wine made of aloe vera juice. (It is called kumari asava.) In place of hard liquor or other alcoholic drinks, the person who is addicted to alcohol can take small amounts of this light, dry wine. Try 4 teaspoons diluted with an equal amount of water. Then gradually reduce the amount of herbal wine in the dose, while at the same time using the above herbal formula to strengthen the damaged liver.
• The same applies to tobacco. For a person who is addicted to nicotine, remove one-third to one-half of the tobacco from each cigarette (at the end you light), and fill the paper with a mixture of rose petals, brahmi, and jatamamsi (equal proportions). Smoke it until the tobacco starts burning. The moment the tobacco starts, put out the cigarette and discard it.
NASAL MEDICINE. Doing nasya with brahmi ghee will also reduce the toxicity of nicotine (see appendix 3).
EXERCISE. Most of the time, whenever there is the desire to drink or to smoke, the person should go out for a walk in the fresh
TIME TO SEE THE DOCTOR
If there is strong alcohol addiction and the person experiences a headache, tremors, drowsiness, depression, or other alcohol withdrawal symptoms when he or she stops drinking, see a doctor right away: Medical help is needed.
air, or do some other exercise, or go for a swim.
APPETITE STIMULATION. Some people drink because they have a low appetite. Unless they have a drink, they never feel hungry. In such cases, instead of alcohol, they can have some ginger tea to stimulate their appetite (see also “Appetite, Low”). Or try this recipe for a tea to stimulate agni, the digestive fire:
Agni Tea
1 quart water
⅛ pinch cayenne pepper
½ handful minced ginger root
2 tablespoons Sucanat or other sweetener
⅛ to ½ teaspoon rock salt
Put all the above ingredients in a pot and boil for 20 minutes.
Take the pot off the burner, cool for a few minutes, then add the juice of half a lime. Do not boil the lime juice.
YOGA ASANAS. Some yoga exercises will also be beneficial. Sun Salutations Should be included, and some Alternate Nostril breathing. So-Hum Meditation will also be helpful. (See chapters 6 and 7.)
Allergies See also “Food Allergies”
According to Ayurvedic samprapti (pathogenesis), allergies are a doshic reaction to a specific allergen, such as pollen, dust, chemicals on a rug, ragweed, or any strong chemical smell. These allergic reactions are classified as vata type, pitta type, and kapha type.
• Vata-type allergies are characterized by bloating of the stomach, gastric discomfort, or even intestinal colic. A vata allergy may lead to sudden wheezing, sneezing, headache, ringing in the ears, or insomnia. For example, some individuals, when exposed to dust or pollen, suddenly start wheezing. The wheezing is due to narrowing of the bronchial tree due to vata dosha. That person may also experience insomnia and other vata-type symptoms.
• In a pitta type of allergy, pitta dosha is already present under the skin. If the person comes in contact with an allergen, such as chemicals, ragweed, or certain synthetic fibers, then the pitta penetrates through the capillaries due to its hot and sharp qualities and creates a rash, itching, hives, urticaria, allergic dermatitis, or eczema—all pitta-type allergic reactions.
• Kapha allergies are often experienced during spring season, when plants and trees shed their pollens into the atmosphere. When the pollens, such as juniper or any other flower pollen, are inhaled, they enter the nasal-respiratory passage, and in some people they irritate the delicate mucous membrane, leading to hay fever, colds, congestion, a cough, sinus infection, and even asthma.
In order to treat allergies effectively, first we have to find out whether it is vata, pitta, or kapha type. Then we can determine the specific line of treatment.
In most cases, perhaps 80 percent, your prakruti (constitution) predicts your allergy proneness. That is, there is usually a correspondence between a person’s constitution and the type of allergic reaction. A person of pitta prakruti is more likely to have a pitta allergic reaction, especially when the vikruti or current status of the system shows a pitta imbalance. But it may also happen that due to diet, environmental conditions, emotional factors, or other causes, a kapha person may have a vata imbalance, and so forth.
BASTI. One of the most effective remedies for vata-type allergies is a dashamoola tea basti (enema). Boil 1 tablespoon of the herbal compound dashamoola in 1 pint of water for 5 minutes to make a tea. Cool it, strain it, and use the liquid as an enema. (See appendix 3 for complete directions.) Vata symptoms, such as wheezing, sneezing, dryness of the throat, dryness of the colon leading to distension, constipation, and abdominal discomfort, can be immediately corrected by this dashamoola tea basti.
HERBAL REMEDIES. Use this herbal formula:
ashwagandha 1 part
bala 1 part
vidari 1 part
Mix these herbs in equal proportion, and take ¼ teaspoon of the powder 3 times a day, washed down with warm water, to relieve vata allergies.
• To soothe an extreme wheezing condition, make one cup of either ginger or licorice tea, boiling 1 teaspoon of the herb for about 3 minutes in 1 cup of water. Then add 5 to 10 drops of mahanarayan oil, mix thoroughly, and take 1 sip every 10 to 15 minutes. (If you do not have mahanarayan oil, you can substitute ½ teaspoon of plain ghee.)
HERBAL REMEDIES. This herbal formula is effective to pacify pitta:
shatavari 8 parts
kama dudha ½ part
guduchi 1 part
shanka bhasma ¼ part
Take ½ teaspoon of this mixture 2 or 3 times a day after meals, with a little warm water.
• For hives, rash, urticaria, dermatitis, or eczema, apply neem oil or tikta ghrita (bitter ghee) on the skin.
BLOOD PURIFICATION. Traditionally, Ayurveda has suggested that individuals with high pitta, who are prone to developing pitta-type problems such as sunburn in the summer season, do rakta moksha, or bloodletting, before the onset of the summer. Although this practice is currently not very well respected in the West, it is still used widely in India, as it has proven to be an effective preventive and healing measure. To make use of it today, you might consider donating about ½ pint or 100 cc. of blood to a blood bank. That will help to defuse pitta conditions such as allergic dermatitis and allergic eczema.
• To produce a similar effect, you can use a blood-cleansing herbal combination. For example, mix the herbs manjistha and neem in equal amounts.
manjistha 1 part
neem 1 part
Take ½ teaspoon of this mixture 3 times a day with warm water after meals. It will cleanse the blood and help to heal pitta-type allergies.
• The common Western herb burdock is also an effective blood purifier; you can make a tea from ½ teaspoon burdock per cup of boiling water and drink it 2 or 3 times a day.
HERBAL REMEDIES. Kapha allergies generally take the form of respiratory-pulmonary congestion, cough, cold, asthma, or hay fever. For relief from these conditions, use the following herbal formula:
sitopaladi 4 parts
yashti madhu 4 parts
abrak bhasma ⅛ part
Take about ¼ teaspoon of this mixture 3 times a day with honey.
PURGATION THERAPY. Kapha-type allergies occur when excess kapha collects in the stomach and lungs. One way to relieve this congestion is purgation therapy (virechana). Use flaxseed oil (available in most natural food stores), and take 1 teaspoon 2 or 3 times a day for 2 or 3 days. This will be quite effective. Or you can use triphala (see below).
VOMITING THERAPY. The Ayurvedic therapy that is particularly effective for removing excess kapha from the stomach and respiratory tract is vamana, or vomiting therapy. I have noticed, however, that people in the West have a strong cultural bias against vomiting, and many seem particularly uncomfortable with this procedure. It not only seems physically repugnant but may be emotionally difficult as well, as some emotional purification may arise as a result of the physical purification. So if you tend to have strong emotions or have trouble dealing with them, it might be better for you not to try vamana.
If you want to try it—and I want to emphasize that it is very effective for eliminating excess kapha—the procedure is to drink a stomach full of licorice tea and salt water and then to regurgitate it, emptying the stomach. Start by drinking several cups of licorice tea, followed by a pint of water with about 1 teaspoon of salt mixed in. Drink enough to fill your stomach, then rub the back of the tongue and vomit it out.
IMPORTANT CAUTION: If you have high blood pressure, low blood pressure, hiatal hernia, or a history of heart problems, do not do vaman therapy.
USE TRIPHALA. For all three types of allergies, one can take ½ to 1 teaspoon of triphala at night. (See appendix 2 for instructions for preparing triphala.) Triphala acts as both a laxative and a purgative. It consists of three herbs: amalaki, bibhitaki, and haritaki. Haritaki works on vata dosha, amalaki on pitta dosha, and bibhitaki on kapha dosha.
DIETARY CHANGES. For vata allergy, follow a vata-soothing diet; for pitta type of allergy, the pitta-pacifying diet; and for kapha allergy, the kapha-reducing diet. (Diet guidelines may be found in chapter 8.)
WATCH YOUR FOOD COMBINATIONS. It is important for individuals with allergies not to eat incompatible food combinations, such as milk and yogurt, meat and dairy, poultry and dairy, melon and grains, or fruits and grains. Avoid such things as banana milk shakes and “fruit smoothies” made with milk. For a more complete list of food incompatibilities, please turn to this page.
AVOID THE CAUSE. For most allergies, one should try to avoid the immediate cause: the allergen. People who are allergic to cats, dogs, hair, pollen, mold, and so on should simply try to avoid them. Also try to stay away from synthetic fibers such as polyester and rayon, which can cause pitta-type skin allergies. It is best to wear cotton clothing. Because of the large quantity of pesticides routinely sprayed on cotton, you might consider using only organic cotton products, though they tend to be more expensive.
BLOCK THE ALLERGENS. Generally, the respiratory passage is open to dust and other allergens. One way to minimize the effect of allergens that you can’t avoid is to lubricate the nasal mucous membrane with ghee. This prevents direct contact of the allergen with the mucous membrane.
USE NEEM OIL. Another way to reduce or avoid the effect of environmental allergens is to apply neem oil to the exposed part of the body. The presence of the oil on the skin, as well as the disinfectant properties of neem, will minimize contact with the allergen.
NOTE: Use neem herbalized oil—that is, neem leaves cooked in a base of sesame or another oil. Pure neem extract will be too strong. If you find that even this herbalized neem oil is too strong and creates an itching or burning sensation, mix it half and half with coconut oil.
MEDITATE FOR STRESS REDUCTION. Most allergies are stress related. Because of stress, imbalance is created in mind and body. The practice known as Empty Bowl meditation helps to restore balance and thus helps take care of stress-related allergies. (See chapter 7 for guidelines.)
YOGA POSTURES. The most helpful yoga asana for kapha and vata allergies is the Sun Salutation. For pitta allergies, do the Moon Salutation. For help with yoga asanas, see appendix 4.
BREATHING EXERCISES. Alternate Nostril breathing is effective for respiratory allergies such as hay fever, wheezing, and sneezing. Bhastrika (Breath of Fire) is good for kapha-type congestive allergies (see chapter 6). Also, ujjayi pranayama helps to improve immunity and is beneficial for all types of allergies.
Anemia Modern medicine has delineated several types of anemia: iron-deficiency anemia, pernicious anemia, sickle-cell anemia, and hypoproteinemic anemia (lack of protein in the blood), as well as certain vitamin-deficiency anemias, such as B-12 and folic acid-deficiency anemia. Certain bleeding disorders, such as profuse menstrual bleeding, bleeding hemorrhoids, or bleeding gums, can lead to anemia because of blood loss. Whenever modern medicine deals with the problem of anemia, it considers all these etiological factors.
Ayurveda looks at anemia quite differently. Ayurvedic classification of anemia falls under three basic doshic conditions: vata type, pitta type, and kapha type. It doesn’t matter whether a person has iron deficiency or folic acid deficiency; what is important is how the anemia is expressing itself through a particular individual. As it turns out (see box this page), there is also a correspondence between the Ayurvedic interpretation and the understanding according to modern medicine.
• In vata-type anemia, the person looks thin, with dry, rough, scaly skin, and has cracking of the joints. He or she looks emaciated and pale, may suffer from breathlessness and constipation, and may pass tarry black stool.
• In pitta-type anemia, the eyes are slightly yellowish, the person may get high-colored urine, and the stools are dark brown or have a slightly yellowish tinge. There may be nausea or pain in the liver and/or spleen area. Dizziness or vertigo may be experienced, and the person may become easily irritated by light.
• In kapha-type anemia, there is often swelling (edema), and the person’s skin feels cold and clammy and looks shiny. Because of the edema, the skin gets stretched so much that you can often see the reflection of the window on it.
By careful observation one can tell whether the anemia is vata, pitta, or kapha type. By treating that dosha, one treats the root cause and can alleviate the anemia.
FOR VATA-TYPE ANEMIA. For vata anemia, Ayurveda suggests taking tikta ghrita, which is bitter ghee (see appendix 2). One teaspoon of tikta ghrita 5 to 10 minutes before breakfast, lunch, and dinner will help to improve the blood volume.
• One can also use a mixture of
kaishore guggulu 2 parts
abrak bhasma ⅛ part
ashwagandha 5 parts
dashamoola 5 parts
Take ½ teaspoon of this mixture 3 times a day with warm milk to help correct vata-type anemia.
• A specific formula is given in Vedic literature for a cleansing, detoxifying herbal remedy for vata-type anemia. It is called gandharva haritaki, which is haritaki powder roasted in castor oil in an iron pan. Place 1 tablespoon castor oil in an iron pan and heat on the stove; when the oil is warm enough, sauté 1 ounce of the herb haritaki. The haritaki will become thick and will turn slightly brown. (You have to stir it.) Take ½ teaspoon of gandharva haritaki at bedtime, washed down with warm water. Take it for 2 months or until the blood returns to normal.
NOTE: This mixture may cause loose stools; if this happens, reduce your dosage until comfortable.
FOR PITTA-TYPE ANEMIA. For pitta anemia, Ayurveda suggests shatavari ghee. (The shatavari and the ghee are cooked together. Directions for preparing herbalized and medicated ghees and oils appear in appendix 2.) Take 1 teaspoon of shatavari ghee 3 times a day, before breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
• One can also use this herbal formula:
shatavari 5 parts
brahmi 3 parts
neem 2 parts
loha bhasma ⅛ part
Mix these herbs, and take ½ teaspoon of the mixture 3 times a day with 2 tablespoons of aloe vera gel. This combination will be quite effective in treating pitta-type anemia.
FOR KAPHA-TYPE ANEMIA. Where there is swelling, use:
punarnava 5 parts
gokshura 3 parts
kutki 2 parts
Take ½ teaspoon of this herbal mixture twice a day with a few sips of warm water. Or you can mix it with a little honey and then wash it down with water.
EAT IRON-RICH FOODS. Iron is a good blood builder, so foods rich in iron, such as beets, carrots, grapes, raisins, and currants, are used in the Ayurvedic treatment of most anemias. Figs, dates, and date sugar are also good sources of iron. Pomegranate juice and cranberry juice can be used as blood builders, as can a combination of beet and carrot juice. (Add a pinch of cumin to your carrot/beet juice for maximum effect.) Chlorophyll is also a good source of iron, and many times Ayurveda does suggest using chlorophyll, generally in the form of spinach, chard, and other fresh green vegetables.
YOGURT AND TURMERIC. Eat a cup of plain yogurt with up to 1 teaspoon turmeric on an empty stomach, morning and afternoon. Do not eat this after sunset. If kapha is unbalanced, eat this at noon only.
BLUE-GREEN ALGAE. Blue-green algae can also be effectively used, but primarily for pitta anemia. Because it is a rich source of prana, it is not good for vata individuals, as it will make them quite hyper. Kapha types may also find it beneficial.
COPPER WATER. Vata and kapha individuals may find copper water effective. Fill a genuine copper glass or cup with water and let it stand overnight, then drink it in the morning (see appendix 1).
DIET AND LIFESTYLE CHOICES. These choices should follow the general guidelines (diet, exercise, and so on) for each doshic constitutional type. For vata problems, follow the anti-vata guidelines; for pitta anemia follow the pitta-soothing diet and other guidelines; and for kapha-type anemia, follow the kapha-reducing guidelines.
Correlation of Ayurvedic and Western Types of Anemia
Clinical observation has shown that the various types of anemia classified by modern medicine can be correlated with the types of anemia delineated by Ayurveda. For example, pitta-type anemia has been associated with mononucleosis and hepatitis and may lead to problems with the liver. Cobalamine (vitamin B-12)-deficiency anemia is also associated with pitta. Kapha-type anemia may lead to hypo-proteinemic anemia and swelling, while vata-type anemia may be associated with iron deficiency and folic acid–deficiency anemia. By treating the vata–pitta–kapha types of anemia, Ayurveda can at the same time treat the types of anemia categorized by modern medicine.
YOGA ASANAS. Yoga postures good for anemia of both the vata and kapha varieties include the Locust pose, Lotus pose, and inverted poses (Shoulder Stand, Plow pose, Headstand), which bring the blood supply to the vital organs such as the thyroid, thymus, and brain. Headstand will not be good for pitta-type anemia, but the Sun Salutation, as well as the Boat, Bow, and Bridge poses, will be effective.
BREATHING EXERCISE. For all anemic conditions, surya pranayama (Right Nostril breathing) is recommended. Block your left nostril with your right ring finger and breathe only through the right nostril. Right Nostril breathing stimulates the liver, which plays an important role in building the blood.
Anger and Hostility Anger and hostility are signs of aggravated pitta in the nervous system. Pitta is necessary for right understanding and judgment, but when it gets disturbed or out of balance, it creates misunderstanding and wrong judgment, leading to anger and hostility. The aim is to bring the pitta back to its normal constitutional function.
Here are several simple home remedies to cool down that hot pitta and keep tempers under control.
DIET. Perhaps most important, a person who becomes angry easily or often should follow the pitta-pacifying diet (see chapter 8), especially avoiding hot, spicy and fermented foods, citrus fruit, and sour fruit. Favor simple, bland foods and cool drinks, and avoid alcohol and drinks with caffeine.
KEEP COOL. It’s also not recommended for people with a pitta body type to take saunas or steam baths, to get overheated from exercise or sports, or to be in too much direct sun. In other words: keep cool.
OIL MASSAGE. Rub some bhringaraj oil or coconut oil on your scalp and on the soles of the feet. That will help to bring down the excess pitta. (See instructions for preparing herbalized ghees and oils in appendix 2.) You can do this every night before getting in bed to regularly moderate pitta. Be sure to wear some old socks and a hat, or put a towel on your pillow, to prevent the oil from staining.
USE SANDALWOOD OIL. Another simple and effective way to help balance your emotions is to place a drop of sandalwood essential oil on the “third eye” area between your eyebrows, as well as on the throat, breastbone, navel, temples, and wrists. Just a small amount of oil is sufficient.
HERBAL TEAS. Drink chamomile-tulsi-rose tea.
chamomile 1 part
tulsi (holy basil) 1 part
rose petal powder 2 parts
Steep ½ teaspoon of this mixture in 1 cup of hot water, cool it, and then drink. You can drink it 3 times a day, after each meal.
• You can use an even simpler formula. Take ½ teaspoon of chamomile and 1 teaspoon of fresh, finely chopped cilantro leaves, and steep them in 1 cup hot water for about 10 minutes. Allow this tea to cool before you drink it.
HAVE A PITTA-PACIFYING DRINK. Into 1 cup of grape juice, add ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon fennel, and ½ teaspoon sandalwood powder. This cooling, pitta-pacifying drink will help to settle angry feelings and other pitta symptoms such as burning in the stomach.
