In the Fall, temperatures drop, a dry wind replaces the gentle summer wafts and the days get darker and colder as the earth travels away from its source of Agni, or the sun. Our body responds to the autumnal weather by shrinking down circulatory channels – shrotas. The shrotas, physical channels in the body, are given immense importance in Shakha Vansya Ayurveda; the Ayurvedic texts say it clear and loud: shroto mayo purusha, “The whole body is nothing but shrotas.” But what are these shrotas for anyways?

The shrotas circulate and deliver nourishment; heat;  energy; they carry the dhatu-s or tissues; evacuate toxins; and so much more. Only when the channels are open, and free from acidic toxins, can health be optimal. Only when the channels are open and balanced can nourishment reach deep into the body and can toxins be removed completely from the body. Support your body by clearing your channels, keeping them warm, and clear and free from seasonal accumulation.

In the SVA lineage, we are very careful to maintain the intelligence in the shrotas which helps determine what to eliminate; how much to eliminate; when to eliminate; what to absorb; how much to absorb; where to deliver things to; when to deliver; how much to deliver.

In the Fall, Vata naturally increases. To keep your physiology in balance, try to have lighter nourishing but timely meals; maintain a regular yogic exercise routine; stick to an early rather than late bedtime; do regular self-massage with a good Vata pacifying oil; have some uplifting down-time activities to un-stress from work.

In addition, an easy daily way to keep things running smoothly and efficiently can be achieved with just a cup of tea! Vaidya Mishra has formulated many balancing teas that help in different ways.

Shroto Shudhi tea is idea for the Fall. Not only does it help clean the channels as its name indicates (“shudhi” = clean, “shroto” = channels), but it also warms them up. The tea targets channels in the body carrying liquid soma (water soluble materials). This tea helps burn ama (partially digested food material) without aggravating amavisha (reactive toxins sitting in the body).

If Shroto Shudhi tea is too much for you, you can start your day with Mum’s Chai Masala. A delicious blend that will gently unclog your channels in the early morning. Here is a special recipe by Vaidya Mishra, follow the steps to get the most delicious cup of “chai”!

 

For one cup of tea:

• Put 1 ½ cups water in your pot
  
• Add a pinch of Pushkarmool root
• Add ¼ tsp green cardamom powder – grind fresh for best aroma
• Add 1/8 tsp crushed black peppercorns – optional if you are high pitta
• Add 1/8 tsp Ayurvedic Sunthi of dry ginger that is great for high pittas and all dosha types, or fresh grated ginger (avoid if you are a high pitta)
• Bring to a boil At this point, if you like to make your cup of chai with caffeine, you can add a teabag here and bring to a gentle boil
• Add milk and bring to another gentle boil
• Finally, add 1/8 tsp Mum’s chai masala and stir in, bring to another gentle boil and remove from the heat and serve with some unprocessed sugar or raw honey to taste, and enjoy!

The pushkarmool opens the bronchialchannels, and gives a very distinct aroma to the tea; the green cardamom, black pepper, and fresh ginger, all help oxygenate the brain by burning away toxic residue in the channels and enhancing the flow of energy overall; Mum’s Chai Masala blend tops off the mixturewith its sweet and gentle aromas of nutmeg and cinnamon, enhancing metabolism, pacifying vata, and kapha.

But if chai is too much for you first thing in the morning, you can go for Tulsi Tea. A perfect SVA blend made of many sacred herbs and plants that not only supports your immunity, but is a delicious way to stimulate digestion, reduce kapha and vata, , and increase sattwa (spiritual purity) in life. This is especially true with Vaidya Mishra’s Tulsi Tea, which offers the full energy of this powerful herb in combination with other balancing herbs.
Vaidya Mishra’s Tulsi Tea is energetically vibrant.
Lavender calms the mind, rosemary stimulates dehagni (cellular metabolism) and peppermint opens the channels. The combination of these herbs, which are all fresh and bursting with flavor, gives a balanced blend that your palate will love.

