Addressing Severe Eczema with SVA : A Case Study

October 21, 2016 by 2 Comments

A 43-year-old woman came to our office on October 6, 2016 complaining of severe eczema which was covering her entire body. This had been going on for 3 years. She tried medical treatment with steroid creams, which would take some of the symptoms away, but it kept coming back.
She felt like she wasn’t getting to the root of the problem, so she saw a Naturopath near her home in Laramie, Wyoming. She was put on numerous nutraceuticals, such as Vitamin C, turmeric capsules, multivitamins, was told to drink vinegar in the morning and was taking some garlic capsules as well. The doctor told her she had to detox, so she was put on milk thistle for the liver.1
Her rash got worse and worse to the point it became weeping open wounds in her lower legs (see the pictures), her neck was red hot and her arms and legs were hot, red and dry, like alligator skin. She was in such agony, she couldn’t sleep at night.
Her history revealed frequent use of antibiotics for infections (7 times over the past few years) and had high levels of cadmium, aluminum and lead.

I had her stop her nutraceutical protocol immediately. She was given the following regime: probiotics to restore the immune system in the gut, we had to cool down her liver with Bhumi Amla drops and liver clay on the liver 3x a week. She was given Daruharidra to stop the allergic reactions in the gut, Manjistha to stop the reactivity of the toxins coming through the skin and Pro Apana drops to fix the gut lining to encourage the growth of the friendly bacteria.
She was also given an herbal tea with coriander seeds (used to direct the toxins away from the skin and into the urine) to sip on throughout the day. In addition, Indian sarsparilla root (to clean the fat tissue — many garavisha or chemical toxins get stored in the fat tissue forever and Indian sarsparilla operates on that level and can pull them out and eliminate them when used correctly.

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She was also given Rasa Sodhaka drops to chelate the heavy metals. We instructed her in proper alkaline diet as well.
This picture of her lower legs was taken only two weeks after she started the SVA protocol with us. In such a short time she got incredible relief, with the eczema clearing up throughout her whole body. She is continuing her herbs, and we have great confidence her skin will be clear by the end of the year.

I give this case history so you can see visually what happens if you attempt to detoxify without having the full picture in view, and trying to detox just to address the symptoms instead of isolating the root causes. Most detox protocols also use heating (in ayurvedic terms) ingredients, such as turmeric, milk thistle, vinegar and garlic. The logic is to dislodge and evacuate toxic build-up, but they do not understand that the toxic accumulation is also very hot and acidic in nature and will only further aggravate the condition when you attempt to evacuate them. In addition, all these ingredients are also heating to the liver, our major detox organ, and this patient is an example of what happens to the skin when the liver overheats.
The skin is doing just what it knows how to do — it is eliminating toxins all day. There is nothing wrong in that. But if the toxins are highly acidic/overheated as they come through the skin, any skin condition, such as eczema and others, can result. The trick to treating these cases is to honor the liver in whatever you do — give remedies which will not increase the heat in the liver, while maintaining an alkaline diet, such as the SVA diet.
Thank you Vaidya for teaching me how to treat all various skin conditions I see everyday in my practice. This case history gives me a chance to show how successful you can be if you take good care of the liver as you heal the patient, giving the herbs through transdermal creams and glyceride drops as opposed to tablets of herbs, which would have further aggravated the liver, creating even more disturbance in the skin.

 

Dr. Marianne Teitelbaum

 

You can call Dr. Teitelbaum’s Clinic in Cinnaminson, New Jersey at:
1.856.786.3330

 

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October 14, 2016 by 3 Comments

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Tomato, Potato, Eggplant, Bellpepper, Onion, and Garlic: To Eat or Not?

October 14, 2016 by 6 Comments

How do I, as an ayurvedic expert, determine on ayurvedic grounds, which foods to include and which to avoid in our daily diet, specially when they are not mentioned in the Charak Samhita?

More than anything else, health is all about what you eat. And don’t eat. Particularly in SV Ayurveda. I receive a lot of questions about new food trends, such as the superfoods: Goji berries; Chia seeds; Flax seeds; Kombucha. But I also repeatedly get questions about what I tell people not to eat: the infamous 4 members of the nightshade family – tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, and bell-pepper; and onion and garlic. There seems to be growing confusion about whether or not these are good for you. Whether they should be consumed, a little, or not at all. The situation gets a little trickier because the main sourcebook of Ayurveda, the Charak Samhita, does not talk about all or some of these items, since they were not used or eaten in those days. For example, tomatoes. You probably know that tomatoes were introduced into modern culture only a few hundred years ago, and that at a very slow rate, since they were originally known to be toxic and non-edible. In my SVA linage, in Shaka Vansiya Ayurveda, I still strongly advise against consuming them even though they are an essential ingredient in every single cuisine of the world. They have also been adopted by Ayurveda – recipes and cookbooks casually call for the use of tomatoes.

On the other hand, there are some ingredients that are mentioned in the ancient ayurvedic texts, but are not meant for daily consumption. For example: onion and garlic. The chemical make-up of garlic and onion gives them great therapeutic properties for specific chronic conditions. But they are not meant for daily use. I will further elaborate on how and why, on solid ayurvedic grounds.

Ayurveda gives us tremendous tools for understanding the impact that food, and food ingredients can have on our physiology, through the study of their properties. This is not about nutritional content etc, it’s about the:

  1. rasa – therapeutic properties through taste;
  2. guna – effect in the stomach;
  3. virya – impact on the liver;
  4. vipak – post-digestive effect after it gets absorbed in the colon; and
  5. prabhava – ultimate effect on the mind/body complex – includes all aspects of health beyond the physical, but that operate from the physical level. The prabhava of a plant is what is felt on the subtle body/mind complex, but it emerges from the actual physical properties and make-up of the plant.