GHEE NASYA. Dip your little finger into a jar of brahmi ghee (or plain ghee if you haven’t made brahmi ghee), and lubricate the inside of your nostrils with a small amount. (Make sure your nails are trimmed so you don’t scratch yourself.) Then gently inhale the ghee upward. This sends a calming message to the brain. You will become quite tranquil; anger and hostility will dissolve like a cloud in the sky.
DO BREATHING EXERCISES. A cooling pranayama to help dissipate anger is shitali pranayama. Make a tube of your tongue; breathe deeply through your mouth down into your belly; hold the breath for a few seconds; exhale through your nose. Do about 12 repetitions. (See the illustration in chapter 6.)
YOGA POSTURES. Good yoga asanas for pitta include the Camel, Cobra, Cow, Boat, Goat, and Bridge poses. (See appendix 4 for illustrations of yoga postures.) Avoid the Headstand or other inverted poses such as the Plow and Shoulder Stand. Do not perform the Sun Salutation; do the Moon Salutation instead.
MEDITATE. There is an ancient method of meditation that involves watching your every emotion come and go, without either naming it or trying to tame it. As the feelings arise, breathe deeply, and exhale the emotions out.
Angina Angina, or to give it its full name, angina pectoris (chest pain), is a condition created by kapha dosha. Accumulated kapha blocks the flow of prana vata into the coronary artery, so that the heart muscles do not receive sufficient blood and oxygen supply. It is a kind of local anemia, resulting in pain that can be severe and frightening. Typically, the pain starts from the breastbone in the center of the chest, goes to the left shoulder, and passes along the inner side of the upper arm to the tip of the little finger.
HERBAL REMEDIES. To heal angina, the following herbal remedy is effective:
shringa bhasma ⅛ part
musta 3 parts
arjuna 3 parts
Take ½ teaspoon of this mixture 2 or 3 times a day with warm water.
Another effective remedy is to boil ½ cup each of milk and water, add ½ teaspoon of arjuna and 2 pinches of saffron, and take twice or 3 times a day. You may find this remedy beneficial for both chest pain and heart palpitations.
SPECIAL HERBS. In India, angina is often directly dealt with by taking certain powerful herbs sublingually (under the tongue) to produce immediate relief, as nitroglycerin tablets are often used in modern medicine. Ask your Ayurvedic physician about these herbs.
A HEALING PASTE. Topically, one can apply a paste to the chest. Make the paste of ginger powder (1 teaspoon) and shringa bhasma (just a pinch). Add sufficient warm water, and apply.
DEER HORN. Try to get hold of some deer horn. (Indian groceries and Chinese herb stores are possible sources.) Using a mortar and pestle or another kind of grinding stone, rub the deer horn on the rough stone until a little paste is formed. Applying a little of that paste on the chest can instantaneously relieve angina pain.
TIME TO SEE THE DOCTOR
The heart is a precious, vital organ. Any symptom related to the heart could be a sign of heart disease or a signal that heart disease is developing. So if you have any chest pain that could be due to your heart, please consult your doctor. Especially—but not exclusively—if you get chest pain from less exertion than usual, or if your chest pain lasts longer than a few minutes, treat it as a medical emergency.
GOLD WATER. Taking 1 teaspoon of gold water 2 or 3 times a day before food is also effective. (See appendix 1 for instructions on making gold water.)
YOGA POSTURES. If there is no acute angina pain, you can improve coronary circulation by doing some gentle yoga stretching. Beneficial postures include the Camel pose, Boat pose, Locust pose, gentle Spinal Twist, and Cobra pose. These postures stretch the coronary arteries and increase blood supply to the heart.
Anxiety Anxiety, which often is associated with insomnia and feelings of fear, is due primarily to aggravation of vata dosha in the nervous system. So to heal anxiety, we have to balance vata.
Here are several effective Ayurvedic remedies to pacify vata, heal anxiety and fear, and improve your sleep.
CALMING TEA. Make a tea of the following herbs:
tagar or valerian 1 part
musta 1 part
Steep ½ teaspoon of these herbs in 1 cup hot water for 5 to 10 minutes, and drink.
Everyone experiences worry and anxiety from time to time. But if severe anxiety continues for a long time or becomes overwhelming and interferes with your social or occupational functioning, medical attention is required. Here are three reasons to see a doctor:
This formula effectively pacifies vata and reduces anxiety. You can drink this tea twice a day.
RELAXING BATH. A warm bath of ginger and baking soda will help you pacify anxiety. Use ⅓ cup ginger and ⅓ cup baking soda in a tubful of water. Soak for 10 to 15 minutes.
ALMOND MILK. Almond milk helps to eliminate anxiety. Soak about 10 raw (not toasted) almonds overnight in water. Peel off the skins, and put the almonds in the blender. Add 1 cup warm milk. While blending, add a pinch of ginger and a small pinch of nutmeg and saffron.
ORANGE JUICE. For anxiety accompanied by a fast heart rate, a cup of orange juice with 1 teaspoon of honey and a pinch of nutmeg powder can be effective.
CALMING PRESSURE POINT. Make a fist with your left hand, so that the fingers rest in the middle of the palm. Locate the point where the middle finger ends, in the “heart” of the palm. Then, with the thumb of your right hand, press firmly on this point in the center of your left hand. Press for 1 minute. This will calm down the agitation of prana, which causes anxiety.
Ayurvedic Oil Massage
Giving yourself a full-body oil massage will greatly help to reduce anxiety. Vatas should use sesame oil; pittas, sunflower or coconut oil; kaphas, corn oil. Use 6 or 7 ounces of warmed-up (not hot) oil, and rub it over your whole body from head to toes. Ordinarily this massage is done before the morning bath, but if you have high anxiety or insomnia, you can also do it before going to bed.
A minimassage is also effective: Using the appropriate oil for your constitution, rub some on your scalp and spend a few minutes rubbing the bottom of your feet.
RELAXATION POSE. Lie down on your back in the yoga posture known as savasana, the “Corpse” or Relaxation pose, arms by your sides.
MEDITATE TO RELAX. Sitting quietly, focus your attention on the top of your head while doing the So-Hum meditation (described in chapter 7).
Appetite, Low Poor appetite is a condition of low jatharagni (digestive fire). Low agni may be due to slow metabolism, or slow metabolism caused by low agni; each affects the other. Low agni creates not only poor appetite but also indigestion, bloating, ama (toxins) in the gastrointestinal tract, coating on the tongue, and bad breath. Lack of energy is also common.
The most effective treatment for this situation may surprise you: Don’t eat. A short fast will help to kindle the digestive fire. Skip breakfast, and don’t nibble anything. By noon your appetite will probably return, and you will be hungry and ready to eat.
Lack of appetite is often due to continual munching, combined with drinking cold drinks, which depress agni. For the sake of good digestion and long-term health, as well as reviving your appetite, both of these bad habits have to be stopped.
If you are not hungry even by lunchtime, take some fresh ginger, chop a little into small pieces, add some lime juice and a pinch of rock salt, and chew it up. That will kindle agni and stimulate the appetite.
Low appetite may also be due to emotional factors. If that is the case, make a tea of ginger, brahmi, and chamomile in equal proportions. Use 1 teaspoon of this mixture per cup of water, steep for 5 to 10 minutes, and drink.
Also, take ½ teaspoon of triphala in a cup of warm water every night before going to bed. Pour boiling water into the triphala, and let it cool until it’s comfortable to drink.
These few simple measures should be enough to help you regain a healthy appetite. If you try them and still don’t feel like eating, see your doctor, as lack of appetite can be a symptom of a more serious illness.
Arthritis Ayurveda distinguishes three categories of arthritis, corresponding to vata, pitta, and kapha. To treat this condition properly, it is vital to carefully diagnose which type you have.
• If arthritis is due to vata, your joints will crack and pop. They become dry and are not swollen as they may be if excess vata is not the cause. The joints may also feel cold to the touch. They are painful mostly upon movement, and there is usually one particular tender spot. Jogging, jumping, trampolining, or any strenuous exercise tends to aggravate the pain.
• Pitta-type arthritis is characterized by inflammation; the joint becomes swollen and is painful even without movement. It often looks red and feels hot to the touch.
• In kapha-type arthritis, the joint also becomes stiff and swollen, but it feels cold and clammy rather than hot. A little movement, rather than aggravating the pain, tends to relieve it. The pain is greater in the morning, and as the person starts moving around, the pain diminishes.
Treatment for each type of arthritis is unique, as we shall see in a moment. But for all cases, it is important to know that arthritis begins in the colon.
Depending on the person’s lifestyle, diet, and emotional pattern, either vata, pitta, or kapha goes out of balance. Then that particular dosha slows down agni (digestive fire), resulting in the toxic, sticky by-product of inadequate digestion known as ama.
Vata, the main active dosha, brings the ama into the colon, and from there it travels through the system and lodges in the asthi dhatu (bone tissue) and in the joints, giving rise to the stiffness and pain characteristic of arthritis.
So our aim in treating arthritis is to remove the ama from the joint and bring it back to the colon, and then to eliminate it.
This is why, to relieve arthritis, it is important to keep the colon clean. To accomplish this, if you do not know positively whether it is vata, pitta, or kapha arthritis, taking triphala at night (1 teaspoon) with some warm water (½ to 1 cup) will be effective for all types. Alternatively, if you know positively which type it is, you can use haritaki for vata-type arthritis, amalaki for pitta-type, and bibhitaki for kapha-type arthritis (½ to 1 teaspoon with warm water in all cases).
Now for the complete treatments.
• Follow the vata-pacifying diet (chapter 8). Favor warm, easy-to-digest foods, and avoid cold foods and drinks, including salads. Avoid beans, drying grains such as barley and corn, and the nightshades: tomato, potato, and eggplant.
• Take yogaraj guggulu, 1 tablet 3 times per day.
• Apply mahanarayan oil on the affected joint, followed by application of local moist heat. For example, say you have an arthritic ankle. Apply the mahanarayan oil, rub it into the skin, and then soak your foot in warm to bearably hot water. Add a “teabag” of brown mustard seeds to the water. You can make the bag by wrapping 2 tablespoons of mustard seeds in a handkerchief or cheesecloth.
• Helpful yoga postures include Forward Bend (don’t strain), the Chest-Knee pose, Maha Mudra, and the Half Bridge pose. (For illustrations of yoga postures, see appendix 4.)
Pitta arthritis often has more pain and inflammation associated with it than other types.
• Follow the pitta-pacifying diet (chapter 8). Particularly avoid hot, spicy foods, pickles, spinach, and tomatoes.
• These Ayurvedic herbal formulas will help you. Take 1 tablet of kaishore guggulu (350 mg.) 3 times a day, and ½ teaspoon sudarshan twice a day, washed down with warm water.
• Externally, apply cool castor oil or coconut oil to the painful area.
• Application of a cooling substance, such as sandalwood powder paste, is soothing. Make the paste by taking 1 teaspoon of sandalwood powder and adding sufficient water to make a paste. Rub it gently onto the joint.
• If the joint is hot and inflamed, you can put an icebag on it. This will help to ease the pain and inflammation.
• Helpful yoga postures include the Boat, Bow, Camel, Cow, and Locust poses, as well as the series of postures known as the Moon Salutation. (See appendix 4 for illustrations of yoga postures.)
• You can also perform shitali pranayama, as follows: Make a tube of your tongue. Breathe deeply through your mouth down into your belly. Hold the breath for a few seconds, then exhale through your nose. Do about 12 repetitions. (See illustration in chapter 6.)
Arthritis is classified as kapha when the joint is painful, swollen, stiff, and feels cold and clammy to the touch.
• Follow the kapha-reducing diet (chapter 8). Especially, take no dairy products and no cold drinks.
• A potent herbal formula to help with this type of arthritis is punarnava guggulu tablets (250 mg.). Take 1 tablet 3 times a day.
• Externally, you can apply a paste of vacha (calamus root) powder. Add sufficient warm water to 1 teaspoon of powder to make a paste, and apply to the joint.
• When there is an effusion (when the joint fills with fluid), you can make an effective paste of equal amounts of punarnava powder and ginger powder. Mix 1 teaspoon of each with enough warm water to form a paste, and apply.
• Yoga postures that are helpful for kapha-type arthritis include the Tree, Triangle, Forward Bend, and Spinal Twist. (Illustrations of yoga postures appear in appendix 4.)
In addition to the vata–pitta–kapha method of classifying arthritis, this condition can also be classified as either rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis. If you are sure which condition you have, the following guidelines will add more specificity to your treatment.
FOR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. Take 1 simhanada guggulu tablet (350 mg.) 3 times a day, and 1 chitrak-adhivati (200 mg.) tablet twice a day.
• A quarter teaspoon of yogaraj guggulu washed down with a little warm water 3 times a day is also recommended.
• You can also drink 1 cup of ginger tea with 2 teaspoons of castor oil added. Castor oil contains natural precursors of steroids, which help to heal the inflammatory condition of rheumatoid arthritis. Take this tea before going to bed. Expect some laxative effect from the castor oil.
FOR OSTEOARTHRITIS. Take 1 tablet of yogaraj guggulu twice a day. At night, take ½ teaspoon gandharva haritaki (haritaki sautéed in castor oil) with warm water. If you don’t have gandharva haritaki, use ginger tea with castor oil, as described above.
Asthma and Wheezing Bronchial asthma is characterized by sudden attacks of short, gasping breaths accompanied by wheezing. If the attack is not stopped, the person may have increasing difficulty breathing.
The underlying cause of all asthmatic conditions is increased kapha dosha in the stomach. From there it moves into the lungs, trachea, and bronchi. The increased kapha blocks the natural flow of air, creating spasm in the bronchial tree and resulting in asthma and wheezing.
Ayurvedic treatment for asthma aims to bring the kapha lodged in the lungs and bronchi back to the stomach, from which it can be eliminated.
Asthma may be brought on by allergies, a cold, congestion, cough, or hay fever. It can be instigated by pollen, dust, animal hair, or various foods, or an increase of kapha internally. Regardless of the cause, during an asthmatic attack it is important to immediately relieve the difficult breathing and asthmatic wheezing.
To Immediately Stop Wheezing
Boil 1 teaspoon of licorice root (yashti madhu) in a cup of water for a couple of minutes to make a licorice tea. Just before drinking the tea, add 5 to 10 drops of mahanarayan oil if you have some, or use ½ teaspoon of plain ghee. Take one sip of this tea every 5 to 10 minutes.
In some instances, the licorice tea may induce vomiting. This is beneficial: It eliminates kapha and relieves the spasm of the bronchial tubes, and the person usually feels better immediately.
You can use this licorice tea not only for emergencies but, if you are prone to develop asthma, every day as a preventive. The only exception is that individuals with hypertension should not use much licorice tea, as it makes the body retain sodium. They may take it as an emergency measure to avert an asthma attack, but they should not drink it regularly.
NOTE: Prepare the tea as soon as you begin to feel an attack coming on, when there is tightness in the chest, some difficulty breathing, or whatever warning bell symptoms you recognize from past experiences. Don’t wait until you are already having serious problems breathing.
Once you prepare the tea, it can last for 72 hours and not lose its effectiveness.
The following herbal remedies can be taken on a regular basis for long-term prevention of asthma.
• Mix 1 teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon trikatu into a cup of boiling water. Let it steep for 10 minutes, and add 1 teaspoon of honey before drinking. You can take this tea twice a day.
• A tea made of half licorice and half ginger is also beneficial for asthma prevention. Use half a teaspoon of the combined herbs per cupful of water.
• Also try ½ teaspoon bay leaf and ¼ teaspoon pippali mixed into 1 teaspoon honey, taken 2 or 3 times a day.
• Another remedy that can relieve congestion and alleviate breathlessness is ¼ cup onion juice with 1 teaspoon honey and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper. This remedy will also be effective for immediate relief of asthma.
• This herbal formula is helpful both for prevention and immediate relief:
sitopaladi ½ teaspoon
punarnava ½ teaspoon
pippali pinch
abrak bhasma pinch
For immediate relief, take this entire mixture with honey, a little bit at a time. For long-term usage, take it once a day.
• You may also find ⅓ cup spinach juice with a pinch of pippali effective. Drink this twice a day.
Mustard seeds are effective in healing the bronchial system. Here are three ways to take advantage of their heating and healing power:
IF YOU HAVE AN INFECTION. In some people, the underlying cause of asthmatic wheezing may be an infection descending from the nose and sinuses. If this is the case, putting 5 to 10 drops of warm ghee in each nostril will help.
TRY TO AVOID ALLERGENS. If your asthma and wheezing are due to a food allergy, then avoid the problematic food. Similarly, avoid any object that may provoke your condition, such as dusty books, moldy basements, and some chemicals.
FOODS TO AVOID. Avoid most dairy products, including all cheeses. Avoid fermented foods and all hydrophilic food substances such as salty items, cucumber, and tuna fish. Some people need to avoid mushrooms, peanuts, walnuts and other nuts, and yeast. The reaction may be immediate, for people extremely sensitive to these substances, or it may take several hours to develop.
FOR CHRONIC BRONCHIAL ASTHMA. If you have chronic bronchial asthma, try this remedy. Insert about 7 cloves into a peeled banana, and keep it overnight. Next morning eat the banana and the cloves. Don’t eat anything for an hour, then drink 1 cup of hot
TIME TO SEE THE DOCTOR
Asthma can ordinarily be controlled using these Ayurvedic remedies. However, if you find that medicines that ordinarily help you breathe more comfortably no longer seem to be working, or if, along with your difficulty breathing, you have chest pain, swollen feet, and profuse sweating, and you have a history of heart problems, you need to seek immediate medical attention.
water with 1 teaspoon of honey. This will energize the lungs and should reduce asthmatic wheezing.
YOGA FOR ASTHMA. Effective yoga asanas to help relieve asthma are the Bow and Cobra poses, sitting in the Vajrasana, and the inverted poses including Shoulder Stand and Plow. (Illustrations of yoga postures appear in appendix 4.)
Athlete’s Foot People with kapha–pitta constitutions, who sweat a lot, are most prone to get athlete’s foot. This is an itchy, inflammatory condition between the toes, often accompanied by sweating on the soles of the feet.
Athlete’s foot can be effectively treated with Ayurvedic remedies. Begin by cleaning the problem area with some tea tree oil on a cotton swab. This natural antiseptic oil is widely available in natural food stores and elsewhere.
Then apply a mixture of aloe vera gel and turmeric. Mix 1 teaspoon of aloe vera gel with ½ teaspoon turmeric, and apply some of the mixture to the affected areas. But be a little careful: This mixture will turn your skin and socks yellow! If you use it at night, it will stain your sheets, so you might wear a pair of old socks to prevent the discoloration. Continue with this treatment twice a day for at least 2 weeks
An alternative treatment is to wash your feet with neem soap. Then dry thoroughly with a hair drier or soft towel, and apply some neem oil (about ¼ teaspoon) mixed with about 10 drops of tea tree oil. Apply that mixture topically to the affected area with a cotton swab.
If you have athlete’s foot or are prone to get it, avoid fermented food and sugar.
Backache Backache is uncommonly common these days. It has become an occupational hazard in many different kinds of work. People may pull or strain their back muscles while lifting a heavy load or while sitting at a desk in front of a computer. Emotional factors can also lead to back pain, as can injuries, such as from a car accident. Some people may even have a slipped disk, which can lead to severe back pain. Whatever the cause of your backache, the following natural Ayurvedic home remedies will be helpful.
