Honey is a sweet, viscous food substance made by bees and some related insects. Bees store honey in wax structures called a honeycomb. Honey gets its sweetness from the monosaccharides fructose and glucose, and has about the same relative sweetness as sucrose (granulated sugar). Honey has been used for thousands of years for its health-promoting [...]
Here in New Zealand, we are going through Winter, and many of us are feeling the drying effects as the qualities of Vata dosha are reaching their peak. Our skin becomes dry and tight, and our lips and the soles of our feet may crack painfully. We look drawn and depleted, struggling to cope with [...]
The ayurvedic qualities of Nature The ancient ayurvedics observed Nature and agreed that there were some qualities – such as hot/cold, dry/moist, static/mobile, rough/smooth, dense/subtle – that were useful in medicine. These are the same qualities that are found in the body and mind, and in diseases. They realised that when some qualities in Nature [...]
The joints get a lot of hard use over the years, and if we don’t look after them, they can start giving problems. Joint issues are called arthritis. There are two main types of arthritis: osteoarthritis (sandhivata), where the cartilage and bone starts breaking down, and rheumatoid arthritis (amavata), where there is excessive inflammation. As [...]
The system of Ayurveda and ayurvedic medicine is based on the qualities (Gunas) of nature. It is the combinations of gunas that differentiate the Five Elements (earth, water, fire, air and ether) which in turn make up the three doshas (Vata, Pitta and Kapha). The various gunas (heaviness, temperature, texture, density, subtlety, movement, rhythm, etc) [...]
In western medicine we talk about immunity, meaning the ability to resist diseases, especially infections. Western anatomy and physiology explains that the body has natural immune systems to control bacteria and viruses, including the lymphatic system, the white blood cells, natural killer cells, and others that work in tandem to keep the body healthy. So, [...]
Pitta is one of the three ayurvedic doshas, and is made up of fire and water elements. Pitta is considered to govern the health of skin and hair, and where there is an excess of Pitta, skin health can be adversely affected, and there is a tendency for early greying of hair, and premature hair [...]
We have talked about Agni in previous posts. It is one of the most important concepts in Ayurveda. Agni is often translated as digestive capacity. But every organ is considered to have agni, and their individual agni is what enables them to function. Agni is also metabolism, your body’s ability to convert nutrients into energy [...]
In the Summer when the weather is hot, our digestive fire (agni) is diminished. We are less hungry, and easily feel uncomfortable when we overeat. In addition, people with a strong Pitta (fire) component become overheated. They may have loose stools, become irritable, and their skins have problems. In this post we will talk about [...]
If your skin is dry and rough most of the time, it means the air element of Vata is predominant in your skin. Vata skin tends to be dry especially during the autumn and winter months, and even during the summertime. The pores are a little larger, the skin is delicate, often with roughness. Vata [...]