In Ayurveda, because of this in-depth understanding of a dravya or raw material, even toxic ingredients can be processed through the protocols of cleansing, called Nirmali karan, and the protocol of making an item into a rejuvenative product, or Amriti karan. But it is important to be able to identify the properties, specially if they are not found in the classical texts. But Ayurveda makes provisions for that. Ayurveda remains pertinent to us today, even though we are so far removed from it not only chronologically, but historically and culturally. Ayurvedic principles adapt to changing times even as life evolves, because its basic underlying principles are universal. As the expressions goes, “there’s nothing new under the sun,” there can be nothing new to Ayurveda, when you are well steeped in the in-depth knowledge that it gives you and empowers you with.

A knowledgeable vaidya knows how to discover and determine the gunas, or properties, of new ingredients, in order to decide whether an item is healthy for consumption or not. A few centuries ago, Bhav Mishra was one such scholar of Ayuveda. His book, the Bhava Prakash, is part of the minor canon of ayurvedic texts. He helped adopt and identify many new dravyas or ingredients into Ayurveda, that only existed in foreign lands. Another more recent eminent scholar of Ayurveda, P.V. Sharma, created new verses, in Sanskrit, to list the properties of new ingredients or dravyas not found in the ayurvedic pharmacopeia. A good example for this is the plant Digitalis purpurea L., used for heart disease. It has come to be known as “hrit patri.” It was adopted by Bhav Mishra – he talks about it in his Bhava Prakash Nighantu (materia medica) part 1 – page 825, (published by chokamba)

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In his Dravyaguna Vigyan, part 2, PV Sharma (published by Chokamba – 1952), we find on pages 203-206, further elaborations on the Digitalis plant.

Another dravya new to Ayurveda was Marshmallow root also adopted by Bhav Mishra. Bhav Mishra identifies the plants guna-s or properties, determining it to be safe and effective for ayurvedic use. P.V. Sharma further elaborates upon the Marshmallow root, Althaea officinalis. Marshmallow root is now called “khatmi.” P.V. Sharma completes the work started by Bhav Mishra, but adding a verse on “khatmi:”

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Did you know that even licorice, highly used in Ayurveda, is not indigenous to India? It was adopted from “foreign land.” It appears in the Charak Samhita and is identified as having come from foreign land. Bhav Mishra elaborates on it further. In the Bhav Prakash Nighantu, page 65, Bhav Mishra uses the word “klitakam” for licorice – something that came from out-of-the-country.

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Studying foreign plants in order to determine whether they should be adopted or not is not a new prarctice in Ayurveda. But we should study them. We do not simply adopt them. We need to determine the properties of the dravya, to understand whether they will be safe and beneficial, or toxic for consumption. In addition, whether they are approved for daily consumption. Or only for thereapeutic medicinal use. And this point is crucial. Lack of discrimination in this context is what has led us to adopt ingredients only meant for therapeutic use, as daily edible ingredients. For example, garlic. But more about this later. Let’s look at this very important distinction first: ahar, or food, vs aushadhi or medicinal?

 

Ahar vs Aushadhi Dravya

In Ayurveda, we classify dravyas or materials, as ‘ahar dravya’ or ‘aushadhi dravya’. Ahar dravya is what constitutes our daily food: rice, lentils, vegetables, fruits, milk, ghee, etc. Things we need to consume on a daily ongoing basis for nourishment.

Aushadhi ahar, or aushadhi dravya, on the other hand, is medicinal food. These are foods used only on occasion for therapeutic purposes to correct imbalances or nourish in specific ways. This is the point that I try to make to people all the time: the nightshade vegetables fall in this category. Yes, it is true that scientific research has isolated active ingredients that are health promoting. However, this is not sufficient, because they carry other properties that are toxic. For example, Curaderm is a brand name cream with claims to heal non-melanoma type skin cancers. The active ingredient in this cream is reported to have  been extracted from the eggplant. Another example: the antioxidant activity of lycopene – found in tomatoes – and its use in cancer prevention and cardiovascular disease, have been widely documented. But this does not mean that we should consume them daily. Even at all. Let me explain why.

Let’s look further into this category of aushadhi vs ahar dravya-s or materials. Ahar itself also carries 2 sub-categories: 1) pure ahar or food; and 2) medicinal diet or aushadhiya ahar. In this categories, for example, you will find the spices. Or onion and garlic also fall under this category – more about these ingredients further down in this article.

How do you determine which material falls under which category? The catgorization for food is based primarily on the rasa property, or the property of taste, for food. Food heals through the 6 tastes. This is how you determine if a dravya should be a daily dravya or not.

Dravyas whose action is based on the remaining properties, guna, virya, vipak, prabhava, are known to be aushadhi dravyas, or therapeutic materials. Not to be consumed daily.

 

The Deadly Nightshades

My SVA lineage never strayed from the teachings of the Charak Samhita. This is our reference manual. Some of my patients and colleagues have pointed out that the nightshades (with the exception of the eggplant) were ‘imported’ from the Western world and were unknown to Charak, therefore they should be ok to use. So why is it that SVA recommends against eating them on a regular basis when they are not even found in the original texts? More importantly, how do we know to avoid them?

As I explained above, even though the Charak Samhita may not list them, the text nevertheless gives us the basic foundations and tools to understand any dravya (substance) no matter where it is from. The Charak Samhita also teaches us how to evaluate and determine the properties of new items, and their bio-chemical effects on our body, helping us determine whether we should consume them regularly, as food items, or occasionally as medicine, or not at all – unless they undergo processes of transformation.

Modern science proves the wisdom of the Charak Samhita, as well as other ayurvedic shastras. Even though it comes at it from a different angle. It is scientifically known that these plants from the nightshade family contain many neuro-toxins: nicotine, atropine, solanine, scopolamine, amongst others. What do these substances do? For one, they are addictive. But they also carry another property which makes them even more toxic: they travel very quickly in the body, finding short cuts where needed, in order to bypass the body’s normal metabolic pathways. In other terms, these toxic plants and fruits spread their toxicity even quicker all over the body.