HERBAL REMEDIES. Take yogaraj guggulu, 1 tablet 3 times a day, or 1 tablet of kaishore guggulu 2 or 3 times a day. Both of these special Ayurvedic formulas are available from most sources of Ayurvedic herbs (see Resources).
• Backache can also be relieved by the use of the herb musta, which is a muscle painkiller. Take ¼ to ½ teaspoon 2 or 3 times a day with warm water.
• The herbs tagara and valerian are muscle relaxants. Taking ½ teaspoon of either with some warm water will relax the muscles that may be causing back pain. It will also help induce restful sleep.
Most back pain can be effectively treated with these herbs, but a ruptured or slipped disk often requires intensive medical care.
RUB IN SOME OIL. Rubbing the painful area of the back with mahanarayan oil is also effective for relieving the pain. Vata and pitta types should just rub the oil on the surface, while kapha types should give a deeper massage to the area for some time.
Alternatively, try this procedure: Apply a paste made of ginger powder mixed with sufficient water to the affected area. Leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes, wash it off, and then rub the back with some eucalyptus oil.
(Unless your back pain is in the neck or shoulder area, these back rubs will have to be done by a friend!)
TAKE A HOT HERBALIZED BATH. For extra healing and muscle relaxation, apply the mahanarayan oil on your back and then follow with a hot bath in which you put some ginger powder and baking soda (⅓ cup of each). Soak in the tub for 10 to 15 minutes. You may repeat this bath 2 or 3 times a week, perhaps on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
AN ENEMA CAN HELP. Individuals who suffer from backache often get constipated, and it may be difficult to tell which is the effect and which is the cause. The backache may be due to chronic constipation, or the spasming muscles and anxiety caused by the back pain may induce constipation. In either case, a simple enema of dashamoola tea will help.
Boil 1 tablespoon of dashamoola powder in a pint of water for about 5 minutes, cool it down, and add ½ cup sesame oil. When it is cool enough, use it as an enema, retaining the liquid for 5 to 10 minutes if you can. A dashamoola-sesame oil enema is soothing to vata and will help relieve both the constipation and the pain. (See appendix 3 for enema guidelines.)
GENTLE STRETCHES. Some gentle yoga exercises can help with back pain.
IMPORTANT: All yoga postures should be learned with a trained yoga teacher, but especially when you have a backache, you should not do any yoga postures without expert guidance. This is especially true if your pain comes from a slipped disk.
In general, the following postures may be helpful:
| Camel pose | Lotus pose |
| Cow pose | Forward Bend |
| Spinal Twist | Palm Tree pose |
| Locust pose | gentle, modified Fish pose |
All these postures may be used both as a preventive measure and to help remedy back pain. But again, be sure to get advice from a trained teacher. (Illustrations of yoga postures appear in appendix 4.)
• Backache is often due to excess vata, so it is helpful to reduce your consumption of vata-increasing foods. Avoid most beans, including black beans, pinto beans, adzuki beans, and garbanzo beans. Avoid raw, cold salads. (See chapter 8 for more on the vata-pacifying diet.)
• Avoid exposure to cold weather or cold winds.
• Sit quietly and meditate, or observe your breathing. This will help relax tense muscles. (For help with meditation, see chapter 7.)
• Don’t walk in high-heeled shoes.
• Don’t try to do jogging, jumping, or other strenuous exercise, rather, do some gentle yoga stretching as mentioned above.
• Sexual activity should be minimized.
Following these guidelines will help you heal your aching back as well as avoid back pain in the future.
Bad Breath Bad breath is often a sign of systemic toxicity, either in the colon, intestine, or mouth. It can also be due to chronic indigestion or malabsorption. When digestion is weak or sluggish, the food you eat undergoes fermentation and putrefaction in the gastrointestinal tract, leading to the formation of ama, which has a foul smell.
Stand in front of a mirror, and stick out your tongue. If the back portion of the tongue is coated, that is the sign of ama, which is responsible for the bad breath.
The primary Ayurvedic aim in treating bad breath is to kindle gastric fire (agni), which in turn burns ama and alleviates the root cause of the condition. Here are several effective home remedies to prevent and treat bad breath.
• First monitor your diet. It’s important not to eat heavy meals, and to stay away from cold drinks, ice cream, cheese, and yogurt, all of which reduce the gastric fire and slow down digestion, with a likely increase of ama.
• Then, after each meal (generally after lunch and dinner), chew about 1 teaspoon of roasted fennel and cumin seeds (mixed half and half). This will improve digestion, which indirectly helps to detoxify the colon. The licorice-flavored fennel seeds alone would be delicious and helpful, but this mixture will have a better effect.
• Drink ½ cup of aloe vera juice twice a day until freshness is restored to the breath.
• Slowly chewing one or two cardamom seeds also helps to minimize bad breath. Cardamom aids digestion and helps to reduce ama.
• After each meal, drink a cup of cumin-coriander-fennel tea (equal proportions) as a digestive aid. Steep about ¼ to ½ teaspoon of each herb per cup of hot water.
TAKE CARE OF YOUR TEETH AND GUMS. Another cause of bad breath is poor oral hygiene. It’s important to clean the teeth after each meal. Use an Ayurvedic toothpaste containing neem or an herbal formula. Also use dental floss every day. Applying some tea tree oil mixed half and half with neem oil to the gums and gently massaging will help prevent receding gums. Be sure to spit out the residue rather than swallowing. (See “Teeth and Gums—Ayurvedic Care.”)
YOGA POSTURES. The yoga posture known as Yoga Mudra, the Lion pose, and sitting in the Lotus posture with a Forward Bend are good asanas for combating bad breath (see appendix 4).
BREATHING EXERCISE. You can also do the pranayama known as shitali (see instructions in chapter 6).
If you follow these guidelines, you can say good-bye to bad breath.
Baldness See also “Hair Care Secrets”
Hair loss is a subtle metabolic disorder. It may be related to disease—I have seen hair loss in persons with diabetes, for example, or following typhoid infection. It may be due to some fungal infection on the scalp, or to hormonal imbalance. A deficiency of calcium, magnesium, and zinc may affect the nourishment of the hair enough that the hair starts to fall out. And there is a definite hereditary factor, in which genes appear to trigger hair loss at a certain age.
According to Ayurveda, early hair loss is often related to body type and the balance of the doshas. Pitta individuals, and those who have excess pitta in their system, are more likely than the other body types to lose their hair early in life, or to find that their hair becomes prematurely thin or gray. Excess pitta in the sebaceous gland, at the root of the hair, or folliculitis (inflammation of the hair follicles) can make the person start losing hair.
ALOE VERA. To reduce pitta and preserve the health of your hair, drink aloe vera juice (⅓ cup) or take some aloe vera gel (1 tablespoon with a pinch of cumin) 3 times a day for about 3 months.
OIL MASSAGE. Another effective way to pacify pitta is to rub some coconut oil on your scalp and on the soles of your feet at bedtime. Wear some old socks, and to preserve the health of your pillow, wear a loose woolen cap or cover the pillow with a towel so it won’t get damaged by the oil.
• Massaging the scalp with brahmi oil or bhringaraj oil at bedtime can help to prevent hair loss. In addition to the qualities of the oil, the massage itself will improve circulation at the root of the hair, thus bringing more nutrients to support hair growth.
• Massaging the hair with vitamin E oil may also be effective in preventing or slowing hair loss.
FOOD FOR YOUR HAIR. Healthy hair depends upon a nourishing diet. Dairy products such as cheese, milk, and yogurt are beneficial for the hair (assuming you digest them well), as are white radish and daikon. Coconut, cooked apples, and cabbage are also useful.
• Eat a handful of white sesame seeds every morning. One handful of these small seeds contains about 1,200 mg. of calcium and magnesium and is a good source of nourishment for your hair.
HERBS FOR YOUR HAIR. Certain herbs are useful for nourishing the hair. Try this beneficial formula:
dashamoola 5 parts
bhringaraj 4 parts
jatamamsi 3 parts
At bedtime, add ½ teaspoon of this mixture to 1 cup of goat’s milk, heat to boiling, and drink. This will build up the bones and nourish the hair.
MINERAL SUPPLEMENTS. You may also be able to improve the condition of your hair by taking mineral supplements to be sure you have enough calcium, magnesium, and zinc. Take a supplement containing approximately the following daily dose of minerals:
calcium 1,200 mg.
magnesium 600 mg.
zinc 60 mg.
Take these supplements at bedtime.
MASSAGE. Stress, stiffness in the neck, and whiplash from a car accident can also contribute to hair loss. To soften the neck muscles, relieve pain, and reduce stress, massage your neck and shoulder muscles before showering.
NECK EXERCISES. You can also do some simple neck exercises, such as turning your head to the left 3 times, to the right 3 times, lifting it up 3 times, moving it down toward your chest 3 times, and then rolling it gently in a circle 3 times in each direction.
ANTISTRESS TEA. To help you deal with stress, make a tea of equal proportions of jatamamsi and brahmi. Steep 1 teaspoon of the mix in 1 cup of hot water, and drink 2 or 3 times a day.
YOGA POSTURES. Yoga postures can help to relieve tension in your neck and indirectly aid in keeping hair healthy. Recommended postures include the Shoulder Stand, Camel pose, Cobra pose, and Cow pose. (Illustrations appear in appendix 4.)
MEDITATE FOR RELAXATION. You will also find meditation an effective means for reducing stress and tension. Try sitting quietly and observing your breathing. Or try the Empty Bowl meditation (described in chapter 7).
Bites and Stings Any bite or sting of an insect can trigger a local irritation of pitta under the skin. As long as the venom of the insect remains there, it may keep on creating periodic allergic reactions, or may even create sting-bite nephritis, a serious condition involving generalized edema (swelling) and breathlessness, and the person can choke. So stings and bites, though usually quite innocuous, may occasionally be very serious; one has to be watchful.
CILANTRO. As soon as possible after receiving a sting or bite, take some cilantro juice. Place a handful of cilantro in a blender with about ⅓ cup water, blend thoroughly, and strain it. Drink the juice (use 2 teaspoons 3 times a day), and apply the pulp locally to the skin at the affected area. It will instantaneously pacify the itching, burning, and hives or rash created by the sting or bite.
DRINK COCONUT WATER. One can drink ⅓ cup of coconut water (the “juice” inside the coconut) with about ⅛ teaspoon kama dudha added. Drinking this mixture 2 or 3 times will help heal the reaction to the sting bite.
COCONUT ASH. Here is another simple and fascinating remedy. Take a piece of dried coconut, and set fire to it. It will catch fire like wax. Let it burn for about ½ inch and then blow it out. There will be a little smoke, and when the smoke disappears, a tarry black residue will remain. Apply that residue directly to the bite for instant relief.
Why does this work? Because coconut is a good source both for antihistamines and for natural steroids.
You may do the same thing with the ash from burning some of the outer coconut shell.
APPLY NEEM OIL OR NEEM PASTE. At the site of the bite, you can also apply neem oil or a neem paste. Neem is an antidote to most poisonous insect venoms. To make a paste, take a little neem powder and mix it with a little water. Apply it to the skin and leave it on for 10 to 20 minutes, then rinse it off. Do not use pure neem extract; instead use an herbalized oil made by boiling neem leaves in a sesame oil base. This is generally available in natural food stores or Indian groceries.
A HEALING PASTE. You will also find a paste made from ½ teaspoon of sandalwood powder plus ½ teaspoon turmeric soothing and healing. Mix the two herbs together with sufficient water to make a paste, and apply topically to the site of the bite.
PREVENTION. Neem oil is a much-used insect repellent in India and around the world. It contains a natural chemical compound that repels insects. Rub a little onto exposed skin before going outdoors.
Bladder Problems See also “Urinary Incontinence”
Problems with the bladder and urination may indicate cystitis, an inflammation of the bladder that causes a burning sensation when passing urine. Other bladder problems include frequent urination, or its opposite, stagnation or retention of urine in the bladder, leading to bladder distension. There may be pain in the bladder area while urinating, a condition called strangury. Let’s look at each of these.
In this condition the bladder is distended but the person doesn’t pass urine. It may be due to constriction of the urethra, enlargement of the prostate gland, or perhaps a stone in the urethra. The causes may be many, but the cure is simple:
• Take two towels or sponges, one dipped in hot water, the other dipped in cool water. About every minute, alternate placing them in the bladder area. This alternation of hot and cold stimulates the bladder, and the person easily passes urine.
• If alternating hot and cold compresses isn’t completely successful, apply punarnava paste (punarnava powder with sufficient water to make a paste) to the skin directly above the distended bladder. Leave it on for about half an hour.
• If the retention is due to stricture (narrowing) in the urethra or enlargement of the prostate gland, then use this formula:
punarnava guggulu 4 parts
shilajit 1 part
Taking ½ teaspoon of this mixture 3 times a day with warm water will help to dilate the stricture or relax the prostate gland and help to restore the easy flow of the urine.
Cystitis causes a burning sensation while urinating. To relieve this condition, drink coriander tea, cumin tea, or fennel tea. Or make a tea of equal proportions of these three herbs. Cumin-coriander-fennel tea is widely used in Ayurveda to relieve irritation of the bladder while passing urine.
You may also find this mixture effective for cystitis:
punarnava 5 parts
gokshura 4 parts
musta 3 parts
Take ½ teaspoon of this herbal mixture 2 or 3 times a day with warm water.
This is a condition in which the bladder’s sphincter loses its tone or strength, and the bladder leaks urine. It is more common among women. A woman may sneeze or cough and inadvertently passes some urine. For this condition, take one handful of white sesame seeds along with 1 teaspoon of jaggery or natural, unrefined brown sugar, and chew it well, followed by half a cup of water to wash it down. This is a very simple remedy to bring tone back to the bladder. Take it once or twice a day until your condition is better.
For further discussion and suggestions, see “Urinary Incontinence” and “Prostate Problems.”
Bleeding, External Generally, within 5 to 6 minutes after getting a cut, the bleeding will stop by itself. The blood will clot, the bleeding will stop, and the cut will be sealed. In such cases—the vast majority—there is nothing much to do unless the cut is severe and bleeding is excessive.
Some people, however, bleed for a longer time, because the blood does not cooperate and clot quickly enough. When a person continues to bleed, it basically means that the blood is too thin. Although the problem usually has a relatively simple and benign cause, failure of the blood to clot—or gums, cuts, or wounds that start to bleed—may also be an early sign of blood cancer, leukemia, or hemophilia purpura, a pitta disorder that causes profuse bleeding under the skin.
From the Ayurvedic perspective, blood that fails to clot in a timely manner is due to a pitta imbalance. Excess pitta in the blood makes the blood hot, sharp, and penetrating and doesn’t allow natural coagulation and clotting to occur. The basic prescription, then, is to follow a pitta-soothing diet, use pitta-soothing herbs, and take specifically hemostatic herbs, herbs that directly help to stop bleeding.
APPLY COLD. To stop external bleeding, start by applying cold. Use some ice (plain or wrapped in a cloth), which helps to constrict the blood vessels and stop bleeding. A bag of frozen vegetables from the freezer will do the job in an emergency.
APPLY PRESSURE. Other simple ways to stop bleeding, well known to most people, are
ALOE. Another effective approach is to apply some aloe. A pinch of aloe powder mixed into a paste with a pinch of turmeric powder will immediately stop most bleeding. Aloe vera gel will also be effective.
ASTRINGENT HERBS. Other astringent herbs are also effective. The Ayurvedic herbs lodhra, kushtha, and bilva are effective to stop bleeding, either alone or mixed in equal proportions into a paste that can be applied directly. They are also effective taken internally for continuing problems with bleeding, use ½ teaspoon 2 or 3 times a day.
COTTON ASH. For external bleeding, you will find this ancient, simple remedy effective. Take a small ball of sterilized cotton, and burn it. (Be sure it is real cotton, not the synthetic material often found these days, which will be totally ineffective.) When the cotton turns to black ash, wait for it to cool down, and then apply it to the bleeding wound and press. The ash will stick to the bleeding point and stop the bleeding instantaneously. Within a couple of days a scab will form, and the wound will completely heal.
NOTE: Don’t remove the ash; leave it on the wound to form a scab. Otherwise you will open the cut again.
DRINK COLD WATER. Many times just drinking some cold water will stop the bleeding, as coolness constricts blood vessels.
Bleeding, Internal See also “Rectal Bleeding”
Cases of internal bleeding include peptic ulcer, hematoma (a blood-filled swelling), and bleeding through the urethra. To help put a stop to the bleeding, make an herbal compound out of these Ayurvedic herbs:
lodhra
kushtha
bilva
Mix these herbs in equal amounts, and take ½ teaspoon 2 or 3 times a day. Each of these herbs helps to stop bleeding, so you can use just one if that’s all you can locate, though the mixture will be most effective.
Pitta people bruise more easily; their blood vessels are thin and are more easily ruptured. People with pitta constitutions can help prevent internal bleeding by taking the same three Ayurvedic herbs, lodhra, kushtha, and bilva. Mix the three herbs in equal amounts, and take ½ teaspoon of the mixture 2 or 3 times a day with warm water, for as long as the condition lasts.
TIME TO SEE THE DOCTOR
The appearance of blood in the urine or stools can be a sign of serious illness such as kidney problems or cancer, and it should be investigated more deeply in consultation with your physician.
TURMERIC PASTE. When a person has been injured, the blood vessels sometimes rupture, causing a large bruise and a blood-filled swelling known as a hematoma. To stop the internal bleeding and pacify the hematomalike swelling, apply a paste made of 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon sandalwood powder, and a pinch of alum powder. (Mix the powders together with a little water to make a paste.) When the paste is on the skin, apply some pressure on the hematoma.
SAFFRON MILK. Another aid to stopping internal bleeding is to drink a cup of warm milk, to which ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder and a pinch of saffron have been added.
JUICES. Drinking cranberry or pomegranate juice is also helpful to stop internal bleeding.
Boils Boils—painful, pus-filled inflammations of the skin and subcutaneous tissue—have many causes. They may be due to chronic constipation, or to high pitta in the blood. A toxic liver can also create boils. Repeated boils may be a sign of diabetes, so if you get boils repeatedly, check on your blood sugar.
NEEM POWDER PASTE. At the site of the boil, apply a paste of neem powder (preferably) or some neem oil. To make the paste, simply mix a little neem powder with warm water.
TRIPHALA WASH. Wash the affected area with triphala tea. Boil 1 teaspoon triphala in 1 cup of water. Cool, and wash your face or other affected area with the tea. Let it dry on the skin. (For information about triphala, see appendix 2.)
FOR DIABETES. If there is a history of diabetes in the family and you get repeated boils, use this formula:
neem 1 part
turmeric 1 part
kutki ½ part
Taking ½ teaspoon of this mixture 2 or 3 times a day with warm water will help take care of the root cause of the boil. Continue taking it until the boil disappears.
FOR CHRONIC CONSTIPATION. If the boil appears to be due to chronic constipation, do a basti (enema) using dashamoola tea. Boil 1 tablespoon of the herb dashamoola in a pint of water for 5 minutes. Let the liquid cool, strain it, and use it for an enema.
