Showing posts with label Ayurveda. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ayurveda. Show all posts

Thursday, February 16, 2017

Therapeutic uses of Honey in AYURVEDA

The FAO Codex Alimentarius Commission defines honey as ‘the natural sweet substance produced by honeybees from the nectar of flowers or from secretions coming from living organisms feeding on plants, that bees gather, transform and combine with specific ingredients, store and leave to ripen in the combs of the hive.’

In Ayurveda honey is called as "Madhu". Its qualities are explained as follows.

“Vaatalam guru sheetam cha raktapittakaphapaham |
Sandhatru cchedanam ruksham kashayam madhuram madhu ||”

 “It has sweetness (madhura rasa) with added astringent as end taste (Kashaya anu rasa). It is heavy (guru guna), dry (ruksha) and cold (sheeta). Its effect on doshas is as follows It aggravates vata, scrapes kapha and normalizes pitta and rakta. It promotes healing process.”

Honeycomb of Western honey bees (Apis mellifer...
Honeycomb of Western honey bees (Apis mellifera) with eggs and larvae. 

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)


The contents of Honey are 
1. Sugars like fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltose, lactose and other disaccharides and trisaccharides.
2. Proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and amino acids,
3. Volatile aromatic substances.
4. Ashes and water etc.


Various ingredients of honey have helped it to become not only a sweet liquid but also a natural product with high nutritional and medicinal value.


The medicinal quality, taste, texture, color, aroma of honey differs according to the geographical area and the species of plants from which it has been collected.

Types of Honey:

Eight types of honey are described in ayurveda depending on the type of bee which collects it. They are Pouttika ,Bhramara .Kshoudra,  Makshika , Chatra , Arghya ,Oudalaka ,Dala  .

Pouttika - This honey is collected by very large bees from the nectar of poisonous flowers. It increases vata, causes gout and burning sensation in chest.It is also sedative and reduces fat.

Bhramara - This honey is collected by large bees and Sticky in nature.

Kshoudra -  (Honey collected by medium sized honey bees ) light and cold in nature. Dissolves Kapha.

Makshika - (Honey collected by small honey bees) very light and dry natured. Usefull in VataKapha diseases and kapha diseases

Chatra - Heavy and cold in nature usefull in gout, Leucoderma (Shwitra),

Arghya -  Good for eyes but causes arthritis .

Oudalaka -  Useful in skin diseases, and helps in modulation of voice.

Dala - Dry and reduces vomiting.

Amongst all the above "Makshika" is considered as the best type with immense medicinal properties.

Therapeutic uses of Honey:

1. As it contains sugars which are quickly absorbed by our digestive system and converted into energy, this can be used as instant energizer.
2. As it is hygroscopic it speeds up healing, growth of healing tissue and dries it up.
3. Honey acts as a sedative and is very usefull in bed wetting disorders.
4. Honey is very good antioxident which restores the damaged skin and gives soft, young looks.
5. Honey has antibacterial properties due to its acidic nature and enzymically produced hydrogen peroxide.
6. Constant use of honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles to fight bacteria and viral diseases.

In Ashtanga Hridaya the great classic of ayurveda, the therapeutic uses of honey are explained as follows.

“Chakshushayam Chedi  tritshleshmavishahidmaasrapittanut |
Mehakushtakrimicchardishwaasakaasaatisaarajit ||
Vranashodhana sandhaanaropanam vaatalam madhu ||”

Honey is very good for eyes and eye sight.
It quenches thirst.
Dissolves kapha.
Reduces effects of poison.
Stops hiccups.
It is very useful in urinary tract disorders, worm infestations, bronchial asthma, cough, diarrhea and nausea -vomiting.
Cleanse the wounds.
It heals wounds.
Helps in quick healing of deep wounds.
Initiates growth of healthy granulation tissue.
Honey which is newly collected from bee hive increases body weight and is a mild laxative.
Honey which is stored and is old helps in metabolism of fat and scrapes Kapha.




Ayurveda explains another special quality of honey. Honey is called as “Yogavahi” . The substance which has a quality of penetrating the deepest tissue is called as Yogavahi.  When honey is used with other herbal preparations it enhances the medicinal qualities of those preparations and also helps them to reach the deeper tissues.


