Curry Leaves: Benefits plus Flavor! – with Dr. Teitelbaum; your SV Ayurveda Newsletter March 12, 2026, #9, Vol 16

turmericSpices and herbs are Nature’s gift to man! And through Ayurveda, we not only learn how to use them for daily balance, but also how to maintain and nourish the physiology long-term through the balance of the body’s doshas – Vata, Pitta, Kapha. Your “dosha” is your body’s propensity to go off – the term “dosh” means imbalance or error. You can help keep your doshas in balance through the use of different spices on a daily basis. In addition to supporting digestion and elimination – a key central element of health, spices also help boost immunity, in addition to other key actions. For example, as we know, turmeric is the best safest most potent anti inflammatory); cumin supports digestion and therefore helps with detox by minimizing toxic bi-product; fennel is balancing and soothing to the stomach and digestive tract; ginger boosts digestion metabolism; cardamom helps break down proteins and also aids the stomach environments maintain its doshic balance; and coriander is a wondrous aromatic spice that neutralizes acids but also binds and helps flush out toxic inflammatory waste (scroll down to learn more with Dr Teitelbaum on the health benefits of the “curry leaf.”)

Using these key spices daily in your diet, in cooking, or as tea, can help you maximize nutrient absorption, digestion and elimination, and maintain full functioning of all the tissues and organs. Plus: it makes everything taste so SO much better! You don’t have to re-invent the wheel for recipes – Vaidya Mishra gave us delicious ready-to-use spice blends depending on so many factors – seasonal, detox properties, as well as age!

Curry Leaves

Benefits

Beyond Flavor!

With Dr Marianne Teitelbaum

Herbs and spices are used as medicine in Ayurveda. They each contain some agni, or digestive fire, and can therefore help you digest and assimilate the nutrients in your food. We use spices instead of the commonly used digestive enzyme formulas available in health food stores since herbs and spices can help your body to produce its own digestive enzymes. 

This is because some spices, such as cardamom, help you digest protein. Fenugreek and cumin help you digest fats, cinnamon helps you digest sugar and carbohydrates, and ginger and fennel are great for the digestion of all foods, capable of igniting the digestive fires without burning out the digestive tract. 

Today I’d like to talk about the medicinal qualities of curry leaves. When people hear the word curry, they think of curry powder, but this is not the case with curry leaves. Curry powders are various blends of powdered spices used in cooking, but here I’m talking about the actual curry leaves which come from the curry plant.

They impart a wonderful earthy taste to the food and are famous because they support liver detoxification. As a result, they are used for many health problems since the liver is at the root of most, if not all, of our health issues. They help to reduce cholesterol and triglycerides, and purify the blood. 

Curry leaves are known as “sweet neem,” which indicates that they have the quality of neem without being bitter. Like neem, curry leaves get rid of microbes, viruses and other pathogens without the bitter taste which neem gives, making it very difficult for many to incorporate it into their treatment protocols. And like neem, curry leaves can also lower blood sugar. Studies suggest they protect pancreatic cells and enhance insulin sensitivity. 

When you have excess body heat without an infectious condition curry leaves can help and in fact they are known as the “tulsi of southern India” since they are a considered a “holy spice which can take care of everything.” Similar to tulsi, they can get rid of negatively charged environmental energies and balance and clean your own energy, especially if you grow a curry leaf plant in your own house, which is fairly easy to do since it grows well indoors near a window or skylight. 

They are commonly used in traditional hair oils and masks in Ayurveda since they strengthen hair roots and reduce hair fall and premature graying. And their antimicrobial and antioxidant properties help maintain clear, healthy skin.

They stimulate your body to produce its own digestive enzymes and therefore help relieve indigestion, nausea and constipation. They are used quite often in remedies for gas, diarrhea and morning sickness. 

They are rich in antioxidants and reduce oxidative stress and inflammation. Some studies even suggest that curry leaves might help protect brain cells from damage linked to aging or neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. 

You don’t need to use a lot when cooking with them. Usually one or two leaves per person should be enough. You can eat the curry leaves if you sauté them in ghee until they are crisp. The ghee picks up the fat-soluble benefits from the leaves and delivers those nutrients into your cells. Remember, all the cell walls in your body are made of cholesterol, so ghee becomes an excellent vehicle to deliver nutrients from not only curry leaves, but any food it is cooked with. 

If you cook curry leaves into foods using water then traditionally they should not be eaten. The water picks up the water soluble nutrients and transfers them into the food. 

Buy them fresh in an Indian market and pick them off the stem and add to your foods. I think you’ll love the flavor and at the same time reap some of the health benefits that these delicious little leaves have to offer. 

Thank you,

Dr. Marianne Teitelbaum

856-786-3330

www.drmteitelbaum.com

Did you know that in the ancient vedic tradition, celebrations for a newborn child are not just for its birth, but many festive rituals continue marking the different stages of its development? For example, the first time the child is given solid food is matter of great celebration, as well as the first time it is fed turmeric. Spices are of great importance at all stages of life, but specially for children, as they set the tone for the full enlivening of the biological physiology. Many infants and children came to see Vaidya for many reasons, and he was always very lovingly attentive to their needs. That’s one of the reason he created special spice blends for children. One very important detail: these are for the little ones, but also the “bigger little ones” – if you feel like you can do with something soft and sweet (with zero sugar) to pacify and balance your adult physiology, try any of the Mom’s Kid Super Spices – we promise your “inner child” will love them!

Why do sweet dishes need spice?! Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, a pinch of turmeric, even black pepper. While not all of these have a pungent taste, they all have channel-opening properties that support your body not feel stiff and you not feel overall tired from having consumed “somagenic” food – sweet dishes. Adding spices to your sweet dishes will not only help your digestion but it will allow you to enjoy your dessert even more! The spices will not only enhance the sweet taste, but will break down the sugar and fat molecules and you will get more energy out of your dessert.

Mom’s Super-Spice – with or without green chillies, with Turmeric and 20 more spices – is a tridoshic ready-to-use ayurvedic spice mix. Most masalas need to be cooked but “Mom’s Masala” is pre-toasted so you can sprinkle it on your soup, make a dressing with some olive oil and lime for a salad, or just add it to anything – delicious with fruit too! It satisfies cravings, balances all doshas, supports metabolism and absorption too. Get the benefits of all spices without worrying about preparation!

Take Vaidya Mishra “With You” – Everywhere You Go!

if you ever had the opportunity to meet Vaidya Mishra in person, or have encountered him via his many youtube videos or online courses, then you know what we mean! We all want to have him travel with us in this earthly journey, to help us in our decisions along the way, through the timeless wisdom and knowledge of SV Ayurved. And now we can! If you have not discovered our podcast channel yet, we invite you to look it up and explore the timeless teachings of SVAyurveda, as well as fabulous talks by other SVAyurveda doctors and educators.

We want to help you protect your purchase – there’s been an increase in lost/stolen packages.

To protect your shipment – in case your shipping address is not secure – we have now added the “signature delivery” option upon check-out on www.chandika.com and we highly recommend you select it to ensure your package is guaranteed to reach you after it leaves our warehouse. Kindly note we are unable to replace stolen/misplaced packages once they are confirmed delivered by the carrier of your choice.