Skip to main content

10 Ayurvedic Warming Foods To Try This Winter For Healthy Skin & Hair ☃️❄️

Want to keep warm and have your skin thrive this winter season? Let’s see what trusty old Ayurveda has got to say about warm foods you should consume during the harsh winters! When the word winter comes to mind, the first thing which pops up is a hot cup of your favourite brew or your mother’s famous warm delicacy. Did you now that the food we eat is closely associated with the weather? Ritucharya is an ancient Ayurvedic practice and is comprised of two words, “Ritu” which means season and “charya” which means Regimen or discipline. Ritucharya consists of lifestyle and ayurvedic diet routine to cope with the bodily and mental impacts caused by seasonal changes as recommended by Ayurveda. Ritucharya is a powerful, health giving ayurvedic tool that helps us live according to the changes in season and make internal adjustments so that our doshas are in a state of balance. People do not know or ignore the suitable types of food stuffs to be followed in particular season, this ...

Pomegranate: An Ayurvedic Pharmacy in its own right

Image result for pomegranates
Latin name: Punica granatum L
Sanskrit: dādima
Family: Lythraceae
Hindi: Anār
Pomegranate in history and myth
Pomegranate originated in the region between Iran and Northern India, where it has been cultivated for millennia and still remains a characteristic feature of the cuisine. Since ancient times pomegranates have been grown in the Mediterranean region, the Middle East and South Asia. Pomegranate plays a rich part in the myths, lore and literature of the Silk Road lands and the Mediterranean, finding its place in Greco-Roman, Jewish, Christian and Islamic scriptures and rituals. Islamic Hadith notes that pomegranate "cleanses you of Satan and from evil aspirations for forty days." And in another inspiring Islamic quote, the Prophet Muhammed's cousin, Sayyiduna Ali, said that the light of Allah (God) is in the heart of whoever eats pomegranate.
The fruiting of the pomegranate heralds the onset of winter; so it is told that Persephone was abducted by Hades (Pluto) and carried off to the underworld. Because she ate four pomegranate seeds in the realm of Hades, she had to spend four months a year in the Underworld, returning to bring the springtime.
Spilling over with fertility in the form of rich, ruby-red seeds, pomegranate is a symbol of Divine Mother and of the Madonna, as beautifully portrayed by Botticelli.
Pomegranate is known as an Ayurvedic pharmacy in its own right. The bark and root bark are used for diarrhea and dysentery, while the fruit and the rind (pericarp) are used as medicinal foods and home remedies as well as in more complex Ayurvedic formulations. Pomegranate rind is a rich source of phytoestrogens helpful for menopause. The fruit contains numerous antioxidants including phenolics, flavonoids, ellagitannins, and proanthocyanidin compounds as well as minerals, mainly potassium.
Despite containing phytoestrogens, pomegranate is not merely safe in breast cancer; pomegranate has been shown in vitro and in animal studies to inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells, prostate cancer and skin cancer. Pomegranate is also a beneficial antioxidant for heart disease and blood lipid disorders and has been found in animal models to help erectile dysfunction. https://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2014/686921/
Pomegranate seed essential oil is obtained by pressing pomegranate seeds and is a rich source of the antioxidants ellagic acid and punicic acid. Keep a bottle of organic pomegranate essential oil in your bathroom and apply it to any inflamed or sun-damaged areas. It is usually safe for sensitive facial skin.
Pomegranate breast oil is made by mixing one part pomegranate rind with sixteen parts water, cooking this down to four parts and then cooking this decoction into an equal amount of mustard oil until all the water is evaporated, after which the pomegranate peel is strained out. This oil is rich in compounds that help prevent breast cancer and can be used for a weekly or daily breast massage.
Pomegranate juice is an important Ayurvedic medicine. Fresh is ideal; if you are using bottled pomegranate juice, dilute with water.
Sweet varietals of pomegranate are the most highly prized in Ayurvedic texts and by Islamic hakims (traditional doctors) and the following information refers to sweet pomegranate:
Rasa: Sweet, sour, astringent with a touch of bitter
Virya: Cooling
Vipak: Sweet
Guna: Light
Calms all three doshas
Actions:
  • Relieves morbid thirst
  • Relieves burning sensations
  • Anti-febrile
  • Removes bad odour from stomach, throat and mouth
  • Nourishing
  • Promotes semen
  • Absorbent, binds stools
  • Brain tonic
  • Tonic
  • Builds blood
  • Antiparasitical
Used in:
  • Intestinal parasites
  • Anaemia
  • Fever
  • Thirst
  • Debility
  • Diarrhoea and dysentery
  • Cough
  • Halitosis
  • Bleeding piles
  • Heart palpitations
Remedies:
  1. Bad taste in mouth or lack of relish for food: Do mouthwash with some pomegranate juice with a pinch of rock salt and a teaspoon of honey, holding it in the mouth for as long as possible. It is said to cure even incurable loss of appetite.
  2. Nosebleed: instill 2 drops pomegranate juice into each nostril.
  3. Burning eyes: instill 1 drop of fresh or diluted pomegranate juice into each eye at bedtime.
  4. Nausea, especially in pregnancy: Drink a cup of pomegranate juice with a pinch of cardamom.
  5. Cough, especially in child: ½ cup pomegranate juice with a pinch of ginger and a pinch of pippali (piper longum).
  6. Rashes, hives: 1 cup pomegranate juice with 1 tsp. turbinado sugar and a pinch of ginger.
  7. Excess thirst, dehydration: 1 cup pomegranate juice, ½ cup grape juice, 1 tsp. tubinado sugar, 1 pinch ginger powder.
  8. Bleeding piles: For hemorrhoids that are painful and bleed, take 1 Tbsp. fresh pomegranate juice with 1-2 tsp. raw sugar twice a day.
  9. Bleeding piles: Take 1 cup pomegranate rind powder. Add 4 cups water to it and boil the mixture. Allow it to cool. One glass of this mixture can be taken each morning and evening.
  10. Dysentery: ½ cup pomegranate juice with pinch clove and 2 pinches ginger powder 2-3 x daily.
  11. Weight reduction: Fast on pomegranate juice two days a week.
Pomegranate home remedy sources: Alandi Remedies Manual and Ayurvedic Cooking for Self-Healing by Usha and Vasant Lad.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