In addition, take ½ teaspoon of amalaki or the herbal compound triphala at night. Steep the triphala in a cup of hot water for 5 to 10 minutes and then drink. This purgation will help to remove excess pitta from the hematopoietic (blood-building) system, which is the cause of the boil. You may continue taking the triphala or amalaki indefinitely, even after the boil is healed, as a preventive and general health tonic.
COOLING, HEALING PASTE. Apply a paste of red sandalwood and turmeric powder locally. Use ½ teaspoon of each powder, and mix them together in warm water to make a paste.
BRING THE BOIL TO A HEAD. Apply cooked onions as a poultice, or apply a paste of ginger powder and turmeric (½ teaspoon of each) directly to the boil, to bring it to a head.
LIVER CLEANSERS. A boil may develop into an abscess, if the boil is due to an infection of the sebaceous glands (a pitta condition). It becomes inflamed, raised, and red. If you use a formula to help cleanse the liver, the condition will be improved.
A simple and effective liver cleanser is aloe vera gel. Take 2 tablespoons 3 times a day.
Or you may try this Ayurvedic formula:
shanka pushpi 3 parts
kutki 2 parts
gulwel sattva ⅛ part
Take ½ teaspoon of this mixture 3 times a day with warm water.
Breastfeeding Problems There are several types of breastfeeding problems. Let’s take them one at a time.
In this case, the mother is producing a lot of milk, but the child has no appetite. Here are a number of effective, natural ways to help.
DRINK FENNEL TEA. Make a tea by steeping 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds in a cupful of boiled water. When the tea cools, give the baby 1 teaspoonful every 10 to 15 minutes.
Childhood is the kapha stage of life, when the body is building. It is also the time when many kapha disorders occur (such as colds and runny noses) and when kapha may stagnate in the stomach, slowing down the appetite. Giving this fennel tea will help to wash out the kapha and in a gentle way stimulate the secretion of digestive enzymes.
MAKE GHRITA MADHU. Mix a pinch of pippali in ½ teaspoon of honey combined with ½ teaspoon ghee. Give it to your baby to lick. The more he or she licks the mixture, the more the appetite will come back.
MONITOR YOUR DIET. One possible reason for a baby’s apparent lack of appetite is that your milk may not taste good to the child. If you tend to have excess pitta in your constitution, and especially if your diet is hot and spicy or includes sour foods and fruits, your milk may become bitter, and the baby won’t like it. This unpleasant taste could be the cause of the child’s apparent lack of appetite. So it is important to determine the mother’s prakruti (constitutional type) and to be sure the diet she is eating is appropriate.
EMPTY YOUR BREASTS. If your child has a diminished appetite and you are secreting more milk than gets used, it is important to empty your breasts. This will avoid congestion of the mastic and lymphatic tissue. Be sure the breasts are emptied of milk at least 2 or 3 times a day.
IF YOU DECIDE NOT TO BREASTFEED. A related situation occurs when a woman chooses not to breastfeed her child. Then the milk is stagnant, which may be one of the causes of fibrocystic changes in the breast. So it is important to empty the breasts whenever milk is present.
The child has a strong appetite, but lactation is scanty. This problem is the reverse of the first. Here are several suggestions to increase the quality and quantity of milk.
SHATAVARI KALPA. To increase lactation, Ayurveda recommends a delicious concoction called shatavari kalpa: the herb shatavari roasted in a pan with ghee and natural brown sugar. Take one teaspoon of that sweet, roasted shatavari in warm milk 2 or 3 times a day.
PLAIN SHATAVARI. You can also use plain shatavari with ghee and sugar. Mix together equal amounts of shatavari and natural sugar, and take 1 teaspoon of the mixture with 1 teaspoon of ghee along with a cup of hot milk.
ALMOND MILK. Another formula to increase breast milk is almond milk. Soak 10 almonds overnight in water. In the morning, peel them and blend them in the blender with a cup of hot water or hot milk. Pour the mixture into a cup or glass, and add 1 teaspoon honey or date sugar, and a pinch each of ginger, cardamom, and saffron. Drink twice a day.
HERBAL FORMULA. To maintain healthy lactation, use this herbal formula:
kutki 2 parts
shilajit 2 parts
shatavari 3 parts
Take ¼ teaspoon of this mixture 2 or 3 times a day with a spoonful of honey. If you wish, you may use this formula the entire time you are breastfeeding.
A third problem is that during the time you are nursing your child, the nipple is not properly cleaned and a fungal infection develops. So take care to wash carefully to prevent this from happening.
To prevent breast abscess, mastitis, congestion, and stagnation of milk in the breast, gently massage your breasts with warm castor oil. Take 1 teaspoon of the oil, and gently massage the breast from inside outward—that is, from the sternum (breastbone) back toward the armpit, both underneath and around the nipple, and to the side.
Do not apply the castor oil to the areola and nipple. If you apply castor oil to the nipple and your baby sucks the oil, he or she may get diarrhea. So either avoid the nipple or wash off the oil before nursing the child.
Breasts, Sore Sore breasts are generally symptomatic of hormonal imbalance, lymphatic congestion, or premenstrual syndrome. Or the physical discomfort may be associated with some emotional factor, such as grief or sadness. Here are several suggestions for effective self-treatment:
GENTLE MASSAGE. Take 1 teaspoon of warm castor oil, and gently massage the breast from inside outward, that is, from the sternum (breastbone) back toward the armpit, both underneath and around the nipple, and to the side. This kind of gentle massage before the morning bath, as well as at bedtime, will help to relieve the soreness.
HERBS FOR WATER RETENTION. Water retention may also be responsible for sore breasts. The breasts become tender, swollen, and enlarged, and the bra becomes tight. To reduce the swelling, make the following herbal mixture:
For a Constipated Baby
In India, if a nursing baby becomes constipated, the mother intentionally applies a few drops of castor oil to her nipple. Then, when the baby sucks the milk, those few drops of castor oil are taken in along with the milk, and the constipation is relieved in a gentle way.
shatavari 1 part
musta 1 part
Use ½ teaspoon of this mix in 1 cup hot water to make a tea, and drink it. Then massage the breasts as above, and you will see remarkable improvement. You may drink the tea twice a day until the soreness goes away.
ANOTHER EFFECTIVE HERBAL REMEDY. Sore breasts can also be treated with another herbal combination:
jatamamsi 2 parts
shatavari 3 parts
tagar 3 parts
Mix the herbs together in the above proportions, and use ½ teaspoon in a cup of water to make a tea. Steep for 5 to 10 minutes, and drink. You can use this tea twice a day until the soreness is gone.
NOTE: Never use an overly tight bra for long periods of time. The pressure obstructs circulation, and the breast tissue stops breathing. It is better to use a cotton bra that allows proper breathing of the mastic tissue.
Brittle Nails The nails of our fingers and toes are considered in Ayurveda to be a by-product of bone formation (asthi dhatu). Proper nutrition for building strong bones is thus essential if you want to have healthy nails. If there is insufficient intake of calcium and magnesium, or malabsorption of these minerals, the nails become rough, brittle, cracked, and split, and ridges and creases may appear. If you have these symptoms, you can be sure they are signs of malnutrition of the bone tissue.
To strengthen the bones and nails, take over-the-counter supplements of calcium, magnesium, and zinc. Your formula should include a daily dose of approximately
| calcium | 1,200 mg. |
| magnesium | 600 mg. |
| zinc | 60 mg. |
Take the supplements at bedtime for best results. A general mineral supplement might also be helpful.
You may be getting enough minerals, but toxins in the colon may be preventing their complete absorption. If you are taking calcium, magnesium, and zinc as a dietary supplement and your nails are still brittle, that indicates that you are not absorbing these minerals. The culprit is overaccumulation of toxins (ama) in the colon.
A safe and simple way to cleanse the colon of the ama is to regularly take the herbal compound triphala (see appendix 2). Steep about ½ teaspoon in ½ to 1 full cup of warm water, strain, and drink. You can take this at night before going to bed, or steep it overnight in cold water and drink it first thing in the morning. It will gradually eliminate the ama.
Another way to promote the growth and strength of your nails is to eat a handful of white sesame seeds every day. A handful of sesame seeds contains about 1,200 mg. of calcium and magnesium.
Either one of the Ayurvedic herbs ashwagandha or shatavari (½ teaspoon) taken in a cup of hot milk twice a day may also help to prevent brittle nails.
Aerobic exercise such as swimming, jogging, or aerobic dance, or the sequence of yoga postures known as the Sun Salutation (see illustration in appendix 4), should also be helpful. Exercise improves the circulation and helps carry the minerals to the tissue at the root of the nails.
Because the nails are connected with the asthi dhatu (bone tissue), strengthening asthi will be helpful. Taking triphala guggulu tablets (200 mg.) twice a day, after lunch and dinner, will help to strengthen your nails.
In some individuals, brittle nails and bone loss go together. Specifically, in women of menopausal age, brittle nails may suggest weakness in the asthi dhatu. So if you have brittle nails, it would be wise to investigate the possibility that osteoporosis may be developing.
Burns Many people believe the best thing you can do for a burn is to put something fatty or greasy on it, such as butter. But this is not true. Any burn is pitta, the dosha of fire. The hot, sharp, burning quality of pitta immediately creates searing pain and inflammation. A fatty substance is in fact contraindicated, as it would serve to aggravate the pitta.
TIME TO SEE THE DOCTOR
We are not discussing serious burns in this section but common household burns, such as from inadvertently touching an iron, a skillet, or a cigarette. For serious burns, particularly over a larger area of the body, a person needs hospitalization, plasma, and intensive care.
The most effective way to treat a burn is with cold. Immediate application of something cold, such as ice or cold water, is the best remedy. If you have no ice cubes, use a bag of frozen vegetables from the freezer.
After applying cold, make a paste of sandalwood and turmeric powders (equal amounts) mixed not in water but in aloe vera gel. Use about 1 tablespoon aloe vera and ¼ teaspoon each of the sandalwood and turmeric. Mix them together, and apply the paste topically. This will be soothing and healing.
Or, after the ice, when the burning sensation stops, apply bitter ghee (tikta ghrita).
Cilantro is beneficial for burns. Make fresh cilantro juice by placing a handful of cilantro in the blender with about ⅓ cup of water. Strain. Take the juice internally (2 teaspoons 3 times a day), and put some of the pulp directly on the skin.
It is important not to apply a bandage to cover the burn. Keep it open to the air. If you apply a bandage, the body’s heat may affect the burn adversely. So apply the herbal paste or bitter ghee, and leave it alone. If you have to cover it to keep the medication from rubbing off, use some light gauze.
Bursitis See also “Arthritis”
Bursitis is an inflammation of the bursae, the little fluid sacs around the shoulder, knee, and other parts of the body. Bursitis is a pitta condition that is similar to arthritis. Effective treatment for it is similar to the treatment for pitta arthritis.
Taking kaishore guggulu (1 tablet 3 times a day) should help. This herbal remedy is available by mail from various sources of Ayurvedic herbs (see Resources).
Application of sandalwood paste will be soothing. Make the paste by taking 1 teaspoon of sandalwood powder and adding sufficient water to form a paste. Rub it gently onto the painful area.
Nasya, or the application of warm ghee nose drops to the nostrils (5 drops in each nostril), will help to relieve the pain. Nasya opens up the flow of prana and helps the prana to flow freely through the connective tissue of the joint, which will alleviate pain. (For instructions, see appendix 3.)
Topically, try gently rubbing some sesame oil, eucalyptus oil, tea tree oil, mahanarayan oil, or neem oil into the swollen joint or other painful area.
As with arthritis, the pathological process of bursitis begins with toxicity accumulated in the colon. These toxins get absorbed in the bloodstream, go into the general circulation, and lodge in the bursae, leading to the symptoms of bursitis. So it is important to keep the colon clean by using the following strategies:
• Before going to bed at night, take 1 cup of hot milk with 2 teaspoons of castor oil added. The laxative effect will eliminate pitta-type toxicity in the colon. If 2 teaspoons do not work, use 3 teaspoons the following night, adjusting your own dose. You should get a couple of good bowel movements in the morning, which will help to cleanse the impurities of the colon. You may continue using this remedy until your symptoms clear up.
• As a second choice, you can take triphala or amalaki (1 teaspoon) at night in 1 cup of warm water.
Your diet should be pitta-soothing but not vata-provoking. Strictly avoid hot, spicy foods and fermented foods such as pickles. Also avoid raw vegetables and salad. Strictly avoid ice water and other ice-cold drinks. Don’t eat beans (pinto beans, adzuki beans, black beans, or garbanzos).
As long as you have bursitis, you should not do strenuous exercise. Gentle yoga stretching is beneficial. Try the Camel, Cobra, Cow, and Cat poses, the Spinal Twist, and Forward Bend—under the guidance of a yoga teacher.
Canker Sores Canker sores are generally traumatic, that is, they are due to a cut or bruise in the mouth. When people eat some sharp, dried, or hard foods, such as popcorn, corn chips, crackers, or dried bread, or chew fennel seeds after a meal, the hard, sharp food can hurt the oral mucous membrane, and within a couple of days it will manifest as a canker sore.
People who use a rough, hard-bristled toothbrush, or who press unduly hard while brushing their teeth, may irritate the mucous membranes and create a canker sore. Some individuals inadvertently bite the delicate tissues in their cheeks or lips during sleep, or even while chewing or talking. This is more likely if they have TMJ and their bite is uneven, which can easily lead to lacerations and canker sores. If they have high pitta in their saliva, their teeth may be sharp because the crown of the tooth becomes eroded, a combination that may result in repeated sores.
• The simplest Ayurvedic solution to canker sores is local application of turmeric and honey. Mix together 1 teaspoon honey with ¼ teaspoon turmeric, and rub it on the sore. It will burn a little at first, but the sore area will heal quickly.
• Rinse your mouth several times a day with a little aloe vera juice.
• Aloe vera gel, 2 tablespoons 3 times a day, can also help heal canker sores.
• Mixing aloe vera gel with neem powder is also helpful. Use 1 teaspoon of gel with a pinch of neem powder, mix together, and apply directly to the canker sore.
• Put 10 drops of tea tree oil in ⅓ cup of water, and swish the liquid in your mouth. The mild solution will act as an antiseptic to help prevent secondary infection, and it will also help to heal the sore.
• Another topical Ayurvedic remedy is the herb kama dudha. Take ¼ teaspoon and 1 teaspoon fresh cream. Mix together and rub it on the sore.
• Generally, people with high pitta are more likely to get canker sores. So follow the pitta-soothing diet, avoiding hot, spicy foods and fermented food (chapter 8). Also keep away from strong alcoholic drinks, which will aggravate the sores.
• Between meals, drink ½ cup cranberry juice. That will help to heal the sore and relieve the burning sensation and irritation.
• Eating a mixture of rock candy powder (½ teaspoon) and cumin powder (½ teaspoon) will help stop the pain, as well as reduce inflammation and irritation.
• Sometimes canker sores are accompanied by either diarrhea or constipation. Taking ½ teaspoon arrowroot with 1 cup warm milk helps relieve constipation; taking ¼ teaspoon arrowroot with 1 teaspoon ghee corrects diarrhea.
Cataracts Cataracts are a kapha disorder. Molecules of kapha accumulate in the lens of the eye and affect its translucence and transparency, making it increasingly opaque. As the cataract grows, it creates increasingly smoky, blurred vision. Generally persons with diabetes are prone to cataracts, as are young people with juvenile diabetes, though cataracts are primarily associated with elderly people.
EFFECTIVE HERBAL EYEWASH. If your eye doctor has detected an early sign of cataracts developing, this triphala tea eyewash will be effective in dissolving the molecules of kapha that cause the cataract.
Boil 1 teaspoon triphala in a cup of water for 2 to 3 minutes. Let the tea cool, and strain it with a double or triple layer of cheesecloth so that not a single particle of triphala is left in the strained tea. Then, with an eye cup, wash your eyes with the triphala tea. You may wish to repeat the wash 2 or 3 times, depending on how it feels and how much tea actually got into the eye.
To keep the lens clear and prevent the further growth of cataracts, wash your eyes with triphala tea in the morning and at bedtime. Do it regularly for one month, and if it proves effective, you can continue indefinitely. It will help to arrest the process of cataract formation.
CASTOR OIL EYE DROPS. One drop of pure castor oil (without preservatives) placed in the eye at bedtime lubricates the cornea and the conjunctiva and helps to remove molecules of kapha from the lens. In this way one can prevent cataracts from developing.
HERBAL REMEDY. A third approach is to take this herbal mixture internally:
punarnava 5 parts
shatavari 3 parts
brahmi 3 parts
Take ½ teaspoon of this herbal mixture twice a day with warm water as a preventative measure against cataracts. As with the triphala eyewash, you may continue using this formula as long as you wish.
Cellulite Cellulite is more a sociological problem than a health problem! Subcutaneous fat that accumulates under the skin and causes little dimples on the skin surface, cellulite is certainly not a disease. People with high cholesterol, who eat fried, fatty food and whose diet is excessively kapha-provoking, appear to be more likely to have it, as do individuals who use a lot of olive oil in their cooking. As cellulite may gradually lead to obesity, this condition can be seen as an early phase of being overweight.
In Ayurvedic terms, meda agni (the agni or fiery quality responsible for metabolizing fat) under the skin becomes low. Unprocessed fatty molecules lodge there and create cellulite. The Ayurvedic aim in treatment is to kindle or enliven the meda agni.
EXERCISE. Regular exercise is the first approach. Walking, swimming, or other aerobic exercise is important, and at least some of the exercise should be “local” to the area where the cellulite is forming. In other words, if cellulite is developing on the thighs, don’t restrict your exercise to weight lifting and upper-body development!
WATCH OUT FOR KAPHA. Watch your diet and be sure it isn’t kapha-increasing (see chapter 8). Minimize dairy products, sweets, cold food and drinks, and fatty fried food. Strictly avoid olive oil in cooking.
VITAMIN K. Rub vitamin K cream onto the skin. This cream will remove spider veins and minimize cellulite.
LOCALIZED MASSAGE. Massage the affected area with sesame oil and mustard oil, mixed half and half. After the massage, dust with a powder of the herb vacha (calamus), and rub the skin. This will help remove the cellulite.
Cholesterol High cholesterol means increased lipids (fats) in the blood. It is essentially a metabolic disorder. People having low liver function or diminished thyroid activity, who have taken steroids in the past, or whose diet is very kaphagenic, seem most prone to develop high cholesterol.
Your cholesterol level should be below 200. About 160 to 190 is normal, but a cholesterol reading of 200 or above is worrisome, as a high cholesterol level in the blood tends to create plaque on the artery walls, resulting in atherosclerotic changes, cardiovascular disorders, hypertension, stroke, and heart problems.
There are two kinds of cholesterol, HDL (high-density lipoprotein), which is the “good” cholesterol, and LDL (low-density lipoprotein), which is the “bad” cholesterol. Researchers these days are saying that what is more important than the total level of cholesterol, as a predictive factor for cardiovascular and other health problems, is the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL.
To reduce high cholesterol levels, and to prevent cholesterol from building up any higher, follow these guidelines.
WATCH YOUR DIET. Stick to a kapha-pacifying diet (chapter 8). No fatty fried food. No cheese. No high-fat milk or yogurt. Minimize sweets and cold food and drinks. Use garlic and onion in cooking.
GET REGULAR EXERCISE. Each day from Monday to Friday, walk for at least half an hour. Go swimming or participate in some other aerobic exercise at least three times each week.