When talking about the nightshade family members (specifically: eggplant, bell-pepper, potato, and tomato) we highlight two significant prabhavas (specific actions/effects) of the nightshades plant members: Vyavāhī and Vikāsī. These prabhavas, or properties, are also carried by dravya-s that also have nicotine, and similar chemicals. Such as tobacco. Or opiates. Here, pay attention, we are reversing the formula and going Science to Sutra, to help us determine the edibility of ingredients uncategorized by the Charak Samhita. Let’s look at the first prabhava according to the Adarsh Nighantuh, where Bapa Lal talks about bhang (cannabis) – incidentally, tobacco is also a nightshade and carries this prabhava as well.

व्यवायी
vyavāyī
पूवर्ं व्याप्यािखलं कायं ततः पाकं च गच्छित।
व्यवािय तद् यथा भंगा फेनं चािहसमुद्भवम्॥
िन. आ.
pūrvaṁ vyāpyākhilaṁ kāyaṁ tataḥ pākaṁ ca gacchati|
vyavāyi tad yathā bhaṁgā phenaṁ cāhisamudbhavam||

To paraphrase, this means the drugs which get absorbed immediately even before going through the digestion process, and only undergo digestion during their circulation in the body, these are called vyavayi. They are predominantly made up of vayu and akash mahabhuta. Vayu produces the motion and akash keeps the capillaries (srotas) open. Example: morphine, bhang (cannabis), and other purely poisonous toxic dravyas. These drugs have a micro-molecular make-up, and thus are very easily dispersible, they do not have to undergo natural stages of digestion, absorption, spread and excretion. From the SVA perspective, the chemical constituents of some of the members of the nightshade family, namely: eggplant, bell-pepper, potato, and tomato, also carry this vyavayi prabhava. They immediately go to the nadis or vibrational channels, disturb these nadis, and through these vibrational channels deliver poison to the entire physiology very rapidly.

In the following verse, the Sarangadhara Samhita (1200-1500 AD), one of the three supplemental classical books on Ayurveda – next to the Ashtanga Samgraha and the Madhava Nidanam – describes the vikāsī prabhava exhibited by the members of the nightshade class:

िवकासी
vikāsī
िवकासी िवकसन्नेव धातुबन्धान् व्मोक्षयेत्।
सिन्धबन्धाँश्च िशिथलान् करोित िह िवकािस तत्।
िविश्लष्यौजश्च धातुभ्यो यथा क्रमुककोद्रवौ॥
शा.
vikāsī vikasanneva dhātubandhān vmokṣayet|
sandhibandhā

The first line says that vikāsī dravyas dilate the dhātubandhān – the gaps between the tissues.

The second line says that vikāsī makes the joints weak – loosens the grip of the joints.

The third line says that it takes away (destroys) the ojas from the dhatus or bodily tissues. In this context, the Sarangadhara text is referring to a grain called kodrav, that carries this effect.

Vikasi drugs spread very rapidly into the body and destroy ojas. They also over-dilate the nadis, vibrational channels, and impact the nerves – their first victim. Our nerves act as a bridge between the nadis and the body. All tissues and joint movements get sluggish. These drugs are predominant in vayu mahabhuta. Example: areca nut, or intoxication brought about by tobacco is due to their vikasi action.

You probably already know that a great deal of research has been carried out on the effects of nightshade vegetables on joint pain and muscle inflammation. One good article is: Inflammatory Foods: Nightshades. I encourage any sceptics on the toxicity of nightshades to do some research on the topic, easily accessible on the web.

Dr. Lisa Raskin, one of my best SVA expert practitioners, has done a lot of research on nightshades. You may view her entire YouTube video on this topic Dr. Lisa Raskin Research on Nightshades. Here are a few highlights from her video:

  • Nightshades constitute a very large family of plants containing about 2000 species. The main common factor uniting all these species is a type of chemical compound called alkaloid. There is one type of alkaloid that causes the most trouble and that is called Solanine. Solanine is a neurotoxin. Nightshades contain at least 6 OTHER neurotoxins, including atropine and nicotine.
  • The next great neurotoxin in the nightshades is atropine, a blocker preventing nerve transmission.
  • Alkaloids that are found in nightshades help protect the plants from insects, so you understand how these alkaloids primary function is to serve as a pesticide – did you know that some potatoes are actually bred just to make pesticides…. they are dehydrated and pulverized into dust and spread over plants.
  • Eggplant has a long history of being identified as a toxic plant. A few spoonfuls of eggplant contain the same amount of nicotine you would inhale if you were sitting in a closed room with a light smoker for three hours!
  • It has also been found that solanine can cause joint damage and inflammation. Many people experience stiff joints, painful wrists, ankles and knees when regularly consuming nightshades. Researchers think that these nightshades cause excessive loss of Calcium from the bone and excessive deposits of calcium into soft tissue.

I was a great lover of nightshades myself. When I was growing up, my father was very strict with my diet. No nightshades were allowed in my mother’s cooking. However, I discovered them later as a student living away from home. And I also got addicted to them! I had to wean myself off of them when my father reminded me. Point is, I don’t want you to think that I am telling you not to eat them because of a personal distaste. On the contrary; but I know what they do to your body. So it is really not worth jeopardizing your health and mental peace. You can skip the eggplant parmiginia, and the tomato paste pizza.

