Why Vetiver & Aloe Lotion Is Great for Summer…10% Off This Week
Cool as a Cucumber
this Summer
with
Vetiver and Aloe!
Towards the end of Summer, just before things cool off, we may feel that we tolerate hot temperatures even less than usual! That’s because we are experiencing an accumulation/aggravation of pitta dosha. This is why the ayurvedic rishis recommended that we detox at “ritu sandhi” – the juncture between the two season – and balance out our doshas before embarking on the next season. You can read Vaidya Mishra’s blog to find out what you can do for the transition from Summer to Autumn. But in the meantime, there are several quick things you can do to cool off!
Ayurveda offers plenty of solutions to help us cool off. Diet is, of course, number one. Make sure you rehydrate with fresh fruit juices and lots of lime and fresh mint leaves. Also: you can never have enough rose in the summertime! If you haven’t tried Vaidya delectable rose petal preserve that’s sweet and carries a light tangy taste as well, this is the best time to discover it! Also make sure you keep your work load pleasantly light and take enough breaks to refresh.
Otherwise, there’s more you can do by harnessing the intelligence of natural plants and ingredients. Such as Vetiver. Or Aloe. In Vaidya’s village, there is a long local tradition of using vetiver to refresh and cool things off on hot summer days. That’s what inspired him to put together his SVA “Aloe Vetiver Lotion.”
This SVA Summer lotion carries the following herbal preparation:
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 each other’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 in this lotion:
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.
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Contraindications: DO NOT USE IF YOU THINK YOU ARE PREGNANT, ARE TRYING TO GET PREGNANT, OR ARE ALREADY PREGNANT.
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.
ERRATUM: we apologize for the editorial error in our last issue of the SVA newsletter. The timelines for the Vata and Kapha doshas were inadvertently swapped. Thank you to all those who emailed us bringing this to our attention. The paragraph should have read as follows:
Vata (air/ether) 2-6 (both am and pm for all) Energy: spiritual, creative, light, transitional;
The sole purpose of this blog is to provide information about the alternative healing modalities of Shaka Vansiya Ayurveda (SVA) as practiced in Vaidya Mishra's ancestral family tradition. The information contained herein is not intended for use in the diagnosis, prevention or cure of any disease. If you have any serious, acute or chronic health concern, please consult a licensed health professional who can fully assess your needs and address them effectively. Otherwise, for more information, you may call Vaidya Mishra's Prana Center toll free in the USA at 1.888.3CHANDI (888.324.2634). or 1.818.709.1005 globally, or email us at: info@prana-center.com. You may also visit: www.vaidyamishra.com, or www.chandika.com
