Glutathione & Guduchi, and Rehydration in SVA Detox?
By Marie Amram
Certified SVA Educator & Expert
Mid-September… Here in Canada, geese can already be heard overhead, as they gather before their migration to the South. Nights become noticeably cooler and humid, plant growth is slowing down, leaves start falling and trees generously offer their nuts and berries. Sap will gently be retrieved downward into the root systems.
As you well know, Ayurveda reminds us that we need to follow the tide, that we also have stuff to let go, things to do before folding in for the Winter.
In the vedic tradition, the Spring and Summer Sun is said to be “bright”, as Solar Prana is predominant in the atmosphere and it promotes physical growth and external creativity in the outer world, fueling all life with dynamic intelligence. During Fall and Winter the Sun is called “dark”. It doesn’t mean that it is “bad”, but that Solar Agni predominant Prana is less in the atmosphere, as Space/Air or Marut Prana becomes predominant and pushes heat and life creative energies “inward.”
How does this affect us? I remember how Vaidya always referred to the body’s intelligence saying: our physical and vibrational channels are alive, intelligent, and are constantly responding and adjusting to changes in the environment, and even to emotions.
During the warm season, metabolic heat (Pitta) increases in response to rising temperatures and flows freely all over the body and in our limbs and expresses itself through our skin too: our channels are wide open and swell with more fluids, and are buzzing with activity.
But during the Winter or Vata season, our physical channels shrink in response to cooler temperatures and metabolic heat is trapped within and maintained primarily around internal organs. Fall is the transition, the Sandhi, or gap during which the change of tides happens. Just like in the trees, our channels naturally tighten with cooler temperatures and wind. In order to stay healthy into the next season, it is important to release any excess accumulations before the detox pathways shrink in response to cooler climate. This is why Autumnal detox is highly recommended to help release the excess heat and toxins accumulated over the Summer, so our organs do not become aggravated by them during the Winter. In this way, we support Mother Nature’s cycles that impact our bodies.
But if our channels and tissues are clogged, the excess summer and we continue a heavy clogging diet intoAutumn, further trapping in heat and toxins in our channels, we will contract what is referred to as the common “seasonal sniffles” or additional imbalances based on our body’s propensities. This is why our system may need support for a proper seasonal detoxification and a smoother Winter.
As you know, Vaidya taught us how to gently support the natural cleansing movement in Spring and Fall, with meal plans and herbal teas that assist rather than forcefully promote detoxification. If you do not have a protocol in place, you can at least do the following”
Reduce eliminate channel clogging foods:
a) left-overs
b) channel-cloggers: eggplant, potato, tomato, bell-pepper
c) heavy foods: red meats, breads, aged cheese, canned/preserved foods
Mind your meals:
do not eat while your mind is engaged reading/watching tv/listening to intense conversations, or while driving!
do not skip or delay meals
eat in a friendly calm, clean environment
sit for 10 minutes with eyes closed (you can direct your attention to your stomach and breathing) after eating
Whether we choose the one day cleanse or a whole week-end cleansing protocol, Vaidya always reminded us to prepare a rehydration drink in the morning, ahead of time, and drink it along the day, before the body would even run the risk of losing any Soma during the cleanse or after a more active bowel movement. Losing deep Soma would weaken the ability of the body to maintain homeostasis and buffer inflammation.
The other day I was reminded of Vaidya’s wise advice, and understood it more clearly as I was browsing an article on the bitter taste. The article was on how dark bitters may interfere with blood pressure medications, because they may significantly clear and thin the blood.
The higher potassium level contained in dark green vegetables helps the kidneys flush more salt out of the lymph and blood stream. Less salt in the blood means that the blood vessels will be able to let go more of their water in the kidneys, which is then flushed in urine. This relaxes the pressure inside the blood vessels.
On the cellular level, the bitter taste acts on cells as a ‘gate opener”, which allows cells to flush more toxins, together with some of their excess salt, toxins, and some of their fluids and fat content, electrolytes, etc.
This means that during a cleanse that uses added bitterness, more fluids and fat are flushed out of the body along the day. While this may sound very helpful for a high Kapha physiology, to help manage excess fluid retention and weight, it could lead to deep dehydration when there are Vata or Pitta conditions. As Vaidya always emphasized, we don’t want to help a system while negatively affecting another. We wouldn’t want to nicely detoxify while badly affecting the homeostasis at the same time!
Vata and bitter – this also illustrates why dark vegetables and strong bitter herbs are said to aggravate Vata and should be used in moderation when Vata is high: because of low supplies in the Vata physiology, the effect of excess bitterness would be dehydration (loss of deep Soma), loss of essential fat and of important electrolytes. When planning for a cleanse, a person with high Vata would rather choose lighter greens like baby spinach leaves, asparagus, beet greens (paler ones), pale swiss chards, and use toxin binders in the meal and enough fat.