 

About Garlic and Onion

In the Vishnu Purana and Shiva Purana, ancient classical narrative texts, we read of allegorical stories depicting the genesis of life on earth. For example, the emergence of garlic on earth. It is told, that garlic emerged after the churning of the ocean. Tradition has it that when Lord Vishnu, in his Mohini (female) form, was distributing the nectar of immortality (amrita) to the gods, a demon in diguise snuck into the line-up. By the time Mohini realized a demon was hiding under the hooded cloak, the demon had already received his share of the amrit in his mouth. The Sun and the Moon, witnessing this event, prompted Mohini to hasten and behead the demon lest he attain immortality. The nectar of immortality had not been swallowed, and was still in his throat, when Mohini cut off his head in one blow. The demon Rahu’s blood mixed with the amrit stuck in his throat trickled down and fell on the earth. Upon touching the earth, a plant sprouted: it was garlic. That is why garlic is said to have countless life-supporting and healing properties in addition to being “tamasic” – toxic for the mind and spiritual health. This allegorical story is meant to illustrate why garlic should be used not as an ahar dravya, a daily food item for daily consumption, but as an aushadhi dravya, to consume only when needed in medicinal doses. And this is what the ayurvedic shastras recommend: where other dravyas fail, even in great quantities, garlic, even in small quantities, works as a highly effective medicine, as for example, in the case of some infectious conditions; or for joint and rhumatic conditions. In my lineage, we discuss this at greater length by looking at the chemical make-up of garlic: it contains high levels of sulphur – useful as an antibiotic.

My father, Vaidya Kameshwar Mishra, used to repeat, over and over and over again that our gut is our primary locus of health. All that you eat gets absorbed and delivered through your gut, where your friendly bacteria are hard at work making this absorption happen. Colonies of friendly bacteria need to be maintained. The balance is precarious. Their population grows or shrinks depending on what you are consuming, as well as other stressors that can impact your overall health. In this context, Sulphur, is not a great friend of the friendly bacteria in our gut, becuase it does not discriminate. Sulphur is not only effective to eradicate infectuous bacteria, but it also kills our friendly bacteria. We need friendly bacteria for our immunity and for mineral absorption in the colon. One of my father’s favorite SVA sayings was:

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This means: “the brain of the brain resides in the gut” – to express his conviction of the vital role that friendly bacteria play for our total health. About 50 years ago, this was confirmd by modern science. More recently, there has been a great emphasis on consuming friendly bacteria, even in capsule form, for overall health. I have also written about this at length on my blog and why it is not ideal. But to get back to our topic at hand: friendly bacteria (yoginis) manufacture in the colon most of the neuro-transmitters necessary for our brain functions. This is one of the reasons why, in SVA, garlic and onion are NOT consumed as part of our daily regular meals, because they are known to harm the colonies of friendly bacteria in our gut.

We do also find other textual references on the origin of garlic from the Gadanigraha Khanda Nighantuh, also exemplifying through metaphorical terms how garlic is a “mixed” dravya, and therefore not for daily consumption:

लशुनकल्कं
laśunakalkaṁ
राहोः अच्युतचक्रेणलूनाद् ये पितता गलात्।
अमृतस्य कणा भूमौ ते रसोनत्वमागताः॥
॥ गदिनग्रह खण्ड २॥
rāhoḥ acyutacakreṇalūnād ye patitā galāt|
amṛtasya kaṇā bhūmau te rasonatvamāgatāḥ||
|| gadanigraha khaṇḍa 2||
rāhoḥ: garlic
acyutacakreṇalūnād: Vishnu’s chakra severed the head
amṛtasya: amrita (nectar)
kaṇā: molecule (drop)
bhūmau: earth
rasonatvamāgatāḥ: rasona (garlic) fell

Along with garlic, onion is also not good to consume regularly. Onion carries properties similar to that of onion. Not considered an edible item for daily use. But rather to be used as an aushadhi dravya – a therapeutic medicine ingredient.

Onions (Palāṇḍu)

Palāṇḍu is the Sanskrit name for onion. The verse below is from Bhava Prakash. In line two of the verse he says that “All persons full of wisdom say/know that onion has the same properties as garlic.”

पलाण्डु (प्याज)
palāṇḍu (pyāja)
पलाण्डुयर्वनेष्टश्च दुगर्न्धो मुखदूषकः।
पलाण्डुस्तु बुधैज्ञेर्यो रसोनसदृशो गुणैः॥
भा. प्र. िन. हरीतक्यािदवगर्॥ २२६॥
palāṇḍuryavaneṣṭaśca durgandho mukhadūṣakaḥ|
palāṇḍustu budhairjñeyo rasonasadṛśo guṇaiḥ||
bhā. pra. ni. harītakyādivarga || 226||

palandu: onion

vanestasca: 2 kinds of onion, one is domestic, the other grows wild

durgandho: carries strong foul smell

mukhadusakah: it particularly pollutes(imbalances) the oral cavity

palandustu: that onion

budhairjneyo: the one who has wisdom

rasona: garlic (like)

sadrso: equal

gunaih: properties

Much like garlic, onions also carry a high sulphur content – you can tell from their smell . In my SVA lineage, we place just as much emphasis on addressing and treating the vibrational body as much as we do the physical body. We say that our food and the environment are made up of dual primary vibrations: asura and sura. Sura means all that is life-supportive and life-promoting. It is equated with godly attributes. Asura means all that resists the growth and development of life and is therefore considered, to use metaphorical terms, destructive or demonic! Sura is when all vibrations flow and progress in the direction of more life, more bliss, and more peace. When all is all good, constructive and nurturing, it is sura. While an a-sura vibration, literally a vibration that is missing harmony, is known to be destructive and to promote distress, despair, destruction. Asura vibrations are considered rajasic or tamasic based on their intensity. Coming back to garlic and onion, these are categorized also as tamasic and rajasic. When ingested regularly and not for medicinal purposes, they infuse the mind and behaviour with rajasic and tamasic properties. In SVA terms, they shut down the “vibrational heart lotus.” What does this mean? It means that some people will feel depressed/sad for no reason; or they will harbor feelings and thoughts of ill-will, or jealousy, anger, or anguish. Things will seem grim and the heart will feel despondent. When the heart lotus shuts down, it hinders the original blissfull light to en-lighten the mind, the sattva cannot send its guidance to the mind. In ayurvedic terms, frequent garlic and onion consumption leads to ignorance, lethargy, anger, aggression, over stimulation of the senses, increase in sexual desire and anxiety, and overall aggressivity.