Just by regulating diet and exercise, you can control cholesterol. But there is much more that you can do.
HERBS TO COMBAT CHOLESTEROL. Garlic is effective against high cholesterol. Mix together 1 clove of fresh garlic chopped fine, ½ teaspoon grated ginger root, and ½ teaspoon lime juice; eat before each meal.
• Drink a tea made of 1 teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon of the herbal mixture trikatu. Steep it for 10 minutes in a cupful of water, add 1 teaspoon honey, and drink. Take it twice a day.
• Taking ½ teaspoon trikatu with 1 teaspoon honey 2 or 3 times a day is good for burning ama and excess kapha and helps to regulate cholesterol.
• This herbal mixture can help control high cholesterol levels:
kutki 3 parts
chitrak 3 parts
shilajit ¼ part
Take ½ teaspoon twice a day, with honey and hot water.
• Take one 200-mg. tablet of triphala guggulu 3 times a day.
• Another herb that has been remarkably effective in bringing down cholesterol levels is chitrak-adhivati. Taking 1 200-mg. tablet twice a day, after lunch and dinner, will help bring cholesterol back to normal.
HOT WATER AND HONEY. Early in the morning, drink 1 cup of hot water into which you add 1 teaspoon of honey. This will help to “scrape” fat from your system and reduce cholesterol. Adding 1 teaspoon of lime juice or 10 drops of apple cider vinegar will make the drink more effective.
FOODS THAT REDUCE CHOLESTEROL. In addition to avoiding high-fat foods, you can eat certain foods that in themselves help to reduce cholesterol. These include blue corn, quinoa, millet, and oatmeal. Some research suggests that apples, grapefruit, and almonds can also help reduce cholesterol.
YOGA POSTURES. Yoga postures that are good for controlling cholesterol include the Sun Salutation, Shoulder Stand, Peacock, Cobra, Spinal Twist, Locust, and Lotus.
BREATHING EXERCISE. The breathing exercise known as Breath of Fire (bhastrika) is also helpful. (See chapter 6 for instructions.)
Chronic Fatigue See “Fatigue and Chronic Fatigue”
Colds and Flu Individuals often get colds and flu during the winter and spring seasons. The symptoms are all too familiar: runny nose, cough, congestion, headache, an achy body, and sometimes fever.
Ayurvedically speaking, colds are a kapha-vata disorder. The body builds up an excess of cool and moist kapha qualities, resulting in congestion and a runny nose, and at the same time it may suffer from excess vata, which reduces agni (gastric fire), leading to chills, loss of appetite, and/or poor digestion.
The best remedy for colds is ginger. Here are several simple home remedies using ginger that will greatly relieve your cold symptoms and hasten full recovery.
• Combine the following herbs together:
ginger 1 part
cinnamon 1 part
lemongrass 2 parts
Steep 1 teaspoon of this formula for about 10 minutes in 1 cup of hot water; strain it, and add honey for sweetness if you like. If you drink this delicious tea several times a day, it will help to take care of cold, congestion, and flu.
• Another excellent remedy is ginger-cardamom-cinnamon tea. Here is the formula:
ginger 2 parts
cinnamon 3 parts
cardamom just a pinch
Steep 1 teaspoon in a cup of hot water for 10 to 15 minutes. When the tea has cooled down somewhat, you can add about ½ to 1 teaspoon of honey for taste.
• Boil 1 teaspoon ginger, or a few eucalyptus leaves, in a pint of water. Turn off the stove, put a towel over your head, and inhale the steam. This will relieve congestion and help you feel much better. Just steam alone, with no herbs added at all, will also be beneficial.
• Try ½ teaspoon fennel seed powder mixed with 1 teaspoon natural sugar, 2 or 3 times a day.
• For a cold with cough and congestion, mix ½ teaspoon cinnamon and 1 teaspoon honey. Eat this mixture 2 or 3 times a day. (For help with your cough, please see “Cough.”)
• For flu, make a tea from 1 teaspoon tulsi (holy basil) in 1 cup water. Boil for just 1 minute and then drink.
• An ancient Ayurvedic herbal formula that is effective for colds is the following:
sitopaladi 1 part
maha sudarshan churna 1 part
Combine these herbs in equal proportions and take ¼ teaspoon with 1 teaspoon honey 2 or 3 times a day after eating.
• Western herbology has some helpful herbs for colds. Try this mixture:
echinacea 1 part
goldenseal 1 part
cinnamon 2 parts
Take ¼ teaspoon of this mixture with honey twice a day.
CAUTION: Don’t Combine Ginger and Aspirin. Ginger and aspirin are both blood thinners and should not be taken together. Therefore it is wise to drink ginger tea—or use any other ginger remedy—either two hours before or two hours after you take any aspirin.
VITAMIN C. Taking some Vitamin C will be beneficial.
NATURAL NOSE DROPS. Put some liquefied ghee (3 to 5 drops) in each nostril in the morning and evening. This will lubricate the nasal passages and relieve the irritation and sneezing of a cold.
HOT WATER. Drinking hot water several times a day is an effective way to remove toxins from the system and hasten recovery from a cold.
NO DAIRY PRODUCTS. Strictly avoid dairy products such as yogurt, cottage cheese, and milk, and all cold drinks.
BE SURE TO REST. Rest is very important for healing. As much as possible, rest, read, and relax.
ONLY MILD EXERCISE. Ayurveda says that when you have a cold, it is best not to do vigorous exercise, which can set up the conditions for the cold to move into the chest. Just do some gentle yoga asanas. Surya namaskar (Sun Salutation) is beneficial. The inverted postures, including Shoulder Stand and Headstand (hold for only about 1 minute), as well as Forward Bend, help to prevent postnasal drip and help to drain the mucus through the nose.
BREATHING EXERCISE. Use the Breath of Fire breathing exercise to help burn up your cold. Inhale normally and passively, but exhale forcefully, and repeat rapidly several times. This exercise will help to eliminate mucus from the respiratory tract. For more detailed instructions, see chapter 6.
• Another effective breathing exercise is deep Alternate Nostril breathing, without retention of breath. This will also help to relieve congestion (see chapter 6).
PREVENTION. As a preventive measure, take the herb amalaki. It is a rasayana (rejuvenative tonic) and a good source of vitamin C and iron. Taking 1 teaspoon of amalaki daily, with warm water at night, will help to prevent the common cold.
If you are taking triphala at night, you are already taking amalaki, it is one of the three herbs that constitute triphala (along with haritaki and bibhitaki). Taking extra amalaki is not recommended, as it would create diarrhea.
Colitis Colitis is caused when vata pushes pitta into the colon and inflammation occurs. The basic line of treatment is to pacify pitta.
• An excellent herbal remedy for colitis is:
shatavari 4 parts
shanka bhasma ⅛ part
kama dudha ⅛ part
sanjivani 2 parts
Take ¼ teaspoon of this mixture with warm water 2 or 3 times a day for 1 or 2 months.
• You can also take aloe vera gel, 1 tablespoon twice a day. Aloe vera is cooling and good for reducing pitta.
HEALING ENEMA FOR ULCERATIVE COLITIS. Ulcerative colitis is characterized by diarrhea, mucus, and blood from the rectum. For that condition, Ayurveda suggests a basti (enema) using (instead of plain water) a tea made from an astringent herb such as bilva, ashoka, sandalwood, or licorice root. This is how to prepare the enema:
Boil 1 tablespoon of the herb (such as licorice powder) in 1 pint of water for 5 minutes. Strain, and add about 2 tablespoons of ghee while the tea is still warm. Let the liquid cool to room temperature, and use it for an enema. Retain the liquid inside for 5 minutes if you can. Do this procedure once or twice a week. (More complete instructions for basti are found in appendix 3.)
Licorice contains food precursors of natural steroids, which will help heal the ulcer. This is a safe, simple way to correct colitis or ulcerative colitis.
SOOTHING OIL ENEMA. The colon is the seat of vata. This vata dosha is pulling or pushing pitta into the colon, which then causes the colitis. To combat the excess pitta and at the same time pacify vata, Ayurveda suggests injecting a cooling oil such as coconut oil into the rectum. Use about 1 cup of slightly warmed oil as a basti, and try to retain it for 5 minutes, but don’t worry if it comes out more quickly.
TWO APPLE REMEDIES.
• A simple and beneficial remedy for colitis is to eat cooked apples with a pinch of nutmeg. Peel a couple of apples, remove the seeds, and cook. Make them into a pulp (you can use a potato masher), and add 1 teaspoon ghee and a pinch of nutmeg. This will help to pacify the irritation of colitis and ulcerative colitis.
• Apple juice will also help relieve the burning sensation.
DIETARY PRECAUTIONS. A person with ulcerative colitis should never eat hot spicy food, drink alcohol, or use tobacco, all of which provoke pitta and will significantly irritate the colon.
LEG LIFT. When a person has ulcerative colitis, the colon is very weak. To strengthen the wall of the colon, lie flat on your back and gradually lift both your legs, keeping the knees as straight as you can, until the legs are at a 45-degree angle to the floor. This exercise is called a Leg Lift. If you find it difficult to lift both legs together, you can lift one leg and then the other. Hold your legs in the raised position for just a few seconds at first, up to 1 minute after several weeks of practice.
YOGA POSTURES. Slowly move into the Chest-Knee pose, then the Plow pose, Locust pose, and if you can, the Elevated Lotus. Also, exercise your abdomen by drawing it gradually in and out. This will strengthen the wall of the colon. Illustrations of yoga postures are in appendix 4.
Conjunctivitis This is a pitta condition involving inflammation of the conjunctiva of the eyes, which makes the eyes red and photophobic (highly sensitive to light), with discharge and a burning sensation. Here are some effective remedies:
CILANTRO LEAVES. Apply the pulp of fresh cilantro leaves on closed eyelids. Blend a handful of cilantro leaves with ¼ to ⅓ cup water; strain out the juice, and apply the pulp to your closed eyelids. Drinking the liquid will also be beneficial.
CORIANDER EYEWASH. Make an eyewash by steeping 1 teaspoon of coriander seeds in 1 cup boiling water for at least 15 minutes. Strain thoroughly, and cool before using the water on your closed eyes. (Don’t worry if a little goes into the eyes.) Careful: Don’t use it either too hot or too cold.
GOATS MILK COMPRESS. Dip a sterilized cotton ball in goat’s milk, and put it over your eyes. This will cool down pitta and allow conjunctivitis to be healed.
HERBAL REMEDY. Internally, you can take a mixture of equal parts of kama dudha and gulwel sattva. Take ¼ teaspoon of this mixture with warm water twice a day for 1 week.
The best way to heal conjunctivitis in young children is to place a drop of mother’s milk in the eye. Mother’s milk is healing for her child. If the mother is still lactating, and her child gets conjunctivitis, with irritation and discharge in the eye, just one drop of her milk may heal it.
• Make a turmeric solution by stirring some turmeric into a few ounces of pure water. Immerse a clean handkerchief into the solution, and let it dry. (It will be quite yellow.) Then use it to mop the affected eyes.
TIME TO SEE THE DOCTOR
If your conjunctivitis is not cleared up within 3 to 4 days, immediately see your doctor.
The natural antiseptic, antibiotic properties of the turmeric will help take care of the bacteria and facilitate healing.
• Herbal antibiotics are also helpful taken internally. You can make a mixture of these three:
turmeric 1 part
neem 1 part
manjistha 1 part
Take ½ teaspoon twice a day with warm water, after meals.
Constipation Constipation is a vata condition expressing such vata qualities as dryness and hardness. It is caused by insufficient fiber in the diet, insufficient water intake, lack of exercise, heavy meat eating, and numerous other factors. Constipation may create distension and discomfort, flatulence and pain, headache and bad breath, and may lead to absorption of toxins from the colon. Thus it is best to prevent constipation by keeping vata in balance.
FOLLOW THE VATA-PACIFYING DIET. One of the best ways to prevent constipation, especially if you have a predominantly vata constitution, is to follow the vata-balancing diet (see chapter 8). Stay away from cold foods and drinks, dried fruit, salads, and most beans; favor warm foods, warm drinks, and well-cooked vegetables. Some oil in the diet is helpful.
TRIPHALA. Probably the best Ayurvedic remedy for constipation is triphala, a combination of three herbs beneficial for all doshic types (see appendix 2). Most problems with constipation can be corrected by taking ½ to 1 teaspoon of triphala at night. Steep the herbs in a cup of hot water for 5 to 10 minutes, and drink.
Some people find that taking triphala at night creates a diuretic action and they have to get up several times to urinate. If that happens to you, you can steep the triphala in a cup of warm water overnight and drink it first thing in the morning. Actually, the best time to take triphala is in the very early morning, around 4 or 5 A.M., but do your best within your daily schedule.
Here are some further recommendations to help relieve constipation:
SNACK ON FRUIT. Many varieties of fruit can help remedy constipation. So in between meals, eat some fruit. A banana, for example, is a mild laxative. Two ripe yellow bananas, taken between meals, will help relieve constipation. (But don’t eat the bananas with meals. They don’t combine well with other foods. See chapter 8 for tips on healthy food combining.)
NOTE: Bananas should be eaten when ripe. You can tell a ripe banana by its bright yellow skin. The inside will be studded with tiny black dots. Green bananas are constipating and should be avoided. Also avoid eating bananas once the skin turns black. They are overripe.
AN APPLE A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY. There is a lot of truth in this old folk saying. Apples are effective both to help regularize the bowels and to clean the tongue and teeth. To combat constipation, peel and thoroughly chew a raw apple about an hour after a meal.
Also effective:
EAT MORE FIBER. Fiber in the diet, such as wheat bran, oatmeal, or oat bran, will help keep the bowels regular. Don’t forget that fresh fruit and vegetables as well as whole grains are high in fiber, too.
MILK AND GHEE—MILD AND EFFECTIVE. Taking 1 or 2 teaspoonfuls of ghee in a cup of hot milk at bedtime is an effective but gentle means of relieving constipation. This is especially good for vata and pitta constitutions, but it may be too kapha-increasing for kapha types to use regularly.
CASTOR OIL. Castor oil can also be used, but only when the constipation is more obstinate. At bedtime, make yourself a cup of ginger tea (either by boiling some fresh, sliced ginger in water, or adding some powdered ginger to a cup of hot water), and then add 2 teaspoons of castor oil to the tea and drink it.
If 2 teaspoons don’t bring the desired result, try the procedure again the next night, increasing the dose to 3 teaspoons, and then go to 4 teaspoons if necessary. Adjust your dose according to what works.
Castor oil tends to create dependency, in the sense that once you use it, other purgatives rarely work. That is why it is recommended to use castor oil for constipation only in severe cases or in emergencies, as a last resort, but not on a regular basis.
However, there is one way to avoid this dependency. Take 2 teaspoons of castor oil with 1 cup warm milk. This will give a good bowel movement without creating dependency.
FLAXSEED. At night, boil 1 tablespoon of flaxseed in a cup of water for at least 2 to 3 minutes. Then drink the whole cupful, including the tea and the seeds.
FOR CONSTIPATION IN CHILDREN. Give the child 3 figs soaked in warm water.
FOR SEVERE CONSTIPATION. If there is absolute constipation for three days, don’t use purgatives. The use of drastic purgatives when constipation is severe can create an intestinal obstruction or even perforation, which can be dangerous. A better approach is to do an enema and then take steps to regulate the system.
Do the enema with plain warm water, or you can use triphala tea or dashamoola tea instead of plain water. That will relieve the immediate problem. Then, to regulate bowel movements, follow the suggestions in the following section.
PREVENTION. Here are several suggestions for avoiding constipation in the future.
• Follow the vata-pacifying diet (chapter 8).
• Use a lot of fiber in your diet.
• Drink 4 to 5 glasses of water a day, in addition to whatever juices or teas you may drink.
• Get regular exercise. Half an hour of walking, light jogging, swimming, or other aerobic exercise (suitable to your constitution, age, and level of fitness) from Monday to Friday will be very beneficial.
• Yoga asanas will also help prevent constipation. In particular, practice the Sun Salutation (12 cycles a day), Chest-Knee pose, and Leg Lift (see appendix 4).
• The yoga exercise known as nauli will also be beneficial (see appendix 3).
Constipation During Pregnancy See also “Constipation”
The best remedy for constipation during pregnancy is the herb sat isabgol (psyllium husks). Take 1 teaspoon with a glass of warm milk.
A cup of hot milk with 1 teaspoon of ghee added is also effective. Ghee and milk mixed together is a wonderful combination for gentle, mild laxative action during pregnancy.
One of the most effective herbal remedies for constipation, triphala, should not be used during pregnancy. It will irritate the child, and the baby will become hyperactive.
Also, do not take castor oil or any other drastic purgative during pregnancy; like triphala, it will make the baby hyperactive.
Cough A tickling sensation in the throat, dryness, irritation, or inflammation of the trachea or bronchus can all cause a cough.
From an Ayurvedic perspective, most coughs are caused by excess pitta or kapha in the bronchial tree, causing congestion and irritation of the bronchial mucous membrane. The basic strategy for managing this condition is to reduce the unwanted pitta or kapha that is creating the congestion.
To treat a cough most effectively, you need to determine whether it is a dry cough (vata) or a productive cough with mucus coming up (kapha), or whether pitta has also become involved.
For a dry cough or a cough without much mucus, eat a ripe banana with 1 teaspoon of honey and 2 pinches of ground black pepper. You can eat this 2 or 3 times a day.
Rx for a Stubborn Cough
Chop a clove of garlic, and boil it in a cup of milk. Then add ¼ teaspoon turmeric. This creates a golden yellow milk that tastes like garlic soup. This garlic-turmeric milk is effective for soothing and healing most types of cough.
• Try chewing ¼ teaspoon of ajwan mixed with 1 teaspoon natural organic sugar.
• Make talisadi tea, made of
talisadi powder ½ teaspoon
licorice powder ½ teaspoon
with a little honey added. This tea is quite effective.
• Dry cough or irritation in the throat may be due to slight congestion in the tonsils, or a congestive condition in the throat such as pharyngitis or laryngitis. To relieve this condition, boil 1 cup milk with ½ teaspoon turmeric and ¼ teaspoon ginger, making a golden yellow milk. If you drink this at night, it will relieve the irritation in the throat and take care of a dry cough.
For a productive or kapha cough, the simplest home remedy is black pepper. Mix ¼ teaspoon of the powder with 1 teaspoon of honey, and eat it on a full stomach. (If your voice is hoarse, use 1 teaspoon of ghee instead of the honey.) The heating quality of black pepper helps relieve congestion and drives out the cough. Take 2 or 3 times a day for 3 to 5 days.
• A tea made from ½ teaspoon ginger powder, plus a pinch of clove and a pinch of cinnamon powder in a cupful of boiled water, can offer relief from your cough.
• If your cough persists, try this formula:
ginger powder ½ teaspoon
Mix together into 1 teaspoon of honey, and eat slowly. (Ginger relieves congestion, and mustard has a heating action.) You can use this mixture 2 to 3 times a day for as long as the cough persists.
• Another helpful natural remedy for a productive cough is the following:
bay leaf ½ teaspoon
pippali ¼ teaspoon
Take this mixture in 1 teaspoon honey 2 or 3 times a day.