Tulsi (ocimum sanctum, ocimum tenuiflorum) is known as holy basil. The Sanskrit text, Bhava Prakash, describes tulsi as katuka (pungent), tikta (bitter), hridya (good for the heart), ushna (warming), dipani (stimulating digestion and metabolism) and kaphavatajit (reducing kapha and vata). It also says that tulsi is bhutaghni (helpful in removing pathogenic microbes). In addition, tulsi has a divine vibration (devadundubhi) and is sometimes called surasa (liked by the gods).
The Sanskrit name is tulasi, which means “beyond compare.” The purity of divine energy found in the tulsi plant truly is beyond compare.

Here is wishing you many a blissful mornings, warming up and keeping things going smoothly with a lovely cup of tea!

There is a very famous saying in India: “ek anar saw bimar!” which translates into: “1 pomegranate for a100 diseases.” In indian culture, the pomegranate fruit has been prized as a balancing tridoshic healthy fruit since times immemorial. Bhav Prakash says:

“Pomegranate tastes astringent, is mild to drink and increases intellect and strength.”
The sweet, not sour, variety is particularly in high demand – the sour variety can cause minor pitta dosha aggravation, even though it can still be beneficial as the sutra below indicates:

This verse says: “some pomegranates taste a bit sour, hence they increase appetite and taste, causing some pitta dosha aggravation. However, even then, they are beneficial for rheumatic and cough affected persons.”

In general, the pomegranate fruit is known to have a very unique combination of various healing and balancing properties that rarely occur together, as the sutra also indicates:

“Pomegranate tastes sweet in the beginning, leaving a slight astringent taste at the end. It is tridoshic (balances all three humors of body-vata, pitta and kapha); quenches thirst; helps reduce “fire” in the abdomen; and eliminates fever. It also gives strength to the heart and helps cure ailments of the throat; it removes bad breath; it cools and hydrates; nurtures the reproductive tissue; and gives the body a general sense of lightness [because it enhances circulation].” These are just a few of the pomegranate’s many healing properties; however, it is probably most prized in the SVA lineage for its “grahi prabhava.” Remember that “prabhava” means the ultimate, most subtle, vibrational effect any food item has on the physiology, and “grahi” means absorption. A “dravya” or food item with a “grahi prabhava” means it will help you absorb and get the most out of any food you are consuming. In general, “grahi” or absorbing fruits or herbs tend to carry warm or hot properties – because you need more “agni” or metabolic fire to absorb more. So, in general, a food that has a higher index of “grahi prabhava” will be more “agneya” or “fiery,” ingeneral, by definition. When a food item is more “agneya,” it means it can increase “pachak agni” (digestive fire), the “bhutagni” (5 metabolic/digestive fires of the liver), or even the “bhrajak agni” (metabolic principle of the skin). But unlike what we would expect, pomegranate is “grahi” yet cooling at the same time. In this sense, it is a great fruit to be consumed by “high pitta low agni” individuals – that is individuals who have high stomach acidity but low digestive enzymes and metabolism.
As a rule, the pomegranate fruit pacifies and balances “pachak pitta” (stomach metabolism), “ranjak pitta” (the heat in the blood), “alochak pitta” (the fire in the eyes), “bhrajak pitta” (the metabolic functions in the skin), and last but not least, “sadhak pitta” or the pitta that manages the emotional heart. All in all, it is a great balancing remedy for all 5 pittas, and high pitta individuals. If we delve a little further, we see that Ayurveda discusses the benefits of pomegranates beyond their physical, nutritional, and dietary content details. This is what goes on in your body, ayurvedically speaking, after you consume pomegranates.

Due to its non-heating “grahi prabhava” or after-effect, particularly in the colon, pomegranate prevents a person from making “ama” (toxins) in the “rasa dhatu” or the clear part of plasma – the first tissue that gets formed after you eat food. Ama in the rasa dhatu clogs the lymphatic system. Many individuals’ problems lie right here, in that they make toxins of their food, no matter how healthy the food they are consuming, because they just don’t have enough “rasa dhatu agni.” And we know by now that “rasa dhatu” is the raw material for all ensuing “dhatu”-s or tissues in the body. So, in this sense, if “rasa dhatu” produces zero or no “ama” or toxic build-up, then we will not have toxins or “ama” or “amavisha” build-­‐up in “rakta dhatu” (blood tissue) either. “Rakta” or the blood carries a lot of active “pranic” energy, so when it is free from toxins, then organs such as the lungs and kidneys also receive ama-free or amavisha-free healthy blood. In this sense, if an individual is experiencing some issues in their lungs for example, pomegranate is of great help as it supports the flow of clean healthy blood to the lungs by keeping “rasa dhatu” free from toxins.