And the regular daily consumption of these 4 members of the night-shade family will further aggravate our state of dis-ease – inflamming our joints, slowing down and clogging our circulation, and causing vibrational irreversible damage on our subtler body.

The greatest gift Ayurveda gives us is the power to be masters of our own lives and health. Ayurveda teaches us to be independent by giving us the blueprint for Nature’s laws of functioning in our own bodies, so that when we are faced with new situations and conditions never before encountered, we will still know what to do and come out victorious, stay happy, and always prosper. Here’s to discovering more of life with Ayurveda, and through SV Ayurveda teachings. Thank you!

 

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Navaratri 2016 – Celebrating the Divine Feminine

October 7, 2016 by Leave a Comment

Fragrant Rose and Sandalwood,  Jasmine and Frankincense have been wafting through the air to the rhythm of Shakti mantras and Sanskrit recitations at Vaidya Mishra’s residence for the past week. Participants, in person, as well as those from across the world via live-streaming, have been witnessing Devi Shakti clearing the scene of cruel rogues and malefic ingrates, brash impostors and obdurate fiends! Her fierce battles continue up till this Sunday, when she will rise victorious on Vijayadashami day, re-establishing the rule of the pure-at-heart.

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Navaratri Blessings – 20% Off Storewide Sale

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Boost your Metabolism with Delicious Spice Blends or Warm up with a Cup of Herbal Tea

September 30, 2016 by 2 Comments

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Navaratri Yagya – Join Vaidya and Milena Mishra for the 9 days of Navaratri

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Cellulite Solutions: An Online Course with Live-Stream Sessions

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Why It’s Great to Bathe at the Seasonal Junctures

September 23, 2016 by Leave a Comment
“Snan Ke Gun” or the ayurvedic attributes of bathing for
Seasonal Health and Detox

Detoxing at the seasonal junctures is highly recommended by Ayurveda. And we now
understand why. Our body is not frozen in time or space, it is always interacting with the environment it is part of, and nowhere is this more visible than at the seasonal junctures, when the body has to adjust to climactic and changes coupled with a change in daily activity and rest. We learn with Ayurveda, that there are specific things we can do to help our bodies through the changes. Getting a cold, or feeling fatigue when seasons shift are signals that the body needs more support in adapting to the changing season. It’s like cleaning house! We do Spring Cleaning, we even do Autumn cleaning getting ready for a new academic year and the holiday season, but somehow we never think about cleaning/detoxing our bodies, mainly because the knowledge has not been available to us so far. But now, with Ayurveda, and particularly with additional practical scientifically validated tips from SV Ayurveda, we have so many fast and easy ways to support our physiologies during these seasonal junctures. You will actually experience how seasonal detoxing will not just be a welcome activity but it can amount to a joyful activity, even as you start to feel refreshed and revitalized from it.

Having said this, it is important to never forget that detox is a serious matter. In my
epxerience as an ayurvedic healer, many victims of unsafe detox protocols and services have come to SVA to help resolve their detox crises. There is one thing that 99 % of ayurvedic experts out there do NOT address, and that’s the state of our circulatory channels – physical and vibrational. It does not matter how great your diet, or detox herbs, or protocols are, if you do not address the channels, nothing will help! The channels is where it all happens first. Specially at the seasonal junctures. For example, when the weather changes from Summer to Fall, with temperatures dropping, our body responds accordingly: our channels shrink. Now imagine this scenario: you are at your ayurvedic clinic and they are giving you all sorts of wonderful herbal preparations, and massaging you to help you detox the accumulated pitta or heat, but they are not addressing the channels. Think of it in terms of the following analogy: the highways are all blocked and/ or badly congested, and psychotic dangerous criminals need to be transported from one jail to another jail, but but the roads are blocked, and if security has not taken proper measures, the likelihood of them breaking loose and causing greater trouble by hiding in the congested city are growing with every minute you are stuck in the traffic!

So first: you have to make sure that the toxins you are trying to evacuate are properly
“bound” and then that your channels are ready to evacuate the junk in an expedited
efficient manner! Because the last thing you want is for them to get relocated! You don’t want the junk that was polluting your lungs to go get stuck in your liver; or the hot toxins from your gut to find an outlet through your skin and cause great rashes and skin damage. And this is where bathing for detox comes in. specially in Autumn. I’ve already written about the health benefits of bathing at length on my blog, but I want to take things a little further this week.

Our morning showers or bedtime baths are a relaxing activity for us. Sure, hot water
running down our back in the morning, or soaking in an aromatic bath are very soothing and calming activities, but you probably did not know that they can be an even more powerful detox tool than ingesting any herbal supplement or detox protocol you will ever adopt. Bathing does so much more than relax your tired muscles or calm your mind. Specially when you use ayurvedic herbal pouches that have a targeted effect on your entire physiology. Hot water, steam, where herbs’ essences have been infused, have been therapeutically used since antiquity. The Roman baths were famous for their therapeutic properties, coupled with elaborate detox protocols. Elaborate bathing rituals and therapies to heal and beautify were also common in ancient Greece. In Japan, traditionally, bathing has been part of ritual purification and the pursuit of spiritual purity. Turkish baths or “hammams” were a core element of daily rituals, and were combined with elaborate massage protocols.

But nowhere are the therapeutic health benefits of bathing better documented than in the texts of the ancient rishis of Ayurveda. The health benefits of bathing are elaborated – why to bathe, how to bathe, when to bathe, what materials to use in bathing, what temperature of water to be used for whom, even directions on when ‘not to bathe.’ Ayurveda talks about natural clay mixes for bathing and uses herbs and flower petals in the bath along with natural foaming and cleansing agents, like soap nuts (reetha). 100% natural cleansing materials are selected for their power to cleanse, nurture, soothe, and detox – ALL without any synthetic scents, colors, binders, or emulsifying agents.