11 Calming Herbs to keep your Mind Balanced πŸ’†

          Life is hard. Every day it seems like a new challenge appears to test your patience. You may not realize that chronic stress can also lead to long-term health complications. Living in a constant state of fight-or-flight tells your body to produce too much cortisol which can lead to weight gain, diabetes, mood swings, fatigue, and many other conditions. ( 1 ) While it’s important to take steps to manage stress, certain calming herbs can help strengthen your body’s stress response. Adaptogens are some of the best calming herbs because studies show they might make your body and mind more resilient to external stress. Keep in mind that adaptogens don’t work like prescription drugs for anxiety in that they kick in instantly. Instead, they need a few weeks to build up in your system before you notice the effects. When you need something in a pinch, however, other herbs and  essential oils  – like lavender oil – can ease symptoms almost instantly. 1...

Natural Home Remedies For Minor Burns πŸ”₯

Natural Home remedies for Burns The use of natural remedies given below can be highly effective in managing such minor burns. These remedies are aimed at promoting healing of the damaged skin tissues and minimizing pain. Raw Potato Raw potato can be used to treat minor skin burns. It possesses soothing properties, which help in providing relief from the burning sensation caused by burns. It also acts as an anti-inflammatory agent and reduces redness and inflammation of the skin. It can also reduce the chances of having blisters. Research has proved the beneficial effect of raw potato in the management of minor burns. The histological examination of the burnt area and clinical studies made on the comparable burn wounds treated with either peel of boiled potato affixed to gauze bandages or just gauze dressings showed that the patients treated with raw potato had a faster rate of recovery from the symptoms. It was found that the usage of the potato peel dressing eliminated or reduced desi...

Spring Detox Smoothie

When spring arrives, I can't help but think about cleaning up my eating habits. After all, spring detox is a thing (along with spring cleaning, which technically is a detox for your home). That's why I’m sharing with you a smoothie packed with nutrients your body will love. Drink it in the morning and you'll give your body a much-needed boost of energy to get you through the day. Ingredient Breakdown: Why Each One Matters  Before I get to the actual recipe, I'd like to shine the spotlight on each individual ingredient used in this smoothie. You'll quickly see why this is a great spring detox smoothie worth drinking. Green Tea Not only is  green tea tasty to drink on its own, but it's also full of health benefits. It's high in antioxidants and contains a large amount of catechins, polyphenolic compounds that are thought to exert numerous protective effects, ...