• You can also try 1 teaspoon honey mixed with a pinch of clove powder, 2 or 3 times a day.
PRODUCTIVE COUGH WITH GREENISH-YELLOWISH MUCUS. In such a cough there is some secondary infection due to the involvement of pitta dosha. For this condition, you can use a tea made of equal proportions of
sitopaladi
maha sudarshan
Use ¼ teaspoon of the mixture to make a tea, and drink it 3 times a day with honey.
TIME TO SEE THE DOCTOR
If your cough persists for more than a week, you should see a doctor.
It will encourage elimination of the mucus and help heal the cough quickly.
FOR A CHILD’S COUGH. Try giving the child a drink of ½ cup pomegranate juice with a pinch of ginger powder and a pinch of pippali powder.
• Mix ¼ teaspoon of sitopaladi with 1 teaspoon of honey as an effective cough remedy for children. However, if the mother is sensitive or allergic to pollen, the child may be allergic to honey. In that case, instead of honey, use maple syrup.
FOR A CHRONIC COUGH. Make a mixture of 4 parts garlic powder to 1 part trikatu. Add a little honey. Take this twice a day.
Cramps, Abdominal See “Muscle Cramps and Spasms”
Cramps, Menstrual See “Menstrual Difficulties”
Dandruff Although dandruff can sometimes be caused by a fungal infection or other skin disease, in most cases it is produced when the scalp doesn’t receive a sufficient supply of blood. Consequently there is a lack of protein in the skin, which becomes dry and flaky.
Dandruff may also be due to a deficiency of vitamin B-6, or to an excess of vata dosha, which also makes the skin dry.
The treatment is simple. To improve circulation to the scalp, massage for a few minutes daily with neem oil (in a sesame oil base). If a fungal infection of the skin is causing the dandruff, the neem oil, which has disinfectant properties, will help heal this also.
A second option is to use some eggwhite mixed with lime juice. Put two eggwhites in a small jar or container with the fresh juice of one lime, mix together, and apply to your hair. Let it stay in your hair for a half hour, then wash the hair with neem soap. The egg-white will provide the scalp with the lacking protein, and the dandruff will soon disappear.
Depression PLEASE NOTE: Depression is a serious medical condition that requires the supervision of a medical doctor. Mild or preclinical cases may sometimes be completely healed using these Ayurvedic recommendations, but they are not a substitute for consulting with a physician.
If you are already under a doctor’s care for depression, the Ayurvedic remedies suggested here can be used in conjunction with the regimen outlined by your physician. But it is only fair and proper to do so with his or her approval and supervision.
Ask your doctor to carefully monitor your progress. As time goes by, you may be able to minimize or eliminate your dependence on strong medications if your body’s balance can be brought to a point where diet, exercise, and other Ayurvedic programs are sufficient to control or eliminate the depression.
Clinical depression is more than just a low or heavy mood. The symptoms of depression include a loss of interest in friends and usual activities; sleep disturbances, such as insomnia, early morning awakening, or oversleeping; anxiety, irritability, or restlessness; low energy and fatigue; poor appetite and weight loss, or sometimes the reverse, overeating and weight gain; difficulty concentrating and making decisions; decreased sex drive; feelings of worthlessness and guilt; feelings of hopelessness and helplessness; frequent crying spells; and suicidal thoughts.
The genesis of depression, from an Ayurvedic perspective, is too complex to lay out here. In brief we can say that because of specific etiological factors, vata from the colon, pitta from the intestine, or kapha from the stomach enters the general circulation and lodges in the nervous system, interferes with normal functioning of the mind and nervous system, and causes depression.
The resulting depression may be vata, pitta, or kapha. Each of these three types of depression is treated in different ways, though the first step for each is to bring the diet in line with the guidelines for vata-, pitta-, and kapha-pacifying diets (see chapter 8). This is important—please don’t overlook it!
Vata-type depression is generally associated with fear, anxiety, nervousness, and insomnia. The following home remedies will help dissolve a mild vata depression:
• Drink dashamoola tea. Steep 1 teaspoon of the herb dashamoola in 1 cup of hot water, and drink. Take twice a day.
• Make a tea from equal proportions of ashwagandha and brahmi (about ⅓ to ½ teaspoon each), steep in a cup of water for about 10 minutes, and drink 2 or 3 times a day.
• Another domestic remedy for depression is a tea made of holy basil (tulsi) and sage. Use ¼ teaspoon tulsi and ½ teaspoon of sage per cup of hot water; drink twice a day.
• Nose drops of warm sesame oil (3 to 5 drops in each nostril) are effective for relieving depression (see appendix 3). Do this nasya procedure morning and evening on an empty stomach.
• Rubbing the top of the head and the soles of the feet with sesame oil is quite soothing to vata and healing for vata depression.
• Psychologically, one factor that sustains vata depression is loneliness. Try to spend more time relating to people; it will help lift the depression.
Pitta-type depression is generally associated with anger, or with fear of failure, of losing control, or of making mistakes; it often involves thoughts of committing suicide. It is serious; you should consult your doctor.
Of course it is possible to have a mild pitta depression, caused by failing an examination, not getting a promotion at work, or some such thing. A pitta person can be quite addicted to success and, when he or she doesn’t succeed, can easily become upset and depressed. This type of depression may not last long or be too severe.
Pittas are most vulnerable to SAD, seasonal affective disorder, a fairly mild form of depression that usually occurs in the winter.
For all types of pitta depression, use the following simple but effective remedies:
• Rub some coconut oil or sunflower oil onto your scalp and the soles of your feet at bedtime.
• Drink gotu kola or brahmi tea or ginkgo tea 2 or 3 times a day. Use ½ teaspoon of herbs in a cup of hot water.
• Mix equal amounts of these three herbs:
brahmi
jatamamsi
shatavari
Take ½ to 1 teaspoon of this mixture 2 or 3 times a day with warm water, as a tea.
• Use brahmi ghee nose drops, 3 to 5 drops in each nostril, twice a day on an empty stomach.
• Meditate. A few minutes of meditation will be helpful in healing pitta depression. See chapter 7 for some hints on meditation.
Kapha depression creates a sense of mental heaviness and is associated with excess sleep, weight gain, drowsiness, and lousiness! The following natural remedies may bring great relief from kapha depression:
• Fast for 3 to 4 days on apple juice. This will work wonders to lighten the heaviness of a kapha depression.
• Increase the amount of exercise you do.
• Drink ginger tea (½ to 1 teaspoon of ginger powder steeped in hot water) twice a day.
TIME TO SEE THE DOCTOR
If your depression doesn’t soon begin to lift as a result of using these Ayurvedic home remedies, please consult a doctor.
• Make the following herbal compound:
sarasvati 2 parts
punarnava 3 parts
chitrak 3 parts
Take this mixture 3 times a day. Put ½ teaspoon of the powder on your tongue, and wash it down with warm water.
• Put 5 drops of punarnava ghee in each nostril twice a day. (See appendix 2 for instructions on how to prepare your own medicated ghees and oils.)
• The Sun Salutation (12 repetitions a day), Shoulder Stand, and Plow pose are recommended yoga asanas for depression. Also do the Maha Mudra. Other recommended postures are the Bow pose and the Vajrasana (Sitting on the Heels). (Illustrations of yoga asanas appear in appendix 4.)
• The breathing exercise known as ujjayi pranayama is also beneficial for healing kapha depression. (See instructions in chapter 6.)
Diabetes Diabetes is a metabolic kapha type of disorder in which diminished functioning of agni (digestive fire) leads to a tendency toward high blood sugar. To control high blood sugar, Ayurveda uses the following herbal mixture:
guduchi 1 part
shardunika 1 part
kutki 1 part
punarnava 2 parts
Take ½ teaspoon 2 or 3 times a day with warm water.
• Another simple and effective herbal way to control blood sugar is to use turmeric. Fill some 00-size capsules (available at a pharmacy or natural food store) with turmeric, and take 2 capsules 3 times a day, a few minutes before meals. You can continue this program for up to a month, and then reevalulate your condition. Clinical observation suggests that a person who is insulin dependent will experience a markedly diminished requirement for insulin; the diabetes can often be brought under control.
• To help regulate your blood sugar level, you can try taking ½ teaspoon of ground bay leaf and ½ teaspoon turmeric, mixed in 1 tablespoon aloe vera gel. Take the mixture twice a day before lunch and dinner.
DIET. To reduce kapha, you should follow the kapha-pacifying diet (see chapter 8), especially avoiding excess intake of sweets, carbohydrates, and dairy products. Take more fresh vegetables and bitter herbs.
COPPER WATER. Put one cup of water into a copper vessel at night, and drink the water in the morning.
YOGA POSTURES. Beneficial yoga postures for diabetic conditions include the Sun Salutation and the Peacock pose, Locust pose, Leg Lift, and Chest-Knee pose. Alternate Nostril breathing is also helpful. (Please see illustrations for yoga postures in appendix 4, and the pranayama instructions in chapter 6.)
Diarrhea See also “Diarrhea—Babies”
Generally, diarrhea occurs when agni (the digestive fire) becomes weak. As a result, absorption and assimilation become minimal, and the undigested foodstuff gets eliminated as a liquid, watery stool. To relieve diarrhea, Ayurveda aims to strengthen agni and to pacify whatever dosha—generally pitta—is aggravated.
Indigestion, nervousness, or eating some wrong food or food combination can also create diarrhea.
The first line of defense against diarrhea is to immediately reduce pitta in your diet. Follow the guidelines for the pitta-pacifying diet (see chapter 8), especially keeping away from spicy and fermented foods.
TIME TO SEE THE DOCTOR
If there is no serious illness, diarrhea is usually quite easy to control. However, this condition can also be a symptom of a more serious illness, so if these home remedies don’t work in 2 or 3 days, consult a doctor.
• Cook one or two apples until they are mushy, then add 1 teaspoon ghee, a pinch of cardamom, and a pinch of nutmeg. Eat slowly. This mixture is not only delicious, it will also help stop diarrhea right away.
• If you don’t have apples, you can use bananas, only you don’t have to cook them. Chop 1 or 2 ripe bananas into pieces, and as with the apples, add 1 teaspoon of warm ghee and a pinch each of cardamom and nutmeg. Bananas are high in potassium, which helps to bind the stool.
• Another effective remedy for diarrhea is cooked rice with yogurt. Take about a cupful of cooked basmati rice, add 1 tablespoon of ghee and 3 or 4 tablespoons of plain fresh yogurt, stir together, and eat.
• Another remedy using yogurt is to blend together equal parts of yogurt and water (about ½ cup each), add about ⅛ teaspoon of fresh grated ginger, and drink.
• Try ginger powder (about ½ teaspoon) with 1 teaspoon raw natural sugar. Mix together, and chew the mixture with some warm water. Take 2 or 3 times a day for 2 to 3 days.
• Another simple remedy is the following:
ghee 1 teaspoon
nutmeg ¼ teaspoon
ginger powder ¼ teaspoon
natural sugar 1 teaspoon
Mix together and eat. Like the ginger-sugar mixture above, take this formula 2 or 3 times a day for 2 to 3 days.
• For acute diarrhea, mix ½ teaspoon fennel powder with ½ teaspoon ginger powder, and chew this mixture 2 or 3 times a day.
• Try drinking a cup of hot black coffee with a little lime juice (about 10 drops) and a pinch of cardamom or nutmeg.
• If your diarrhea appears to be the result of high pitta, use this herbal formula:
shatavari ½ teaspoon
arrowroot ½ teaspoon
Mix together, and take with ½ cup warm water 2 or 3 times a day.
• You can also use sat isabgol (psyllium husks) to combat pitta diarrhea. This may sound strange, as psyllium is often used as a laxative. However, in pitta diarrhea, an excess of pitta accumulates in the gastrointestinal tract and irritates the wall of the colon, creating the diarrhea. So at bedtime, take 1 teaspoon sat isabgol mixed into a cup of fresh yogurt. That will absorb pitta and bind the stool, helping to correct the diarrhea. Be sure the yogurt is freshly made, not old.
Diarrhea can sometimes cause dehydration. To prevent this from happening, add 1 teaspoon of natural sugar, 1 teaspoon of lime juice, and a pinch of salt to a pint of room-temperature water, and sip throughout the day.
NOTE: If the diarrhea continues beyond three days, it would be wise to consult a doctor.
Diarrhea—Babies Diarrhea in the babies of nursing mothers may be due to the mother’s diet. For example, if the mother eats stale and leftover food, or food that is heavy to digest, then her milk will become harder for the child to digest. As a general rule, Ayurveda suggests that when babies six months old or younger get diarrhea, the mother should follow a pitta-pacifying diet.
AN APPLE A DAY … A baby’s diarrhea can usually be corrected simply by feeding the child some cooked apple. Remove the skin and seeds, cook the apple, and add ½ teaspoon ghee, a pinch of cardamom, and a small pinch of ginger. Stir it up well, and cool to room temperature.
SUGGESTION: To feed this applesauce to your child, use a standard baby bottle. With a clean scissors, cut off the tip of the nipple, making an opening large enough for the applesauce to flow through.
MAKE WHEY. Whey is a natural source of lactobacillus. Since a baby’s diarrhea is often due to altered flora in the gastrointestinal tract, the whey should help restore the normal flora. It is also a good source of potassium and of calcium, which binds the stool.
Bring 1 cup of milk to a boil; when it just begins to boil, squeeze a little lime juice (about ½ teaspoon) into the pot. The milk will curdle. Then strain the thick part out by pouring the mixture through cheesecloth or a sieve.
The remaining watery part is the whey. Giving 4 to 5 teaspoons of the whey to the child every 10 to 15 minutes should stop the diarrhea.
(The thick, solid part is a delicious fresh cheese called paneer, much used in Indian cooking. Try it!)
A SIMPLE HERBAL REMEDY. Another simple domestic remedy is to mix 1 teaspoon honey, ½ teaspoon ghee, a pinch of nutmeg, and a pinch of saffron.
POPPYSEED PORRIDGE. You can also make your child a porridge of poppy seeds. Bring ½ cup milk and ½ cup water to a boil, then add about 1 teaspoon poppy seeds. The seeds will swell and become soft; they will make a nice, easily digested porridge. It is a good food that helps to stop diarrhea. As a bonus, your child will also sleep soundly.
TIME TO SEE THE DOCTOR
If your infant has diarrhea, watch him or her carefully. If bowel movements are becoming less frequent and are firmer and denser, your child is getting better. But if the stools continue to be watery and occur several times in a day, and if your baby’s eyes appear sunken, the lips are dry, and she or he looks drowsy, these are all warning signs of dehydration. This is a serious condition, and you need to consult a doctor.
CALCIUM SUPPLEMENT. Babies may also get diarrhea when they are teething. Teeth are a by-product of asthi dhatu, or bone formation. When babies start growing teeth, especially the incisors or canine teeth, vata in the asthi dhatu gets provoked, their digestive fire becomes weak, and they may get diarrhea. At that time, they need more calcium. You can give the child a simple calcium supplement in the correct dose for children.
Dizziness See “Fainting and Dizziness”
Dry Skin See also “Skin—Ayurvedic Care”
Dry skin can have several causes. It may be due to a lack of sebaceous (oily) secretions; insufficient sweating; an excess of hot, sharp pitta; or too much vata. External causes of dry skin include sun, wind, hot dry air, excess washing, and excess use of soap or dishwashing soap.
MOISTURIZING CREAM MAY NOT BE THE ANSWER. Many people use moisturizing creams to counteract dry skin. But dryness of the skin usually comes from within rather than from external causes. For this reason, mere application of a moisturizer doesn’t truly solve the problem.
In general, moisturizing creams work only temporarily. They stimulate secretions of the sebaceous glands, and for a while the skin looks soft and oily. But then the glands become tired and exhausted, resulting in more dryness. You will have much greater success if you treat the dryness both externally, with natural oils, and internally, by lubrication of the colon with oil enemas.
Here are several effective Ayurvedic home remedies to keep your skin smooth and lustrous.
APPLY SOME OIL. In some cases, applying some oil to your skin may be all you need to eliminate dry skin. If your constitution is predominantly vata, apply sesame oil; if you are pitta, apply sunflower or coconut oil. If you are kapha, apply corn oil.
However, application of oil to the skin will probably not be sufficient. To treat the internal cause of the dryness, you’ll have to lubricate the colon with a gentle oil enema.
OIL ENEMA. Here is the procedure:
• Step 1: Begin with a cleansing enema. Either in the morning or evening, give yourself a regular water enema. After a good bowel movement, wait one hour before proceeding to step 2.
• Step 2: For the oil enema, use 1 cup of sesame, sunflower, or corn oil, according to the above vata–pitta–kapha recommendations. Inject the oil into the rectum (using a hot water bottle or a syringe), and try to retain it for 5 to 10 minutes. If it goes out, don’t worry, let it out. (More complete guidelines on how to do an enema are in appendix 3.)
This simple oil enema will make your skin soft, delicate, and gorgeous. The colon is an important part of the absorption process for food nutrients. Similarly, the oil in the colon from the enema easily gets absorbed into the system and helps to lubricate the skin from within.
For best results, perform the oil enema according to this schedule:
Week 1 Every day
Week 2 Every 2 days
Week 3 Every 3 days
Week 4 Once
CHERRY MASK. You may also find relief from dry skin by applying a pulp of fresh cherries to your face at night, before going to bed. Leave it on for 15 minutes, and then rinse off. This will give you a beautiful complexion.
Earache If the ear passage gets dried and crusty due to excess vata, it may start aching. The eardrum may even become tight and painful.
However, before treating earache, it is important to first rule out several possibilities, such as infection (otitis externa or otitis interna), perforated eardrum, or excess wax causing pressure on the ear (see “Earwax”). Having ruled these out, one can then treat the vata problem.
TEA TREE OIL. Begin by pulling down on the lobe of your painful ear. If this hurts, it means there is otitis externa, external ear infection. To heal the infection, take a cotton swab and dip it into tea tree oil, a wonderful natural disinfectant widely available at natural food stores and some pharmacies. Then apply the oil to the ear with the swab.
NOTE: Using plain tea tree oil may create a burning sensation on sensitive skin, so it is usually best to dilute it, using 10 to 20 drops of tea tree oil mixed in 1 ounce of sesame oil.
TEA TREE OIL WITH NEEM. For an even more effective treatment, combine the tea tree oil with neem oil. Here again, don’t use pure neem extract. Mix 10 to 20 drops of neem in sesame oil, then add it to the tea tree oil. Gently apply a few drops of the oil mixture to the ear passage.
ANTIBIOTIC HERBS. At the same time you are treating the infection on the outside with tea tree oil, internally you can take turmeric-echinacea-goldenseal tea:
turmeric 1 part
goldenseal 1 part
echinacea 1 part
Stir ½ teaspoon of this mixture into hot water, steep for a few minutes, and drink. Alternatively, simply swallow ½ teaspoon of the powder mixed in 1 teaspoon of honey. Take 3 times a day after food, for 1 week. This powerful antiseptic, antibiotic formula will help control the ear infection.
ASAFETIDA. You can also take a small amount of cotton, put a pinch of asafetida into it, and roll it into a capsulelike shape. Place that ball of cotton into the outer ear. The fumes of the asafetida will quickly relieve ear pain.
ONION JUICE. Combine 1 teaspoon fresh onion juice with ½ teaspoon honey. Mix well; introduce 5 to 10 drops into the affected ear. The mixture should be room temperature or a little warmer before you put it in your ear.