But there’s more: when you consume pomegranate and it helps burn down the ama from your rasa dhatu, and helps produce better cleaner blood for rakta dhatu, then the heart, as well as the entire cardiovascular system, also receive fully pranic fresh blood and get nourished. Then, ama or toxin-free micro-circulatory channels (srota-s) enhance coordination between heart and mind. Pomegranate, overall, enhances oxygenation to the brain and the body, enhancing circulation of nutrients, energy, heat, and more. Scientific research also confirms what ayurvedic knowledge claims, as it acknowledges that pomegranates are good for heart health and the mind.

SVA practitioners know to use pomegranate in many forms and ways (chutney, juice, cooked in the meal) to help support “apana agni” or the digestive metabolic fire in the colon area, to enhance absorption of nutrients. Pomegranates come back into season at the end of summer beginning of Fall, when pitta may still be high in your physiology from the summer heat, causing some Vata disturbances that naturally occur due to the cooler temperatures. Pomegranate will help keep Vata in balance, by cooling off the excess heat in your body, and in any of your pitta sub-doshas. Make sure to consume some pomegranate in your daily diet seasonally, as Mother Nature makes this superfood available to us just at the right time!

Contraindication:

If you tend to have slower bowel movement, or tend to be constipated, you may want to limit your consumption of pomegranate, or replace it with amla berry – SVA Wild Amla, or Amalaki Rasayana, or Nectar drops, or Tamarind and Amla preserve, etc. As pomegranate enhances absorption, it may constipate an individual who already has that tendency.

“Dear Vaidya ji,
I have a question about the frequency of meals as recommended by Ayurveda. I know that a lot of Ayurvedic practitioners are very strict about not having more than a maximum of 3 meals. However, one hears quite the opposite from conventional health practitioners (and even some Ayurvedic doctors). What do you recommend and should the frequency vary with age?
Thanks! Vaishnavi S.”

Dear Vaishnavi: One thing that Ayurveda in general, and SV Ayurveda in particular, stress is that there is not one rule for everybody. Based on prakriti, age, agnibala or strength of your metabolism, ethnic background, and environment climactic, individual details regarding profession, physical activity, etc, the dietary or meal frequency recommendations will vary. So, for example, if a person is pitta pitta, with young age or at the  pittaage (approximately 28-58) with high digestive and metabolic fire, they will have to consume a minimum of 4-5 meals a day. On the other hand, a person with a kapha-kapha type living in a cold and damp environment with low metabolic and digestive fire eating 3 times a day is doing great. So the answer is: try to find a SVA practitioner who can help you determine your needs and who will be able to give you different kinds of spice mixes and protocols, to keep things in optimal balance.

“Vitamin D & B12 deficiency. Pain, numbness, and tingling in hands and legs. Dharmendra KM.”

Dear Dharmendra: please acquire a copy of my SVA Vit D dvd, it will give you total dietary guidance with regards to Vit D. As we know by now, sunlight is the primary source for Vit D, but that is not enough, because many times our liver is so overloaded with toxins it is unable to process and produce Vit D even though an individual may get plenty of exposure to sunlight. So we need to enhance our livers’ ability to transform the sun’s ultraviolet rays to Vitamin D. First step in this direction is to care for your liver by adopting and keeping a SVA diet. You will find many recipes on my blog, on-­‐line, at www.vaidyamishra.com/blog, and we will be uploading many more in the future. Plus, you can view Malvika in her SVA Kitchen on our YouTube channel, SVA Health. In addition, you may purchase my Transdermal Vit D – strong formula – and apply on your lower back, and armpits twice a day approximately 1-2 grams. You may also use the SVA Vit D Roll-on – easy and practical to use and will still supply you with a good quantity of Vit D.

As for B12, you may purchase and use my SVA transdermal cream, it is easy to use – apply 1-2g on the pulse morning and evening. If you are vegetarian, you may want to consider adding chicken and fish on a regular basis to your diet as they are a good source of B12.