Pitta and bitter – bitter vegetables and herbs are usually praised as excellent for Pitta. However – and this is difficult for the public to understand – bitterness in excess can aggravate Pitta and the liver by initiating too much detox. Here again, SVA Ayurveda brings a more refined understanding, which allows for a better management of inflammatory conditions. As we saw above, high bitterness enhances the flushing of fluids and electrolytes from channels, organs, cells. What does this mean for an individual with inflammation and a hot and aggravated liver?
A hot and aggravated liver will usually be depleted of the liver’s #1 antioxidant Glutathione, which is essential to safely neutralize toxins; maintain all liver channels and functions optimal; maintain bile fluidity; repair DNA strands, etc. Glutathione molecules are part of what Soma Prana is able to stimulate in the physiology.
The body can produce Glutathione, but it is also found ready-made in vegetables like zucchini, okras, opo gourd. Glutathione levels are also higher when fluid homeostasis is good. Then inflammation can be dealt with more easily. When the liver feels cooler, overall body inflammation, heat and reactivity goes down as well.
In that context, the excess flushing of fluids, and electrolytes by a strong bitter taste would promote a lack of Soma, of fluids and Glutathione. It would promote heat and oxidative stress in the liver and overall. Does this make sense? Understanding how to manage the bitter taste in my daily diet and during detox days was very helpful during my recovery from systemic infection a few years ago.
Therefore, individuals with a high Pitta imbalance and hot liver will benefit from using the paler greens rather than darker, more bitter ones, until their liver is better. (i.e. baby spinach, asparagus, beet greens (paler ones), pale swiss chards, and use toxin binders and enough fat). If they use Moringa, be it in great moderation in specific detox meals or use Vaidya Mishra’s mixes that are highly balanced.. They’ll want to be cautious when cooking karela making sure it’s a balanced recipe. Strong bitter herbs (i.e. dandelion, milk thistle, St John’s Wort) are highly discouraged.
And as Dr Teitelbaum just explained in last week’s SVA newsletter, the Herbal Memory Nectars will be better for them than the crude herbs – for the same reasons.
Some of the darker and more bitter greens are: moringa, drumsticks, arugula. darker kale, collard greens, darker beet greens, darker Swiss chards, broccoli rabe, endives, dandelion leaves, watercress, spinach.
Happy Autumn to all.
As a reminder, here is Vaidya Mishra’s SVA
Rehydration Drink Recipe
2 cups unchilled spring water
1/2 lime juice (add lime progressively and taste. Some limes are sweeter than others)
1 tsp chopped fresh mint leaves
1-2 tsp organic sucanat sugar or other natural sugar (kapha types can add raw honey)
A pinch of Soma Salt – if Soma Salt is not available you make skip the salt or add a very minimal tiny pinch of whichever salt you have available.
A pinch of lightly toasted and ground whole cumin seeds
Stir well. Let sit for 5 minutes, strain and then sip slowly mid-morning and mid-afternoon during your cleansing day, to help maintain or restore deep fluid balance.
P.S. – The drink should not taste predominantly sour. Having sourness, sweetness and herbal flavors in balance will provide the desired effect: the somagenic aspect of lime, and sugar will cell walls to relax and open for more Soma; while the agneya aspect in lime, salt, cumin, mint will promote a more active passage through the cell walls.
About Marie Amram
She grew up on the beautiful beaches of Brittany, under gorgeous blue and grey skies.
For most of her life, she suffered from high acidity, indigestion and debilitating migraine headaches. Although she was a long time meditator and vegetarian and paid attention to her diet, she wasn’t able to restore her own health.
After going through a burn out, she set out to learn how to manage her inflammatory condition. An article by Vaidya Rama Kant Mishra on Ph balance “Balancing the balancing factor” inspired her to learn more about SV Ayurveda.
Applying the principles of SV Ayurveda brought drastic changes in her body, allowing her nervous system to strengthen and recover. A better Ph balance means less metabolic oxidation and a steadier heart and mind. Her ability to be mindful, study and memorize increased. Her senses and her meditations grew more refined. It felt like being reborn and given a new chance at life, albeit in a more authentic way.
During these years of “time out” she realized how the modalities of Ayurveda have a deeper effect than we know, enlivening connectivity and coherence between the different systems: body, heart, mind and Self.
She is feeling very grateful to Vaidya Kant Mishra for the deep rooted knowledge he generously and so patiently shared with the world during his whole life.
Marie Amram offers SV Ayurveda health & diet consultations on Skype. She is based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
We had our first session yesterday – thank you to all for your patience and participation as we ventured into the uncharted online live format. It was a great success. Our future dates will be announced via email.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us at: info@prana-center.com, or call us: 1.818.709.1005
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