The Ayurvedic Approach to Health.
Ayurveda emphasises the importance of maintaining balance in all aspects of life. One way to achieve balance is through the environment we live in, including our diet, lifestyle, and remedies. Our diet plays a vital role in our overall health and well-being. It is essential to eat a balanced and nourishing diet that includes all six tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent (Frawley, 2000). Each taste corresponds to a specific element and has unique properties that can affect the body differently. For instance, a sweet taste is associated with earth and water elements and has a grounding and nourishing effect on the body. In contrast, the pungent taste is associated with fire and air elements and stimulates digestion and metabolism (Lad, 2002).
Diet
Ayurveda suggests eating according to our Prakriti, or unique constitutional makeup and our Vikriti, current constitutional makeup or imbalances (Frawley, 2000). Each dosha has specific dietary recommendations that can help balance it. For example, Vata-predominant individuals or people with vata imbalances should eat warm, moist, and nourishing foods to balance their dry and cold nature. In contrast, Pitta-predominant individuals with pitta imbalances should eat cooling and calming foods to balance their hot and sharp nature (Lad, 2002). Some common examples of how different foods are used to balance doshas are coconut milk, ghee, pomegranate, honey and cow’s milk.
Coconut milk is a common ingredient in many Ayurvedic recipes due to its cooling and nourishing properties. Its sweet taste (madhura rasa) and cooling nature (sheeta virya) make it an excellent choice for reducing pitta and vata doshas while increasing Kapha dosha. Coconut milk is also considered heavy (guru guna) and sweet in post-digestive effect (madhura vipaka), which helps strengthen and nourish the body. In addition, coconut milk contains lauric acid, which has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties, making it a valuable addition to the diet (Manorama, 2013).
Ghee, or clarified butter, is another common Ayurvedic ingredient believed to have many healing properties. Ghee is considered sweet (madhura rasa) and cooling in nature (sheeta virya), making it beneficial for balancing pitta and vata doshas while increasing Kapha dosha. Ghee is also light (laghu guna) and has a sweet post-digestive effect (madhura vipaka), which helps to nourish and strengthen the body. In addition, ghee contains butyric acid, which has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties, making it a valuable addition to the diet (Purohit et al., 2019).
Pomegranate is considered a highly nutritious fruit in Ayurveda and is believed to have many health benefits. Pomegranate is considered astringent (kashaya rasa) and cooling in nature (sheet virya), which makes it beneficial for reducing pitta and balancing kapha doshas. Pomegranate is also considered to be light (laghu guna) and has a sweet post-digestive effect (madhura vipaka), which helps to nourish and strengthen the body (Lad, 2006).
Honey is another commonly used food in Ayurveda that is believed to have many health benefits. Honey is considered sweet (madhura rasa) and heating in nature (ushna virya), making it beneficial for reducing Kapha and increasing pitta doshas while balancing vata dosha. Honey is also considered light (laghu guna) and has a sweet post-digestive effect (madhura vipaka), which helps nourish and strengthen the body. In addition, honey has anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-viral properties, making it a valuable addition to the diet (Majno et al., 2020). However, It is important to note that the quality and type of honey are also important in Ayurveda; each type has specific properties. Old honey has greater medicinal value than fresh honey, for example. (Ayurveda Institute UK, 2023).
Old honey, also known as mature honey or ripened honey, is a type of honey that has been stored for a long period. In Ayurveda, old honey is considered superior to fresh honey, as it is believed to have a more potent therapeutic effect on the body. According to Ayurvedic principles, honey undergoes a natural fermentation process over time, which increases its medicinal properties. This process is similar to the fermentation process used to make other traditional Ayurvedic medicines, such as arishta and asava (Lad, 2006).
Cow's milk is considered one of the most nourishing foods in Ayurveda due to its high nutritional content and healing properties. Milk is considered sweet (madhura rasa) and cooling in nature (sheeta virya), making it beneficial for reducing pitta and vata doshas while increasing Kapha dosha. Milk is also heavy (guru guna) and has a sweet post-digestive effect (madhura vipaka), which helps to nourish and strengthen the body. In addition, milk is a rich source of calcium and other essential nutrients, making it an important part of a balanced diet (Soni et al., 2017).
Lifestyle
Ayurveda also emphasises the importance of a healthy lifestyle in maintaining balance. This includes daily routines or dinacharya, simple practices that can help promote overall health and well-being (Frawley, 2000). These practices include waking up early or maybe sleeping more, practicing a type of exercise that is appropriate for the person in a moderate way, resting more, practicing mindfulness, and performing self-massage, or abhyanga. Ayurveda suggests that we follow these practices consistently to help balance our doshas and promote overall health and vitality.
In addition to daily routines, Ayurveda also recommends seasonal routines, or ritucharya.
Ritucharya refers to the seasonal regimen, which involves adapting our lifestyle according to seasonal changes. Ayurveda recognizes six seasons, and each season has a specific effect on the doshas or energies of the body. For example, the winter season is characterised by cold and dry weather, which can aggravate the Vata dosha. To balance Vata, in Vata-predominant seasons, Ayurveda recommends consuming warm and nourishing foods, using warm oils for massage, avoiding exposure to cold wind, and avoiding exercise in excess.
Dinacharya, on the other hand, refers to a daily regimen which involves incorporating specific practices into our daily routine. These practices help to balance the doshas and promote overall health and well-being. For example, Ayurveda recommends waking up early in the morning, practising appropriate exercise for the person’s current state, following a regular meal schedule, and sleeping well. These practices can help to balance the Vata dosha and prevent imbalances that can lead to disease.
Ayurvedic Remedies
Ayurveda provides several remedies that can help us maintain balance and prevent diseases. The most commonly used remedies include swarasa (juices), kalka (pastes), kwatha (decotions), hima (cold infusions), phanta (hot infusions) and more complex preparations such as choornas, tablets, arishtas, ghritas and medicinal oils. One example of a commonly used herb in ayurveda is Ashwagandha, also known as Withania somnifera. Its rasa is sweet, bitter, astringent, and its gunas are light and oily. Its virya is warming, and its vipaka is sweet. Ashwagandha is known for its ability to balance Vata and Kapha doshas, making it useful for treating conditions such as anxiety, stress, and insomnia. It has been shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-tumour, and anti-stress properties (Sharma et al., 2019). It has a range of Karmas (action) such as nadibalya (strengthen nerves), mastishaka shamaka (calms down the brain), krimghna (destroy parasites), kandughna (cures itchiness), raktashodana (blood purifier), kapaghna (pacify kapha), mutrala (diuretic), garbhashayashothahara (relieves uterine disorders) and prajasthanapana (stabilizes pregnancy) (Ayurveda Institute UK, 2023).
Gudduchi, also known as Tinospora cordifolia, is a bitter herb commonly used in Ayurvedic medicine for its immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties. Its rasa is bitter, and its gunas are light and dry. Its virya is cooling, and its vipaka is sweet. Gudduchi is known for its ability to balance all three doshas, making it useful for various conditions such as fever, allergies, and joint pain. It has been shown to have antioxidant, antipyretic, and analgesic properties (Nair et al., 2019).
Sandalwood, also known as Santalum album, is a fragrant wood widely used in Ayurvedic medicine for its cooling and calming properties. Its rasa is sweet, and its gunas are light and dry. Its virya is cooling, and its vipaka is sweet. Sandalwood is known for its ability to balance Pitta dosha, making it useful for treating conditions such as inflammation, acne, and skin irritations. It has been shown to have antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic properties (Srivastava et al., 2018).