My SVA ancestors – physicians to the royalty of India – further enhanced these bathing protocols to address the ailments of their royal patients. These secrets were passed down to me via several generation, and I have had the opportunity now to adapt them to our contemporary bodies laden with stress, unhealthy lifestyles and diet, and high EMF exposure. This is why, my extensive line of herbal products, specially the soaps for the body, hands, and face along with specific bath pouches to detox and rejuvenate the physiology from the outside-in are not just meant as external beautifying or relaxing products. They are part of the general SVA transdermal daily detox protocol.

But first, I would like to go over what Bhav Prakash, one of our eminent ancestors, has to say about the health benefits of taking a bath.
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Bathing is: deepanam – increases metabolic and digestive fires; vrishyam: increases seven tissues especially reproductive tissue, or shukra; ayushyam: increases longevity; snanamojo: bath increases ojas; balapradam: increases stamina; kandumala: (takes away) itching and malas, toxic waste of the skin; shrama: removes fatigue; sweda: cleans sweat; tandra: removes drowsiness; tridda: makes strong; daha: burning takes away; papmanutam: cleanses physically and vibrationally, i.e. takes away bad karma

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In addition, it is bāhyaiśca sekaiḥ: warms up our external body; śītādyairūṣmā’ntaryāṁti pīḍitaḥ: warms up the body when a person is suffering from chills; narasya snānamātrasya dīpyate tena pāvakaḥ: after a bath the whole body agnis become ignited.

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Bathing, when done with cool waters, śītena payasā snānaṁ; can be: raktapittapraśāntikṛt: pacifies high pitta in rakta (blood); when done in comfortably hot/warm water, tadevo’ṣṇena toyena balyaṁ vātakaphāpaham, it gives stamina and pacifies vata and kapha.

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Otherwise: śiraḥ snānamacakṣuṣyamatyuṣṇenāmbunā sadā: normal temperature water bath for the head is good for the health (longevity) of the eyes; while warm (not too hot) water bath is good for pacifying vata and kapha.

But there is a special section on just bathing with (wild) Amla:

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athāmalakaiḥ snānatya guṇānāha: Attributes of amalaki bath 2) yaḥ sadā”malakaiḥ snānaṁ karoti sa viniścitam: If a person takes amalaki baths daily without failure, 3) balīpalitanirmukto jīvedvarṣaśataṁ naraḥ: it will help with wrinkles, premature hair falling, and that person will live to a 100 years.

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But some should not be bathing at all: atha snānānarhajanānāha, or bathing is highly contraindicated for: anyone who has jvara, or fever; anyone experiencing tisāre, or acute diarrhea; anyone with netrakarṇānilārtiṣu: vata predominate pain in eyes/ears, i.e. sharp, shooting pain; anyone who has ādhmāna or distention of abdomen; pīnasa: chronic sinusitis; ajīrṇaṁbhuktavatsu – anyone who is finally eating after a period of starvation/ fasting. It is garhitam, or clearly forbidden.

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Bath and Shower – An Essential Part of your SVA day

Bhava Prakash has a detailed discourse on ‘dinacharya’ – ‘daily rituals for self care.’ In a general sense, following all the do’s and don’ts on dinacharya align us with the laws of Nature so that we receive more prana and utilize that prana in totality. One of the
reasons we feel enlivened after our morning shower and relaxed after our evening bath is because these give us greater pranic reception and delivery. Skip that part of your day and you will definitely notice more physical fatigue and less mental clarity. Good flow of prana energizes, supporting all the bodily functions.

Bathing alone carries innumerable health benefits, but if you can also take a few minutes to give yourself an abhyanga (self-massage) with the appropriate massage oil, before bathing, then you maximize the detox and health benefits of your bath. Abhyanga does not even have to be a great big time-consuming activitiy – taking just a few more minutes to massage with the appropriate herbal oil and let that oil sit on your skin for 20 minutes will multiply the benefits of your bath/shower exponentially. Here’s the short list of what it will do for you:

• Pacifies all the doshas
• Relieves fatigue
• Gives mental clarity
• Tones the muscles
• Induces Sleep
• Lubricates the joints
• Calms the nerves

Discover more about the benefits of daily massage inclusive of which massage oils are best for different individuals and how to perform a self-massage by reading my blog, Give it or get it: you won’t regret it – Abhyanga and its Transdermal Benefits

Herbal Bath or Aushadhi Snana

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Traditionally, herbal baths were routinely prescribed by Vaidyas for health maintenance and specific ailments. These baths – called aushadhi snan – were of two basic types: detox snan and rasayana or rejuvenative snan. I am reviving this ancient tradition by making available three types of herbalized bath pouches: Detox & Relax Bath Pouches; SVA Rasayana Bath Pouches; and Shodhana (Self-Detox) Bath Pouches. Detox & Relax pouches are best for Vata & Kapha predominant types. Pitta types (or strong pitta imbalance) can use SVA Rasayana Bath Pouches. Shodhana (Self-Detox) Bath Pouch is ideal to initiate a gentle detox during a home detox program, or whenever you feel your physiology needs cleansing.

To enjoy the benefits of aushadhi snan, simply fill up your bathtub with hot to warm but comfortable water, throw in a pouch, let it steep for a few minutes, then slip in. After relaxing for a few minutes, take the bath pouch and sponge your limbs and other desired areas. Relax some more and let the herbs do their job transdermally. The steam/heat of the water will relax your pores and facilitate the transdermal absorption of the herbal synergy, further benefiting your physiology.

All of my bath pouches are gentle yet provide powerful transdermal detox and therefore must be used correctly. Before using, you may want to read and follow the precautions on my blog about Home PK.

Based on the needs of my clients, I have also put together a Soma Nidra Body Cleansing Pouch to help promote restful sleep. These pouches contain lavender, valerian, and chamomile. Lavender calms the mind and heart. Valerian calms the mind and it unblocks and detoxifies the physical channels if they are full of ama (partially digested food material). Ama in the channels causes restlessness by blocking the free flow of vata dosha. Chamomile is well known for its calming properties and its ability to settle you for restfull sleep. Use these pouches in your bath just before turning in for the night.

