Probiotic to Boot with Garcinia – plus Recipe! And: Upcoming SVA Courses – your SV Ayurveda Newsletter June 10, 2021 – #22, Vol 11

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Perfection in a Fruit…

Are you ready? It’s not what you think – but much much more! Hailed as the “holy grail of weight loss,” it penetrated the american market in the form of an extracted powder in capsule form. But of course that gives zero credit to this amazing gift of Mother Nature – you not only miss out on its wonderful tangy taste but so many other properties that can only come when you consume the whole fruit as an edible cooked item, not in capsule or tablet form.

Garcinia cambogia is a small, sweet, exotic fruit native to South India and Southeast Asia that has garnered a lot of attention of late as a popular natural weight loss aid. But it has long been used in cooking, chutneys or curries in Asia. In the late 1960s, scientists identified a substance in the rind of the fruit called hydroxycitric acid, or HCA. They found that Hydrocytric acid or HCA, hinders the work of citrate lyase in the body. Citrate lyase is the enzyme responsible for changing carbohydrates into fatty acids. By halting the carbohydrate conversion process, HCA blocks fat and produces weight loss. But HCA has also been found to be a serotonin booster – this brain chemical that regulates mood, appetite and sleep. Elevated levels tend to curb hunger and eliminate food cravings. By lifting depression, serotonin reduces the emotional binge eating that leads to excess weight. So from the side of modern science, things are looking great. But what does Ayurveda say about this fruit? 
Ayurveda reminds us that for total health we need to consume food ingredients that balance all the dosha-s or tissues, “samadoshaha,” and enhance metabolism overall in the body in a balanced way, in Sanskrit “samagnischa.” And guess what? The Garcinia fruit carries these 2 highly desirable properties, in addition to many more. It is because of these that it helps clean the fat tissue and can result in weight loss. It is because it is good for overall total metabolism and a toxin-free body that it can help individuals who are trying to detox their fat tissue. And there is an added bonus here as well, because when Garcinia supports the fat tissue, it is also supporting the bone tissue since good fat is food for the bone tissue. More specifically, this is what we find in the ayurvedic texts:
Garcinia indica also known as Garcinia cambogia – “vrikshamla” in Sanskrit – is mentioned in the ayurvedic “nighantu”-s (or glossaries) as a vata and kapha dosha pacifying dravya or food ingredient. It is known to enhance absorption due to its thermogenic potency; to sharpen the taste buds, clearing away ama or toxic build-up in the oral cavity; and to make the body lighter because it carries the following 3 rasa-s or tastes: amla (sour), katu (pungent) and kashai (astringent). These 3 rasa-s enhance metabolism in general. More specifically, the amla rasa or sour taste also enhances and supports protein metabolism because it enhances agni in the mamsa dhatu or muscle tissue. In addition, the 3 rasa-s together help clear and unclog the srota-s or physical channels too.
Garcinia’s first property is “amla” or sour, and we know that the sour taste is “agneya” or thermogenic. Due to this property, it pacifies kapha in all the 7 “dhatu”-s or tissues. But it also pacifies thirst because it pacifies vata in the stomach, samana vata, as well as in the chest or udana vata. In general, it is a wonderful fruit that balances the entire stomach and all the dosha-s in the stomach, enhancing coordination amongst them all: samana vata, pachak pitta, and kledak kapha – the 3 principles which support digestion: a) movement of space and air in the stomach; b) enzymatic levels; c) lubrication levels. When the stomach dosha-s are balanced, so many aspects of overall health also follow suit. But wait there is more – for real….

more flavor for more balance
Yet another great attribute of this fruit is that it helps produce ama-free rasa dhatu, or the very first dhatu or tissue that gets formed after we eat. In general, many health imbalances arise from JUST THIS: that an individual makes ama or toxins from the food they ingest. Rasa dhatu is the foundation for ALL the dhatus, and if it is free of toxins and balanced, all the other tissues that get built on this foundational dhatu or tissue will also be more balanced. In this sense, Garcinia or “vrikshamla” is a very balanced and balancing fruit with unique properties that optimize the healing processes in the body. So you understand that incorporating some Garcinia into your daily diet has zero side-effects and countless health benefits. “How?” – you say?
Try One of Vaidya Mishra’s delicious spice blends for Vata, Pitta, or Kapha. Or try our best-selling Garcinia tea. If you are feeling a little more bold, then go for the chutney for a full bold flavor. 1/4 tsp with your meal, regardless of what you are eating. It’s tangy, fruity, salty, with a full bold flavor. Still not convinced to give Garcinia a try? Then let’s talk about Thakra with Garcinia!
Next Level Thakra
with
Garcinia Chutney

The benefits of friendly bacteria or probiotics have been recognized and lauded in Ayurveda for thousands of years. In the SVA lineage, we refer to them as yogini-s. They are active living organisms that help conjugate nutrients in our gut to support metabolism and absorption. Here is a verse from Bhav Mishra’s Bhav Prakash that discusses the properties of thakra or buttermilk: 
It’s grahi: so it enhances absorption. That is: it enhances the absorption of minerals and nutrients. It has two main rasa-s or tastes: kashay (astringent) and amla (sour), and its vipak or post-digestive effect is madhur. These properties create lightness in the body, particularly since its potency is warm and it enhances the digestive and metabolic fires. Thakra or fresh buttermilk also increases the reproductive fluids; it enhances the pranic flow in the cellular system; and it pacifies cellular vata. When people have chronic mal-absorption of any kind, it’s the best healthy addition to the diet, because of the unique combination of properties, nurturing yet creating lightness in the body.
Garcinia Thakra
~ Recipe ~

Vaidya Mishra recommended making fresh buttermilk by combining 20% fresh yogurt with 80% water (room temperature). Blend for 5 minutes in the blender, remove the foam top. Add 1/4 tsp of Garcinia Chutney for 16oz of buttermilk and blend for another 1-2 minutes. You can also add 1 tablespoon cilantro leaves.
Make sure to drink only with lunch – NOT DINNER. Best is to have a sip and then a bite. The combination of this thakra and Garcinia as a chutney is the best way to balance weight – not just to lose weight, but to maintain a balanced overall weight. But best of all: you won’t believe how good it tastes!
Here’s to more balance and bliss in your life – always!

… upcoming courses …
EMF: What CAN we do about it?
In a world where we can no longer exist without technology, how can we maintain balance and thrive despite the known side-effects of exposure to EMF? Find out Vaidya Mishra’s SVA Teachings in this much requested course on EMF – details coming very soon….

Did you miss our Spring 2021 Detox?
No worries, you can catch the Autumn Detox.
More details coming very soon.

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.

Calendar of Upcoming Events
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Check out our Calendar page for upcoming courses and community events & for full contact and registration details:
Upcoming new SVA events across the US & Canada coming soooooon
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