“Hello Vaidya, […] I have a patient who became quite perplexed after reading your response to the question on herb/drug and herb/spice interaction in issue #35 (August 29, 2013)… He is on several medications and has now stopped eating all spices in fear. My question is: how can we learn to navigate the use of spices in tandem with diseases? Thanks, Dr. Lisa Raskin”1
Here is an excerpt of the article that Dr Lisa Raskin is referring to (issue #35, vol. 3, August 29, 2013): “So how should an ayurvedic practitioner deal with medical conditions, even as and when they work hand in hand with a medical physician? As you can see, it is not a good idea to avoid food or spices when they create a synergistic interaction. On the contrary, that synergistic power should be used to
the benefit of the patient ,to help gradually minimize the doses of medication, because in this case food materials will not have unwanted side-effects as they are managed wisely. In this situation, we are attempting to get the desired results from food materials and spices rather than medicine. But just as synergistic interaction is beneficial and can be tailored safely while working with an MD and getting testing regularly by a lab, antagonistic reactions should be avoided. This means: measures should be taken so that a diet should not create roadblocks for the medicine. Food or spices that can potentially reduce or block the effect of any drug should not be used and consumed. So, in conclusion, dear Nancy, this is a big topic and a very pertinent question, here I tried to answer it as succinctly as possible. I hope to elaborate on this further in the future. In the meantime, I hope this helps.”
Dear Dr Raskin: there are several things to consider in the use of spices when a client is on heavy doses of medicine. That response I had given was focusing on individuals who are consuming large quantities of spices in supposedly therapeutic, because modern science has confirmed their medicinal properties. As I explain and re-iterate all the time, it is very important to have the proper samyog and samskar,
or in other terms, the combination and the preparation. What are you combining your spices and herbs with? Do you have the proper carrier to ensure safe delivery? And second, how are you preparing them? There are means and methods to prepare herbs and spices for safe and effective delivery and consumption. I can never stress these two points enough. In theory, in Ayurveda, almost every ingredient can
be consumed safely and effecting by adopting this theory of proper samyog and samskar. For example, you must be familiar with the spice mix I generally recommend to individuals who are just getting started with Ayurveda with baby steps, it’s my: 1/1/6/6, or 1 part turmeric, 1 part cumin, 6 parts coriander and 6 parts fennel mix. Now while turmeric has now known and confirmed medicinal properties that can be detrimental to an individual who is already on high doses of multiple medicines, if that same amount of turmeric is consumed with cumin to enhance absorption, with coriander and fennel to pacify the heat of the turmeric, and also help flush out through the urinary tract the toxins that the turmeric is going to mobilize, then turmeric becomes that indivdiual’s best friend. In his sense, recipes like Mum’s Masala are safe for almost everybody to consume – unless one is experiencing liver disease or any other kind of severe medical condition then it is always necessary to check with one’s medical doctor first. So how come Mum’s Masala that contains 18 different ingredients is safe? How does it work? Each ingredient in Mum’s masala is toasted at a different temperature, because the toasting time of each spice is different. This is part of the samskar of this formula. Toasting makes all the properties of the spices more readily available and cuts down on cooking time both on the stove and in the stomach! Then 
ingredients like cumin can even more easily enhance absorption; fennel and coriander better cool off; fenugreek pulls out toxins from the fat tissue faster; curry leaf supports the liver so it can better handle turmeric; green cardamom supports protein metabolism more effectively; clove unblocks the channels faster; likewise, turmeric will be more effective at its job of supporting the liver in its complex detox process. In this sense, Mum’s Masala, because of the way it is put together and processed, it’s safe for almost everybody.
The point is: no one should be consuming turmeric capsules or to take turmeric alone as a tea (with hot water and lemon etc). So SVA masala mixes or the personal 1/1/6/6 spice mix based on body type imbalance and age etc are safe to use. These are time-tested formula-s that have the shatras and deep ayurvedic knowledge as back-up. They are not a hype! Like the capsules and the turmeric tea hype currently circulating on websites. And remember: these spice mixes are either to be cooked (or just sprinkled in the case of the Mum’s Masala) with your vegetable, lentils, with a fat and water, etc. During the inaugural SVA conference, Dr. Hari Sharma, a pioneer researcher on turmeric and cancer, explained to us that turmeric can help the body prevent and correct imbalances in 80% of diseases.
My point is: do not give up on turmeric, due to fear. But if the shadow of a doubt is still lurking on one’s mind, I have made the safe Herbal Memory nectar drops, and the Turmeric nectar drops are safer to consume as they only contain the nano-particles of turmeric and the “intelligence” of turmeric, which even bypasses the liver!
1 Dr Lisa Raskin has now a clinic in Florida: 2600 N. Military Trail, Suite 330, Boca Raton, Florida 33431. She can be reached at drlraskin@gmail.com