Other Precautions for Aushadhi Snana (Addendum to Home PK precautions)

  • Don’t soak in a bath for more than 15-20 minutes each time.
  • If you have a heart condition, consult with your doctor about taking any type of hot bath.
  • Pregnant women are NOT advised to take hot baths or use any of the detox bath pouches.

wild-amla

 NEW – Amalaki Bath Pouches for Everyday and Everyone!

I was inspired to formulate my newest aushadhi snan product – Amalaki Bath Pouches.
These bath pouches contain the very same “wild amla” I use in all of my other amla
products – tablets, nectar drops, preserve, chyawanprash. Amla we have learned is
arguably one of the most, if not the most, important medicinal plants in Ayurveda – a
divyaushadhi or divinely conceived plant possessing unsurpassed healing restorative
powers. In fact, Bhav Prakash (verse 86 above) says that regular bathing with amalaki
takes away wrinkles, falling hair, and helps one to live to a 100 years. With these pouches, you can gather all the restorative powers of the wild amla berry even as you are relaxing in your bathtub!

Not just any amla will do. These pouches contain only the amla fruit growing “in the
wild,” from un-harvested lands and forests, vs the hybridized, high-yield variety
extensively used version found in commercial preparations. The larger, hybridized amla berries are unable to yield the benefits of amla mentioned in the ancient texts.

Amla used alone will also not do, as it does not carry cleansing/detox properties. This is why I have added the cleansing power of soapnut (reetha) to the formula. The SVA
Amalaki Bath Pouches also have aromatic organic rose and ylang-ylang to soothe the
mind and emotions during bath. Last but not least, they contain neem. Neem has many benefits for the skin, especially detoxifying and promoting skin immunomodulation. (Amalaki used alone can ‘tan’ white to darker skin tones.)

Discover the 25 Amazing Benefits of Wild Amla now deliverable in an easy-to-use
transdermal medium to clean, rejuvenate, and mildly detox the physiology during your bath or shower. Here is what your Wild Amla Bath Pouch contains:

Ingredients:

• Soapnuts
• Organic Rose Petals
• Amla (wild)
• Neem
• Ylang ylang

Directions: Use one pouch per bath. Discard after one use. Put the pouch in your bath and squeeze it so it absorbs the hot/warm water and the herbal synergy gets released into your bath. Use the pouch to massage joints and limbs while in your bath.

 Hazards and Dangers in Your Bathroom

Having listed all the benefits of bath, we should also know what to avoid when selecting a soap or bath gel. The majority of soaps on the market strip the skin of its natural oils/ lubrication balance, drying it out, depleting its friendly bacteria, and delivering synthetic toxic chemicals -preservatives, and fragrances – transdermally to the entire physiology. They contain many known carcinogens and endocrine system disruptors: these include Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS); Parabens; Triclosan (antibacterial agent); and propylene glycol (found in some antifreeze and paints).

In SVA, these ingredients are classified as ‘garvisha’, xenobiotics or exogenous toxins. Our largest organ, the skin, absorbs these insidious toxins into the body where they have a deleterious effects at all levels of our bodies: large and small, gross and subtle. According to Ayurveda, our micro circulatory channels – called “shukshma shrotas” in Sanskrit – transport and deliver enzymes, nutrients, and many other life-sustaining ingredients and vibrations. When these micro-channels are affected and become inflamed due to xenobiotics, they become ruptured and the whole chemical balance of our physiology, on a very deep subtle level, is disrupted, resulting in a myriad of incurable diseases. Garvisha also mixes with and pollutes the pranic energy carried in the nadis (vibrational channels).

Dr. Joseph Mercola, a leading exponent of alternative medicine, lists and explains many of the health hazards of modern soaps and shower gels in his article Scrubbing Yourself Clean and Purging Germs… But At What Cost to Your Health?

Why You Should Filter Your Shower and Bath Water

Garvisha is everywhere – Not only in commercial soaps and other skin cleansers but also in the very water we bathe or shower! Of these, chlorine is a particularly insidious form of garvisha. During a bath, chlorine readily passes through cell walls and attaches to the fatty acids of the cell, disrupting life-sustaining bodily functions. Showering hastens the degree and rate of absorption of chlorine to a far greater extent:

One half of our daily chlorine exposure is from showering. Chlorine is not only absorbed through the skin, but also re-vaporized in the shower, inhaled into the lungs, and transferred directly into the blood system. In fact, chlorine exposure from one shower is equal to an entire day’s amount of drinking the same water. Showering in Tap Water, Should You Bathe in Bleach?

Besides chlorine, a toxic brew of other exogenous toxins has an opportunity to degrade our health every time we bath in unfiltered tap water. Although public health institutions now pay more attention to these matters, there was a time when tap water was incredibly toxic:

The Center for Study of Responsive Law’s, Troubled Water on Tap report, states that over 2,100 contaminants have been found in drinking water. Of those 2,100, 190 are known to cause adverse health effects. In total, 97 carcinogens, 82 mutagens and suspected mutagens (cause cell mutations), 23 tumor promoters and 28 acute and chronic toxic contaminants have been detected in U.S. drinking water. 

-Center for Study of Responsive Law, Consumers Research Magazine, East West, July 1989.

Although we can’t eliminate every risk, a top quality shower filter offers a reasonable amount of protection and can be an affordable solution. Nowadays, very powerful filters for removing chlorine are available that really make a difference, specially with daily use.

If you wouldn’t eat it, don’t apply it on your skin!