HEAT. Earache can also be moderated by heat. Take a handkerchief and put it on a warm (not hot) pan, fold it, and place it on the ear to give a little soothing external heat.
Ears, Ringing See “Tinnitus”
Earwax Earwax is one of the natural secretions of the body. It has the function of protecting the eardrum from dust, and it also keeps the ear canal lubricated. But because it is constantly exposed to the air, the wax may accumulate dust and dirt and become tarry black or brown-black and thick, packed tightly into the ear canal. It may obstruct hearing or create uncomfortable pressure, and so it has to be periodically removed.
WASH IT OUT. Gentle irrigation of the ear canal with warm water will usually take care of it. You can pick up an ear syringe in a pharmacy quite inexpensively. Prepare a pint of warm water (body temperature), add about ½ teaspoon of baking soda, and use that water to clean the ear. Follow the directions that come with the syringe, which essentially are to hold the syringe at the edge of the ear canal (do not insert it; the water has to be free to come out again), and squirt the water gently into the ear. You will want to tilt your head toward the shoulder of the ear you are cleaning and hold your head over a basin or over the sink. Do a final rinse with plain warm water.
After irrigating the ear, it is important to dry the ear thoroughly. A good way is to dip a cotton swab into some rubbing alcohol, and wipe the ear with the swab.
SOFTEN IT WITH OIL. Sometimes the wax is stubborn and doesn’t come out easily. In that case, for a day or two before doing the irrigation, soften the wax in the ear canal by lubricating it with warm garlic oil. Take about 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, add ½ clove of freshly chopped garlic, and boil it until the garlic pieces turn brown. It will have a pleasant smell. Then press the oil from the garlic, and strain it into a jar or other container. (Plain sesame oil will also work, but the garlic oil will be more effective.)
Then, 2 or 3 times a day, put a few drops of that oil—when it is warm, not hot—into the ear. That will lubricate the ear passage and soften the wax for easy removal.
DISSOLVE IT WITH HYDROGEN PEROXIDE. You can also use a mild hydrogen peroxide solution (about a 3 percent solution) to dissolve the wax. You can buy this solution in most pharmacies. Put a few drops in the ear. It will oxygenate the ear, and the wax will simply dissolve. When you’re finished, clean the ear with some warm sesame oil.
MASSAGE TO LOOSEN STUBBORN WAX. For stubborn earwax, massage the outside of the ear. Put a little sesame oil or castor oil on the mastoid bone (the bone behind the ear), and gently massage. Pull the ear lobe, and at the same time open your mouth. This will help to loosen the ear wax, and it will come out quite easily when you irrigate with water.
HERBAL REMEDY. The root cause of excessive earwax production is increased vata in the mamsa dhatu (muscle tissue). To deal with this, take triphala guggulu tablets, 200 mg. twice a day, for one month. That will definitely break down the body’s habit of forming excess earwax.
PREVENTION. Here is another excellent way to prevent the buildup of earwax. Once a month, sleep on your left side. Fill your right ear with warm sesame oil, and go to bed. (Put an old towel on the pillow to catch the excess oil.) The whole night, the ear passage will be soaked in the sesame oil. The wax will rise up toward the surface of the ear canal, and you can clean it out in the morning with a dry cotton swab. (Don’t stay awake all night trying not to turn over; just sleep comfortably. Even a couple of hours with the oil filling the canal will do the trick.)
The next night, sleep on the other side and treat the other ear in the same way. This way you can avoid the tendency for excess earwax to form.
Eating Disorders See also “Overeating” and “Obesity”
NOTE: The Ayurvedic recommendations in this and related sections can help you deal with eating disorders, but to fully heal them you may also require psychiatric counseling.
BULIMIA AND BINGE EATING. Almost everyone does some extra munching now and then. But if you often continue eating even though you are full, you might be a victim of binge eating disorder or bulimia.
Individuals with bulimia eat to excess and then induce vomiting to avoid gaining weight, while those with binge eating disorder overeat but don’t induce vomiting. Binge eating may lead to obesity, and bulimia may lead to metabolic disorders.
OVEREATING. Overeating of all kinds is most often the result of psychological and emotional factors, such as low self-esteem, anxiety, grief, and sadness. To compensate for those emotions, people go on eating.
ANOREXIA. Anorexia nervosa is a serious problem, usually among young women who have a fear of being fat and purposefully starve themselves. The root cause of anorexia is often depression.
Here are some brief suggestions to help you deal effectively with these eating disorders. For more complete treatments, please see “Overeating” and “Obesity.”
FOLLOW A LOW-FAT DIET. Avoid fatty fried food, cheese, yogurt, excess carbohydrates, ice cream. These kapha-inducing substances lead to weight gain and possibly to obesity.
EAT HOT SPICY FOOD. When cooking, add garam masala, chili pepper, cayenne pepper, curry pepper, turmeric, cumin, and the like to your food. These spices will burn the ama that causes overeating.
EAT TWO OR THREE MEALS A DAY. That’s all. Eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but skip between-meal snacking. While eating, play some soft, gentle music such as classical Indian music; choose a gentle, loving raga. Don’t listen to jazz or rock; that loud music will overstimulate the system and cause you to eat more.
LICORICE. Whenever you desire to munch, eat licorice candy, which is a mild diuretic that acts to reduce kapha. Or eat a handful of raisins.
HERBAL TEA. To help heal the emotional factor in all eating disorders, drink herbal tea. Excellent choices are chamomile, comfrey, brahmi, or jatamamsi. These are good individually, but a tea made from all of these mixed together in equal amounts is especially effective to reduce stress and balance the emotions. Use ½ to 1 teaspoon of herbs steeped in boiling water for 10 minutes.
NOTE: If there is depression, jatamamsi or brahmi tea will help, but it may also be necessary to see a psychiatrist or other mental health professional.
OIL MASSAGE. Rub some bhringaraj oil on the soles of the feet and on the scalp at night. That will help you relax and sleep. Lightly massaging with a little of the oil in the morning will also help you deal with the stress.
YOGA POSTURES. Good yoga asanas for eating disorders include the Bow, Boat, Peacock, and Rooster poses. The Lion pose is also quite effective for reducing stress (see appendix 4).
BREATHING AND MEDITATION. Ujjayi pranayama and So-Hum meditation will also be helpful (see chapters 6 and 7).
Edema See also “Swelling During Pregnancy”
Suddenly one morning a person may wake up with swollen eyes, a swollen foot, a swollen nose, or a swollen toe—any part of the body can swell. There may be associated symptoms such as pain or itching. Sometimes the edema may be related to an injury, such as a bump, or it may be due to torn ligaments. Or fluid may seep from the blood vessels due to prolonged standing or walking. Because of poor circulation, a person’s feet or ankles may swell. Edema may also be an allergic reaction, or the result of an insect bite.
Because there are so many possible reasons for the swelling, finding out the cause is essential for maximally effective treatment. Nevertheless, the following recommendations should prove helpful.
APPLY A HEALING PASTE. At the site of the swelling, apply a paste made of turmeric and red sandalwood. Mix an equal amount of the herbal powders together, add sufficient water to make a paste, and apply.
NOTE: Don’t get this mixture of turmeric and sandalwood in your eyes; it may irritate the eye and create conjunctivitis.
GIVE YOUR FEET A RAISE. If the edema is in your feet, raise the feet. Sit in a comfortable chair with your legs resting on a footstool, or use a small table and place a couple of pillows under your feet. When you go to bed, place pillows under your feet. This will gradually drain the excess water and relieve the swelling.
FOR INSECT BITES. For swelling due to insect bites, use neem and tea tree oil topically. The venom of the insect irritates the skin, and neem and tea tree oil mixed together in equal proportion will neutralize the venom toxicity and minimize the edema. Neem oil is also effective by itself. (See “Bites and Stings” for further suggestions.)
NATURAL ANTIHISTAMINE FOR ALLERGIES. If the swelling is due to allergy, take antihistamine in the form of fresh cilantro juice. Chop some fresh cilantro and place in the blender with ⅓ cup of water. Blend, strain, and drink immediately. Also apply the pulp locally to the swollen area. (See “Allergies” for many more suggestions.)
FINGER RING SWELLING. Swelling on a finger may be due to a too-tight ring. Simply remove the ring. If it will not easily slip off, raise your hand high above your head or soak your hand in ice water for a few minutes, then use some soap or oil to make your finger slippery. If this does not work, the ring may have to be cut. That will release the blood flow and relieve the edema.
HERBS TO IMPROVE CIRCULATION. Poor circulation can lead to edema. To increase circulation, mix:
punarnava 5 parts
manjistha 3 parts
gokshura 3 parts
Take ½ teaspoon twice a day with warm water, after meals.
LOCAL EXERCISE TO IMPROVE CIRCULATION. In addition to the above herbal formula, giving some exercise to the part of the body that is swollen should improve circulation and reduce the swelling. Fill a pan or bucket with hot water, and steep a “teabag” of mustard seeds in it. Make the bag by wrapping 2 tablespoons of mustard seeds in a handkerchief or some cheesecloth. Put it into the bucket you’re using to soak your ankle, finger, or whatever part is swollen. While you soak, flex the swollen part and do some underwater exercises to increase circulation.
• For swelling of the nose, do nasya using brahmi oil or plain ghee (see appendix 3).
• For swelling of the eyes, apply a few drops of pure rose water. You can generally buy a 3 percent solution of rose water; to make it at home, use organic roses and soak both petals and the hip in distilled water for several hours, then strain and use the water.
• For swollen toes, apply a paste of turmeric and red sandalwood.
• For a torn ligament, apply some mahanarayan oil topically. Internally, take kaishore guggulu, 200 mg. twice a day.
• For facial swelling. Some parasites, such as amoebas, giardia, and pinworms, can create swelling of the face. If you have determined that this is the cause of your facial swelling, the following formula will be effective:
vidanga 3 parts
neem 3 parts
shardunika 3 parts
Take ½ teaspoon twice a day after lunch and dinner.
Eye Irritation See also “Eyes—Ayurvedic Care”
Around the age of 40, alochaka pitta (a subtype of pitta associated with vision) tends to become low, and people frequently find that their eyes become irritated. Individuals who work in front of a computer for a long time, watch a lot of TV or movies, or do a lot of driving or close-up work, or who live in a city with high air pollution, may find that their eyes become irritated and build up quite a lot of strain.
The irritation may be due to dryness of the conjunctiva (which results from excess vata), or it may be related to excess hyperacidity or pitta in the stomach. Or, because the liver and eyes are closely related, high or stagnant pitta in the liver may be a causal factor. It is important to pin down the cause in order to treat it with maximum effectiveness. But most of the following remedies will be helpful in all situations.
TAKE A BREAK. If you are using your eyes a lot, perhaps in front of a computer or driving, stop every hour or two for a few minutes to give your eyes a rest.
USE A PROTECTIVE SCREEN. Use a protective screen on your video terminal, to cut radiation and glare.
CHANGE YOUR FOCUS. If you are doing a lot of reading, stop for a minute or two and refocus on a distant object. Every half hour, close the book and look at something across the room or out the window. Doing something different with the eyes is restful and will help prevent eye irritation.
TAKE A TEA BREAK. In the midst of a lot of close-up work or sitting at the computer, stop for a few minutes and have a cup of tea: chamomile, comfrey, mint, or even chai (which has some caffeine and will not be as soothing as the other three). This will be relaxing and will help to relieve the irritation and strain.
ROSE WATER EYE DROPS. You can also prepare a solution of rose water. Take 1 ounce of distilled or purified water, add 5 drops of pure rose water, and use the solution to rinse your eyes. Use a dropper or an eye cup, and be sure the water is neither too cold nor too hot. This solution will immediately soothe any eye irritation.
SPLASH YOUR EYES WITH WATER. Simply washing the eyes with clean water will also help. As if rinsing your face after washing, splash some water onto your eyes, opening the eyes for a moment to allow some water to go in. Or you can use an eye cup and rinse the eyes.
THE SIMPLEST AND BEST REMEDY FOR IRRITATED EYES. Put a single drop of pure, genuine castor oil (without preservatives) into your eyes at bedtime. Rubbing a little castor oil on the soles of your feet at bedtime also helps; remember to wear some old socks to prevent the oil from staining your sheets.
FOR BLOODSHOT EYES. If your eyes are irritated and bloodshot, drink a cup of fresh orange juice with ½ teaspoon of natural sugar and a pinch of cumin.
TO PACIFY ACIDITY. If excess acid and high pitta in your system seems to be the cause of the eye irritation, take some shatavari (½ teaspoon), add just a pinch of shanka bhasma, and take it twice a day for 2 weeks, with a little warm water.
• Aloe vera gel (2 tablespoons 3 times a day) also pacifies acidity.
• If you determine that high pitta might be the cause of the eye irritation, make a mixture of the herbs shanka pushpi and jatamamsi in equal proportions. Take ½ teaspoon twice a day for 2 weeks.
Eyes-Ayurvedic Care Ayurveda has a number of excellent suggestions for maintaining your eyes in strength and health.
COOL WATER WASH. Early in the morning, when you wash your face, fill your mouth with cool water and hold it there; then splash cool water over your open eyes. Traditionally, you’re not supposed to swallow or spit out the water, but keep it in your mouth as you sprinkle the cool water on your eyes. This has a double cooling effect, both from outside and from the oral cavity, that will make your eyes feel fresh, happy, and cheerful. (If you prefer, you can use an eye cup instead.)
GHEE LAMP. A traditional Ayurvedic way to strengthen and soothe the eyes is to gaze at the flame of a ghee lamp. Prepare a ghee lamp by taking a small bowl, placing a cotton wick in it, and adding ghee. Be sure the wick is made of genuine cotton; synthetic cotton will burn up in an instant. Also be sure the wick is not too thick. Apply a little ghee to the tip of the wick and then light it.
Ayurvedic Eye Exercises
The following exercises will strengthen your eyes.
• First, blink the eyes rapidly several times. Then, with eyes open, move your eyes in this pattern:
up and down
side to side
diagonally from top left to bottom right
diagonally from top right to bottom left
clockwise in a circle
counterclockwise in a circle
• Hold your arm outstretched in front of you. Look at the tip of your index finger, and gradually bring the finger close to you, following it with your eyes, until it touches your “third eye,” between the eyebrows.
• Look at the tip of your nose, and then up toward your “third eye.”
• Finally, close your eyes tightly, then release. These exercises are beneficial for improving the circulation of the eccentric muscles of the eyeball.
After finishing the exercises, or anytime your eyes feel tired or strained, rub your palms vigorously together for a few seconds to generate some warmth, then place them lightly over your eyes. Feel how soothing the warmth is! Keep them there for a minute or two to strengthen and nourish your eyes.
Set the ghee lamp at a distance of 2 or 3 feet from you, remove your glasses, and gaze at the flame for 2 or 3 minutes without blinking. This procedure will improve the tejas or lustrous quality of the eyes.
SALUTE THE SUN. Another effective way to keep eyes strong is to do the Sun Salutation exercise. Performing 12 sets of Sun Salutations is one of the best exercises for the entire body, including the eyes (see appendix 4).
The following six remedies are especially helpful for pitta types, who are more likely to find their eyes burning.
TRIPHALA EYEWASH. Boil 1 teaspoon of triphala in a cup of water for 3 minutes. Cool the tea, and strain it with double- or triple-folded cheesecloth or a paper coffee filter so that no particle of triphala is left in the tea. Then wash your eyes with the tea.
CASTOR OIL REMEDY. At bedtime, put 1 drop of pure castor oil, with no preservatives, into each eye. Also rub 1 teaspoon of the oil into the soles of your feet. Next morning your eyes will feel really happy and fresh!
TO SOOTHE BURNING EYES. For a burning sensation in the eyes, put 1 drop of lukewarm liquid ghee in each eye at bedtime. That will lubricate the eyelid and eyelashes and will also soothe and strengthen your eyes.
ROSE WATER. You can also put 3 drops of pure rose water into each affected eye. Rose water is cooling.
A HEALING SALVE. Collyrium is effective for soothing your eyes. (It is available in most Indian grocery stores. Ask for kajal.) It is made of castor oil and natural camphor. It is black and people use it cosmetically as an eye liner, but it is actually medicinal and good for the eyes. Scoop out a small amount of salve with your little finger. Make sure the nail is well trimmed. With the other hand, pull the lower eyelid down while looking in the mirror and with your little finger apply the salve sparingly to the inner edge of the eyelid.
STRESS REDUCER. For eyestrain, Ayurveda also suggests taking a sterilized cotton ball or a piece of gauze, dipping it into cool goat’s milk, and putting it over your closed eyes. This will ease stress and make your eyes feel better. (If goat’s milk is not available, you may use cow’s milk, but goat’s milk is preferable.)
READ SITTING UP. While reading, keep your vertebral column straight. Avoid reading while lying down.
USE A NONGLARE COMPUTER SCREEN. If you are using a computer, be sure it has a nonglare screen, or use a protecting filter to reduce glare so it won’t hurt your eyes.
Eyestrain See “Eyes—Ayurvedic Care” and “Eye Irritation”
Fainting and Dizziness Increased vata dosha, along with excess pitta moving in the nervous system, cause fainting and dizziness. There are two types of dizziness:
In the first kind, one feels that external objects in the environment are moving: “I am still, but the room is moving around me.” That is called objective dizziness, and it is primarily due to aggravated vata.
The second type is called subjective dizziness. Here, one has the feeling of swinging or disequilibrium, of being subjectively in motion. This type of dizziness is caused primarily by excess pitta. The difference between the two is subtle and not easy to pinpoint, especially since vata and pitta are both always involved. But it is helpful to distinguish between the two, as some aspects of treatment will be different.
TIME TO SEE THE DOCTOR
The remedies in this section are simple, effective means of relieving dizziness. But if dizziness or fainting persists after using them, it would be wise to see a neurologist or another medical expert, because the dizziness might be due to some serious pathology.
Vertigo, a spinning, merry-go-round kind of feeling, may be related to infection in the inner ear, head injury, or viral infection. It may be due to Ménière’s disease, a condition in which increased pressure in the middle ear generates a feeling of vertigo. Ménière’s disease will result in progressive hearing loss if it’s not treated. All these conditions have to be suspected and ruled out before undertaking home treatment for dizziness. However, the domestic remedies below will help most cases of dizziness.
Dizziness or feeling faint may also occur when there is insufficient oxygen in the room.
If you feel dizzy and you’re not sure whether you’re spinning or the room is moving, focus on a fixed point, such as a window frame. When the eyeball becomes steady by focusing on a stable point, it sends a message to the brain that calms down the rajasic quality of vata dosha. This works well for objective dizziness.
The kind of dizziness known as motion sickness is often associated with nausea and vomiting. To help with motion sickness, before starting the trip, take one 00-size capsule filled with ginger powder. Bring some more along on the trip. You might also bring some candied ginger and chew on a piece of it from time to time. If you are in a car and you feel that everything seems to be in motion, try to look at a fixed point, such as the horizon or a distant unmoving object. This should help to stop the dizziness.
Sometimes people feel dizzy when they stand up quickly. There are many possible causes for this, including low adrenal energy, low blood pressure, or the use of some antihypertensive drugs, especially beta blockers, which may weaken the adrenals. If you find yourself getting dizzy upon standing up, simply get up slowly. This will help.
