When it’s hot outside it gets hot inside: when temperatures in the environment rise, our circulatory channels dilate, our metabolic fire gets re-ignited and circulated at full flow, increasing pitta, or liquid metabolic juices, in our body. And if by chance, we happen to have accumulated hot/acidic toxins stuck in our channels, then we can easily tip over and feel emotionally and mentally heated up! This is enough to ruin our joyful summer, making us cranky, snappy, and overall miserable!
Ayurveda offers plenty of solutions to help us cool off. Diet is of course number one, also making sure we are keeping our work load pleasantly light and taking enough breaks to refresh. You can read about all the details on Vaidya’s blog. Here is a list of different articles to learn how to manage heat and pitta dosha in the summer time:
Otherwise, there’s more you can do by harnessing the intelligence of natural plants and ingredients. Such as Vetiver. Or Aloe. In Vaidya’s ancestral village in NorthEast India, there is a long local tradition of using vetiver to refresh and cool things off on hot summer days. That’s has has inspired him to put together a brand new SVA lotion, the “Aloe Vetiver Summer Lotion.”
This new summer lotion carries the following herbal synergistic preparation:
Vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides); Aloe vera; Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis); Saffron (Crocus sativus); Flame of forest (Delonix regia); Devil’s Apple (Solanum linnaeanum); Punarnava (Boerhaavia diffusa); Manjistha (Rubia cordifolia); Turmeric (Curcuma longa); Gotu kola (Centella asiatica); Brahmi (Bacopa moniera); Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans); Mucuna (Mucuna pruriens); Green tea (Camellia sinensis); Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera); Lemon (Citrus limon); Indian Sarsaparilla (Hemidesmus indicus); Asoka (Saraca asoca); Shirish bark (Albizzia lebbeck); Sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica); White grapefruit (Citrus paradisi).
This herbal synergy is pranically preserved as per Vaidya’s lineage formulation techniques, and added to a base of organic coconut (Cocos nucifera), Grapeseed oil (Vitis vinifera), Vegetable stearic acid, Organic aloe juice, Neem (Azadirachta indica), Kosher vegetable glycerin, Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), and Emulsifying wax (NF).
How does it work?
Before the use of Air Conditioning devices was introduced in remote Indian villages, and even nowadays, Indian homes in North India used vetiver grass mats hanging on their windows to cool off from stifling summer heat. Freshly woven Vetiver grass mats not only infuse a delightful cooling aroma to the entire house, but the scented molecules actually carry cooling properties. Ayurveda teaches us that, property-wise, vetiver is: sheeta (cooling); snigdha (unctuous or anti-drying); and sugandha (highly aromatic.) Vetiver nurtures the first layer of the skin called udakdhara (water-holding), and penetrates even deeper to the raktadhara (blood layer.) In summer, the increased agni in the environment increases the heat in the blood. That’s why we experience more heat in the body and brain. Vetiver aromatically cools off the blood and with regular use can even cool the muscle and fat tissues.
When you combine Vetiver with Aloe Vera, you get double the power!
Aloe Vera is famous world-wide for soothing topical burns. Mostly water soluble, aloe offers refreshing coolness to the first layer of the skin – udakdhara (water holding) – and enhances the skin’s luster and complexion. Aloe is also known for cooling raktadhara – (blood holding layer) – as well. Transdermally, aloe quickly reaches the liver and spleen, and cools off and detoxifies the liver.
When combining Aloe with Vetiver, the way Vaidya Mishra has done, in his Aloe-Vetiver Summer Lotion, you get a wining combination of cooling and soothing aromatic herbs ideal for use in the hot Summer days. The lotion will not only refresh but protect your skin against pitta imbalances as well, supporting it to maintain normal functioning and optimal intelligence, so the skin can also carry out its daily central task of detox through sweat.
See what the Ingredients Can Do For You
All of Vaidya Mishra’s SVA formulations contain an intelligent pranic blend of specific herbs that work together to enhance eachother’s actions and results in the body. Each herb carries balancing properties as well. Here is a list of what you can expect from each ingredient.
Aloe Vera: Calms and soothes the skin through its deep cooling effect on rasa (plasma) and rakta (blood.) It is present in a highly active form.
Vetiver: carries the following ayurvedic properties – Sheeta (cooling); Snigdha (unctuous); and Sugandha (cooling aromatic). Vetiver’s properties are magnified when it is combined with Aloe.
Jojoba: is an ideal tridoshic cooling skin lubricant that blends in well to uphold the properties of Vetiver and Aloe.
Saffron: is hands-down the best ayurvedic “varnya” – skin complexion enhancer. It helps preserve skin tone and texture.
Flame of Forest: Enhances the intelligence of the skin to fight against sunlight and is also an excellent “varnya.”
Devil’s Apple: Increases cellular intelligence of the skin to help our skin maintain its youthfulness against climactic and other factors.
Punarnava: Mobilizes and evacuates toxins from the udakdhara layer (water layer) of the skin.
Manjishta: Maintains skin intelligence & pacifies bhrajaka pitta – the governing factor of the skin that can get easily aggravated by overexposure to the sun.
Turmeric: Fights against inflammation of the skin created by over-exposure to sunlight
Gotu Kola: Supports collagen synthesis
Brahmi: Maintains intelligence of the skin
Nutmeg: Maintains normal skin pigmentation
Mucuna: Supports dopamine production to maintain coordination between mind and skin (prana and vyana)
Green Tea: is a great anti-oxidant for the skin. Prevents free-radicals (amavisha) that can result from overexposure to sunlight
Ashwagandha: supports the tactile nerves of the skin
Lemon: checks against excess pigmentation caused by sun exposure
Indian Sarsaparilla: acidic toxins (amavisha) released from sweat irritates the skin. Indian Sarsaparilla helps clean the sweat and the sweat glands.
Ashoka: maintains the bliss of the heart and thus helps balance bharajak pitta of the skin
Shirish bark: provides long-term slow but steady skin detoxification
Sensitive Plant: nourishes and repairs the tactile nerves from the damage arising from excess sun exposure
Neem: supports the immunity of skin
Rosemary: dilates the channels of the skin without heating things up
These ingredients are added to a synergistic base containing: White grapefruit for natural preservation; Organic Coconut for adding a cooling, nurturing, and lubricating layer; Organic Aloe Juice; and Emulsifying wax; in a base of Kosher vegetable glycerin.
This is a great lotion to apply at all times, and it can be used by all body types and skin types. Whether you are exposing yourself actively to the sun or not, go ahead and put it on, the high index of solar energy saturating the environment affects your skin health regardless of whether you are in the shade or not. You may be apply this lotion on your body as well as your face. If you already use a facial cream in the morning, you can use it as usual, and then a few hours later start applying this lotion for added coolness as temperatures rise. Apply liberally on areas of the body directly exposed to the sun.
Contradictions: Not for use in pregnancy.
Disclaimer: The information above is for educational purposes only. This product and the statements above have not been evaluated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). It is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent, any disease.