Our skin literally in-gests, takes in and eats any substance – good or bad – that we apply on it. This process is explained by the three ayurvedic principles governing the skin: shleshaka kapha, vyana vata, and bhrajaka pitta. Shleshaka kapha helps maintain moisture levels and keeps the skin lubricated; vyana vata keeps the balance of friendly bacteria and nutrients of the skin well distributed; and bhrajaka pitta protects the skin by warding off unwanted particles and molecules from entering and going into the blood stream, while it invites and takes in all good molecules that are applied on the skin. When you use soaps and cleaning products with chemicals, you disrupt the balance established by these 3 ayurvedic principles one after another, and you can eventually develop chronic skin imbalances. For example, regular soap bars dry your skin. This means shleshaka kapha is going off. When shleshaka kapha is off, then vyana vata goes high, and this eventually brings down bhrajaka pitta – the skin loses its intelligence as to what to absorb and what to reject. Using a drying synthetic soap bar for prolonged periods of time will eventually bring in deeper imbalances.

The SVA Solution is to use one of 20 bath/hand soaps that I have formulated, all with 100% organic or wild-crafted herbs in a rich luxurious base of Shea Butter, with zero additives or synthetic ingredients. These herbalized soaps do not contain any harsh chemicals, preservatives (parabens), foaming agents (sodium laurel sulphate), synthetic scents or colors. Any chemical in the formulation would destroy the subtle properties of the divine herbal ingredients. In addition, harsh chemicals kill the friendly bacteria of the skin and ultimately make their way into the blood, liver, and entire body. SVA aromatic soaps have none of the detrimental effects of chemicals found in most soaps on the market today.

Shea Butter: Your Skin’s Best Friend

Most ‘natural’ brands of soaps use either glycerin, saponified coconut oil, or castor oil as a base. All these bases are relatively cheap production-cost wise. Also, (except for glycerin) in the long-term, they dry the skin. Glycerin, of the three, is the better choice but not very lubricating for the skin as compared to shea butter. This is why all of my SVA soaps contain as a base the highest quality organic shea butter. Shea butter is an off-white or ivory-colored fat extracted from the nut of the African shea tree. A rich emollient, shea butter itself has many benefits for our skin, including acting as an all-natural vitamin A and vitamin E cream. In the long-term and short-term shea butter base provides the best skin lubrication and moisturization.

Learn more about this essential ingredient of SVA soaps and their benefits: The American Shea Butter Institute (ASBI) 21 Reasons to Use Shea Butter.

SVA Bath and Hand Soaps A – Z

Why so many varieties? All of my SVA soaps clean and lubricate the skin. But, there’s more to the story. Besides cleaning and moisturizing, SVA soaps are made to deliver specific benefits transdermally to the deepest part of the cellular system. For example, Ashwagandha Herbalized Soap immediately gives more physical and mental strength and, as a proven adaptogen, gives you better ability to handle stress. Ashoka is a famous herb for removing grief and sadness from the vibrational heart lotus. The Ashoka Transdermal Soap delivers this prabhava (special potency) of ashoka while you bathe. This soap also delivers the complexion enhancing property (varnya prabhava) of ashoka. Now, you can get the benefits of ashoka, ashwagandha and many other herbs simply by bathing!

ashoka 107 -- Done

nee-brahmi

 

 

What Customers are Saying:

Essential Grief/Trauma/Emotional Support {- Posted by Swati* on 30th Apr 2013

I am relying on all the Ashoka products to help me navigate emotional challenges. Currently using it for grief and trauma support as well as extra emotional flexibility. I use on my belly, spine and heart center. Truly a gift.

LOVE this soap {Soma Nidra Soap} 5 Star Review – Posted by Unknown on 20th Apr 2013

This and all of his soaps smell amazing and cleanse very well. The scent of this soap really does relax me and help me sleep! I use it every night in the bath…ahhhh

Whoa… {SVA Chamomile Soap} 5 Star Review – Posted by Joseph Rewoldt on 26th Mar 2014

I believe I have now tried every single one of Vaidya’s soaps. This just happened to be the last one I tried but it is by far my favorite. They are all amazing but wow, for some reason I just love this one. My expectations are already so high because Vaidya is the best but somehow this soap smells so good it makes me feel happy. Thank you Vaidya. Congratulations on another super product!

Best soap ever! {SVA Moringa Leaf Soap} – Posted by Kyle Rodeck on 15th May 2013

Since I wash my hands a lot in a given day I was finding that my skin was getting
really dry and starting to crack. Ever since I started using your SVA Moringa Leaf Soap my hands are no longer dry and the irritation has dissipated. Using this soap is an absolute dream. After wetting the bar of soap and applying it to my hands it lathers and foams really well and is easy to apply. Once the residue has been rinsed away, your hands feel moist and protected. Best soap ever!

Help for rosacea {SVA Turmeric Soap} – Posted by Bea-from-Houston on 13th Mar
2015

I am in my 40s, have rosacea for about 10 years, my face is red most of the time, have bumps and pimples. Oracea was an excellent treatment combining with Finacea gel, but insurance does not pay for Oracea anymore. I had to look for another resolution. I have tried many [$$$] products that turned out to be useless. Recently came across a Youtube video featuring turmeric as a potential help for rosacea. I continued to search, then I found Chandika, and ordered this product. It took about 2 weeks to see the results, and after one month the redness is greatly reduced. The number of the pimples and bumps decreased, too. I don’t feel anymore that my face is “burning” (I used to “flash” a lot, barely noticed since I am using turmeric soap). I noticed that my skin is smoother, and my face is somewhat glowing. You don’t need to worry about leaving a yellow stint on your face (or clothes/towel, etc.). I wash my face once a day with this soap when in the shower, and leave it on for about 3-4 minutes, then I rinse. Observed to have better results when I combine it with Finacea. From my own experience, one soap is enough for about 2 months, and I use one gel/month. Don’t expect the results like Oracea gave, but it certainly works. I highly recommend this product, and continue to be a returning customer

Disclaimer

These products and statements have not been evaluated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. All of the information above is intended for educational purposes only and may not be used to replace or complement medical advice.


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