Pitta individuals with hypoglycemia may experience sweating and dizziness and may even verge on fainting if they go too long without eating. This is a form of subjective dizziness. Hypoglycemics have to eat on time, or they may even become unconscious. Drinking some apple juice or any sweet fruit juice will be effective.
QUICK REMEDY FOR FAINTING. If a person faints, collapses, and becomes unconscious, sprinkle some cold water on the face.
DIZZINESS FROM EXERCISING. Individuals who exercise vigorously may become dehydrated from sweating a lot, which may bring on dizziness. The cure for this is about as simple as it gets: Drink some water. Even just one glass of cool water will help to reduce pitta as well as correct the dehydration, and the dizziness will subside.
DEEP BREATHING. Another simple remedy for dizziness is breathing deeply, as in ujjayi pranayama (see chapter 6) and holding the breath behind the belly button.
EAR PULL. Here’s another simple remedy: Insert your index finger into your ear and gently pull the ear upward, forward, and downward. This will regulate intracranial pressure, which will greatly if not entirely relieve the feeling of faintness or dizziness.
NATURAL SMELLING SALTS. For dizziness or when feeling faint, slice or chop up an onion and inhale the smell forcibly until tears come to your eyes. Onions contain a lot of ammonia; inhaling them produces vasodilation, which brings more blood supply to the brain, and dizziness is automatically corrected.
HERBAL FORMULAS. If you determine that the dizziness is primarily due to pitta, a wonderful Ayurvedic herbal formula may prove helpful. Mix these herbs:
brahmi 1 part
jatamamsi 1 part
saraswati ¼ part
Take ½ teaspoon of the mixture 2 or 3 times a day with water after meals.
The following formula is also helpful when dizziness is due to excess pitta:
shatavari 1 part
jatamamsi 1 part
kama dudha 2 pinches
If you take ½ teaspoon of this mixture a couple of times a day with warm water, it will help take care of your dizziness.
SANDALWOOD. Pitta-type dizziness can also be helped by the smell of sandalwood oil or incense.
GHEE NOSE DROPS. Using ghee nose drops will also help. Warm up a little bit of ghee until it is liquefied. When cool enough not to injure delicate tissue, put 3 to 5 drops in each nostril, and inhale. This will improve blood supply to the brain and will relieve the dizziness.
COLON CLEANSING. Sometimes dizzy spells are due to chronic constipation and gases. So keep the colon clean with triphala, ½ teaspoon taken at bedtime in a cupful of warm water.
Fatigue and Chronic Fatigue Fatigue is physical and mental stress. However, it is not always due to overwork. In fact, sometimes people feel tired because they’re not doing enough, not working hard enough. For such people, fatigue can be due to boredom or lack of motivation.
In such cases, I’ve had to ask patients to walk or to do some physical work in order to get rid of fatigue and increase their energy level. So the first thing to determine is whether the tiredness is due to too much physical work or too much idleness!
Fatigue may be due to low gastric fire, weakness of the liver, low adrenal energy, or anemia. It may be caused by Epstein-Barr virus, a form of chronic fatigue syndrome related to high stagnant pitta in the liver. People having a history of infectious mononucleosis can feel very tired.
Here are some treatment recommendations for fatigue of various causes:
FOR FATIGUE AFTER EXERCISE OR HARD PHYSICAL WORK. Drink a cup of fresh orange juice with a pinch of rock salt. Adding 10 drops of fresh lime juice will help pacify pitta.
• Drinking 1 cup of ginseng or ashwagandha tea once or twice a day will help.
FOR ANEMIA. If the fatigue is due to anemia, treat the anemia with blood builders such as pomegranate juice, grapes and/or grape juice, beets or beet/carrot juice, or the herbs abrak bhasma and loha bhasma. (See “Anemia” for many more recommendations.)
FOR EPSTEIN-BARR VIRUS. If the fatigue is due to Epstein-Barr virus, treat it as a pitta disorder.
• Follow the pitta-pacifying diet (see chapter 8).
• Use the following herbal formula:
shatavari 5 parts
bala 4 parts
vidari 3 parts
kama dudha ¼ part
Take ½ teaspoon of this mixture 2 or 3 times a day with 1 teaspoon of shatavari ghee. This will strengthen the liver and help to remedy chronic fatigue syndrome (see the shatavari ghee recipe in appendix 2).
When your agni (gastric fire) is low and your digestion slow, nourishment from the food you eat will be poorly absorbed and assimilated. If the nourishment you derive from eating is insufficient, naturally your energy will be low.
• One of the best ways to kindle agni is to use some ginger. Before each meal, chop or grate a little fresh ginger, add a few drops of lime juice and a pinch of salt, and chew it up. Or just cut a thin slice of fresh ginger, put on a pinch of salt, and chew that.
• Avoid cold and iced drinks, especially during or after meals. They counteract agni and impede effective digestion. Take small sips of warm water during the meal.
• Taking chitrak-adivati, one 200-mg. tablet twice a day, after lunch and dinner, will help kindle the fire and the fatigue will go.
TIME TO SEE THE DOCTOR
Unusual exertion, stress, lack of sleep, and a number of other factors can make you understandably tired. But if you use the Ayurvedic remedies recommended for fatigue for a few weeks and you still have unexplainable feelings of exhaustion or continue to feel unusually listless, lethargic, and drained of energy, your tiredness may be due to a more serious illness. Fatigue is a symptom of many illnesses, including anemia, lung disease, diabetes, hepatitis, mononucleosis, thyroid disease, and cancer. You may also have developed chronic fatigue syndrome. So please be wise and consult a physician.
• You will find many additional tips for strengthening the digestive fire in “Indigestion.”
YOGA POSTURES AND PRANAYAMA. Alternate Nostril Breathing and some gentle yoga stretching can be beneficial to kindle the gastric fire. See appendix 4 and chapter 6 for help with yoga postures and pranayama. In general, unless fatigue is due to idleness, Ayurveda does not recommend much exercise for cases of fatigue. Exercise will burn ojas and may increase rather than decrease the feelings of fatigue.
Use the following food remedies for added nourishment and strength.
DATES. Soak 10 fresh dates in a quart jar of ghee. Add 1 teaspoon ginger, ⅛ teaspoon cardamom, and a pinch of saffron. Cover and keep in a warm place for at least 2 weeks. Then eat 1 date daily, in the early morning. Believe it or not, it tastes delicious, and it works to remedy anemia, sexual debility, and chronic fatigue.
A simpler tonic using dates is this date drink: Soak 5 fresh dates in a glass of water overnight. Next morning, liquefy in a blender and drink. It will give you energy and vitality. (Be sure to remove the pits before blending!)
MANGOES. Eating one ripe mango daily, and an hour or so later drinking 1 cup of warm milk with 1 teaspoon ghee added, is also good for increasing vitality.
A variation is to drink 1 cup of fresh mango juice, followed an hour or so later by ½ cup of warm milk with a pinch of cardamom, a pinch of nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon of ghee.
Fever Fever is a sign of ama (toxins) moving in the circulatory system. Contrary to what some people believe, fever is not often a sign of infection. In some cases there is infection, but most of the time the fever is due to toxicity in the rasa dhatu, the body’s basic vital tissue (see this page). When the ama has been eliminated, the fever will subside.
DON’T EAT. There is an old saying, “Feed a cold and starve a fever,” and truly the first treatment recommended by Ayurveda for a fever is to observe a fast. For acute fever, a total fast is recommended if the person is strong enough. If the person is debilitated or weak, it is better to drink water, some kind of fruit juice, or one of the herbal teas suggested below, such as holy basil (tulsi) or lemongrass. Don’t drink milk; it will worsen the fever and create diarrhea.
In addition to fasting, the following recommendations will be helpful.
The simplest herbal remedy for fever is cilantro juice. Put a handful of cilantro leaves in a blender with about ⅓ cup water, and blend thoroughly. Strain out the pulp. Take 2 teaspoons of the remaining liquid 3 times a day to help lower the fever.
• You can make an effective herbal tea for fever consisting of
lemongrass tulsi (holy basil) fennel
in equal proportions. For each cup, use 1 teaspoon of the mixture and steep in boiling water for 10 minutes; strain and drink. This is an excellent diaphoretic; that is, it makes you sweat, which brings down the temperature.
TIME TO SEE THE DOCTOR
Fever is a sign that your body is fighting toxins and/or infection and is healing and purifying itself. It is usually self-limiting—that is, it will disappear when the needed healing is done. But there are definitely times when fever requires the attention of a medical professional:
If any of these conditions are present, call a doctor or seek immediate attention.
• Another excellent herbal remedy for reducing fever is a tea made of
coriander 2 parts
cinnamon 2 parts
ginger 1 part
Steep 1 teaspoon of this mixture in a cup of hot water for 10 minutes before drinking. You can drink this every few hours until the fever breaks.
• Another simple three-ingredient tea made of household herbs is this one:
cumin seeds
coriander seeds
fennel seeds
Mix seeds in equal proportions. Use 1 teaspoon of your mixture in a cup of boiling water; steep for 10 minutes, strain, and drink.
GRAPE JUICE WITH HERBS. Grapes are cooling. Into a cup of grape juice add ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon fennel, and ½ teaspoon sandalwood powder, and drink. This will help to relieve fever.
AVOID COLD DRINKS. When you have a fever, it’s best not to drink anything cold. Use the lemongrass-tulsi-fennel tea mentioned above, or any of the other herbal suggestions. Any hot tea will help to kindle the body’s digestive fire (agni) and burn the ama (toxins). Again, fever is a sign of ama in the system; once the ama is burned out, the body’s temperature will come back to normal.
If the Fever Is High
If the temperature is high, prepare a bowl of cool water into which you have added 1 teaspoon of salt. Fold two pieces of clean cloth (such as handkerchiefs), dip them into the water, and put one on the forehead and one over the belly button. Repeat as needed. This will bring down the temperature quickly.
If you can get maha sudarshan churna from an Ayurvedic pharmacy, take ½ teaspoon twice a day with warm water. This formula will bring down any kind of fever.
If the person with high fever has a pitta constitution, there may be a danger of febrile convulsions. To help relieve this condition, make a slight modification of the procedure described above. Grate an onion and wrap half in one of the damp handkerchiefs, the other half in the second handkerchief. Place on the forehead and belly button, as above.
The belly is the seat of pitta, and the onion will help absorb the pitta. Tears will come to the eyes, the convulsions will stop, and the temperature will come down. If this procedure doesn’t bring the fever down, see a doctor.
STAY PUT. It is not a good idea to exercise or to travel when you have a fever. If you do get a fever when on a journey, follow any of the above recommendations that you can; if possible, take maha sudarshan churna (½ teaspoon with a little warm water).
FOR CHRONIC FEVER. Make a tea of 1 teaspoon holy basil (tulsi) steeped in 1 cup hot water. Add ¼ teaspoon black pepper and 1 teaspoon honey. Take this 2 or 3 times a day.
• Another excellent formula to bring down chronic fever is ½ teaspoon maha sudarshan churna mixed with 1 teaspoon tikta ghrita (bitter ghee). Take this 3 times a day on an empty stomach.
Fibrocystic Breast Disease According to Ayurvedic principles, fibrocystic breast disease is a kapha disorder. Excess kapha builds up, leading to congestion, enlargement of the breasts, tenderness, and development of fibrocystic tissue.
GENTLE MASSAGE. To help reduce the accumulation of kapha, apply 1 teaspoon of warm castor oil to the breasts, and gently massage from inside to outside, that is, from the breastbone toward the armpits. Do this gentle massage before taking a warm shower. Or you can do a soap massage of the breasts during your shower, again massaging from the center of your chest outward.
Massaging the breasts in this way will improve the circulation of the mastic tissue and encourage lymphatic drainage into the armpits; in this way, fibrocystic changes can be minimized.
This massage will also take care of tenderness in the breasts. (See “Breasts, Sore” for more suggestions.)
EFFECTIVE HERBAL REMEDY. To help prevent fibrocystic breasts, use the following herbal formula:
kutki 2 parts
chitrak 2 parts
punarnava 5 parts
This herbal combination (½ teaspoon twice a day) will help to prevent the accumulation of kapha in the breast that leads to the development of fibrocystic tissue.
KAPHA-REDUCING DIET. As fibrocystic breasts are due to excess kapha, you will find it helpful to follow the kapha-reducing diet. Avoid dairy products, cold food and drink, heavy meats, wheat, and all sweets except honey. (See dietary guidelines in chapter 8.)
YOGA POSTURES. Doing some yoga postures daily will be helpful. Include the Locust, Bow, Boat, Spinal Twist, and Shoulder Stand in your “routine” of postures. (See appendix 4 for illustrations.)
Food Allergies See also “Allergies”
To deal effectively with food allergies and minimize their negative impact on your life, begin by making a list of foods you appear to be allergic to. You will usually find, according to Ayurvedic dietetics, that you have reactions to foods with the same doshic quality as your constitution, particularly if you have an excess of that quality at the present time.
The following descriptions should help you determine the type of food allergy you have.
• Kapha-type individuals, with excess kapha in their system, will be allergic to kapha foods, including dairy products such as milk, yogurt, and cheese; wheat; cucumber; and watermelon. Their food allergies may manifest as heaviness in the stomach, slow digestion, sleeping disorders, colds, congestion, cough, or water retention. In more serious conditions kapha food allergies may lead to bronchial congestion and kapha-type asthma.
• Pitta individuals, whose systemic pitta is unduly high, will show allergic reactions to such high-pitta foods as hot, spicy dishes; citrus fruits; sour fruits; tomatoes; potatoes; eggplant; and fermented foods. Their symptoms are likely to include heartburn, acid indigestion, stomach upset, nausea, and even vomiting. The person may suddenly get hot flashes, and may have bloodshot eyes.
• Vata individuals, especially when vata is in excess, are prone to get allergies to raw foods; beans (black beans, adzuki beans, pinto beans, and so on) and certain animal proteins. Vata food allergies are likely to manifest as bloating of the stomach, burping, gas, gurgling of the stomach, and vague abdominal discomfort and pain. It may also lead to insomnia and nightmares, pain in the joint, sciatica, muscle twitching, and muscle spasms.
So food allergies need to be studied according to an individual’s prakruti (constitution) and vikruti (current status of the doshas).
The best approach is simply to avoid the problematic food items and to follow the diet appropriate for your body type. For example, a vata person having vata-type food allergies should avoid a vata-provoking diet and should eat vata-pacifying foods. The same is true for pitta and kapha. (See the diet recommendations in chapter 8.)
Here are some additional suggestions for each of the three main types of food allergy.
FOR VATA-TYPE FOOD ALLERGIES. An effective way to help bring vata food allergies under control is to take a dashamoola basti (enema) twice a week, such as on Sunday and Thursday. Boil up 1 pint of water with 1 tablespoon of dashamoola, and use the resulting tea (after it cools down) for the enema. Try to retain the liquid at least 10 minutes. (For more on enemas, see appendix 3.) This herbal enema will help to pacify vata and remove toxicity from the colon, and vata-type food allergies can be minimized. Continue taking the dashamoola enema twice a week for one month.
Drinking licorice tea made from ½ teaspoon licorice root powder, ½ teaspoon honey, and 1 teaspoon ghee can also be helpful. Sip a little of the tea every half hour to an hour throughout the day until symptoms are relieved. Don’t forget to add the honey only after the tea starts to cool; honey should never be cooked. Note: People with high blood pressure should not drink licorice tea. Substitute ½ teaspoon cinnamon and 2 to 3 cloves for the licorice, and make the tea as above.
FOR PITTA FOOD ALLERGIES. To control pitta food allergies, it is helpful to do virechana chikitsa (purgation). Take 1 teaspoon of amalaki or sat isabgol (psyllium husks) at night. Add the herbs to 1 cup of hot water, let it stand for 10 to 15 minutes, and drink. Stagnation of pitta in the small intestine is the root cause of a pitta-type food allergy. Purgation therapy clears away the pitta so that the allergy can be brought under control. Continue with virechana daily for a month, or until the allergy subsides.
You will also find it helpful to eat cooked apples. Peel and core a couple of apples, cook them a few minutes to soften them, and mash them up with a pinch of cumin and 1 teaspoon ghee. Eat about ½ cup once or twice daily, at least an hour before or after meals.
FOR KAPHA FOOD ALLERGIES. The Ayurvedic purification known as vamana (vomiting) will be helpful. Every Sunday (or at least for a couple of weeks) in the early morning, drink 2 pints of salt water. Add 2 teaspoons of salt to 2 pints of water, drink it down, and then try to vomit it out. (Rubbing the back part of your tongue until you get a “gag” reflex will help.) This purification process will remove a lot of excess mucus from the stomach and help to clear up food allergies.
If vomiting doesn’t take place, don’t worry about it; the remaining salty water won’t hurt you. It will simply go through your system and will actually have some beneficial cleansing effect.
NOTE: Many people feel a lot of fear or discomfort with the idea or the actuality of vomiting. If you feel this way, do not force yourself to do this purification. Do vamana only if it is comfortable for you to do so.
Kaphas should also fast on Sunday. The fasting is important; it will help cleanse the system.
Make a tea out of ½ teaspoon licorice root powder, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon coriander. Steep in 1 cup of water for 10 minutes, strain, and sip a little of the tea throughout the day, about an ounce every half hour to an hour. Again, people with high blood pressure should not drink licorice tea. Substitute ½ teaspoon cinnamon and 2 to 3 cloves for the licorice.
FOR ALL FOOD ALLERGIES. If you don’t know whether the allergy is vata, pitta, or kapha, then try this simple remedy that is effective for all types: Roast some cumin, fennel, and white sesame seeds, and eat a handful after meals.
To prepare the mixture, take one ounce of each kind of seed, and dry-roast it separately (one type at a time) on a heavy cast-iron pan. You will have to stir the seeds constantly to keep them from burning. The fennel takes a few minutes, the others only about a minute or two before they become fragrant and slightly brown. Put the seeds together, add about ½ teaspoon rock salt (don’t use sea salt), and mix it all up. Store in a glass jar.
Chewing a little of this mixture after eating any food will aid digestion and help prevent any kind of food allergy.
Frequent Urination See “Bladder Problems,” “Prostate Problems,” and “Urinary Incontinence”
Frequent Urination During Pregnancy Frequent urination during pregnancy is an entirely natural phenomenon. When the uterus becomes enlarged due to the growth of the fetus in the womb, it creates pressure on the bladder. The bladder hasn’t got sufficient space to accumulate urine and expand, so just a little accumulation stimulates the desire for relief.
If frequent urination disturbs the woman’s sleep, this is not good, as she needs her rest. Ayurveda suggests this simple home remedy: Eat a handful of white sesame seeds with about ½ teaspoon of jaggery or natural brown sugar. This mixture will pacify vata dosha; by soothing vata, it prevents the excess stimulation that contracts the bladder. In this way, frequent urination during pregnancy can be corrected.
Additional suggestions:
• Don’t drink anything for at least 2 hours before going to bed.
• Don’t drink anything with caffeine, such as coffee, tea, or cola, especially in the evening. Caffeine is a diuretic (it promotes urination) and is exactly what you don’t need if you want to counteract frequent urination.
• For further recommendations, see “Urinary Incontinence.”
Frigidity See “Low Libido”