Precautions to be taken before using honey:

Honey should not be mixed with hot foods.
Honey should not be heated.
Honey should not be consumed when you are working in hot  environment where you are exposed to more heat.
Honey should never be mixed with rain water, hot and spicy foods, and Fermented beverages like whisky, rum, brandy etc, Ghee and mustard.
Honey includes nectar of various flowers of which some may be poisonous. Poison has hot or Ushna qualities. When honey is mixed with hot and spicy foods the poisonous properties get enhanced and cause imbalance of doshas.

Few Home remedies with Honey
Mix 2 tea spoon of honey with carrot juice and consume regularly. This helps to improve eyesight and is very helpful for those who sit before computer for long hours.
In cold, cough and congested chest mix 2 tea spoons of honey with equal quantity of ginger juice and should be consumed frequently.
A mixture of black pepper powder, honey and ginger juice in equal quantities, when consumed thrice daily help to relieve the symptoms of asthma.
Regular use of one tea spoon of garlic juice mixed with two tea spoons of honey help to control blood pressure.
One glass of warm water taken with two tea spoons of honey and 1 tea spoon of lemon juice in early morning reduces fat and purifies blood.

Consuming one spoon of honey daily help us to lead a healthy long life.



Thursday, January 19, 2017

AYURVEDA regime for winter depression

Long nights, short days, sweaters, warm clothes and chilly weather make many of us sick and depressed. This depression which surfaces especially in winter is a Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and is often called as winter Time Blues or Winter depression. The exact cause for this depression is as of yet unclear. But yet few scientists believe lack of exposure to sunlight as the reason for this disorder.

English: A 30 kHz bright light therapy lamp (I...
A 30 kHz bright light therapy lamp (Innosol Rondo) used to treat seasonal affective disorder.
(Photo credit: 
Wikipedia)
The symptoms of winter depression are tendency to over eat, craving for carbohydrates and sweets and weight gain. 

Had our ancestors observed this change in humans? The answer is yes. Have they recommended any remedies? Yes, they have recommended simple and effective natural remedies to overcome Seasonal Affective Disorder. They have laid down explicit guidelines about diet and lifestyles which have to be followed according to seasons.
The winter season is marked as Hemanta ritu and Sisira ritu in ayurveda. Hemanta ritu starts from mid November and ends in mid January. This falls in southern solstice which is called as visarga kala or dakshinayana in ayurveda. Sisira ritu starts from mid January and lasts till middle of march. Sisira ritu falls in Northern solstice which is called as Aadana kaala or uttaraayana.
The response of human body to this season is very well explained in ayurveda. People will have increased strength and their digestion capacity is increased .This is marked by increased hunger. These symptoms are caused by increased body fire which is supported by vata. Vata inside  body increases in winter because of cold and dryness which is prevalent in outer atmosphere.
The winter time depression is noticed mostly in persons who have vata as major constituent in their prakriti or body constitution. The cause for this type of change is longer nights of winter. 

Light therapy is recommended by doctors for winter time blues. Exposure to artificial light may cause headache , Irritability ,Eye strain , Inability to sleep and fatigue. Exposure to sunlight and if sunlight is not available sitting near fireplace is the remedy suggested in Ayurveda. 

Keeping the home well lit with lights help to reduce the intensity of depression.

Moderate exercise like yoga is another remedy for winter depression. Ayurveda recommends oil massage (abhyanga)  to body and head (moordha taila.). Indulging in sexual act to keep the moods elevated and to keep the body warm is another strongly suggested ayurvedic remedy.

Meeting friends who are kind and understanding boosts morale and brightens up the day. Spending time with friends on the beach helps to expose your body to sunlight and keeps your spirits high.

Relaxing with meditation, massage , light music and laughter helps to great extent.

The following ayurvedic tips help to prevent and reduce the intensity of seasonal disorder of winter, the winter time blues.
1. Expose yourself to sunlight as much as you can. In absence of sun light sitting near fire place is very helpful.

2. Massage your body with vata balancing herbal oil (abhyanga). Never forget to apply oil on your head (moordha taila.). 

3. Then remove the oil by taking hot water bath. A mixture of  flours of yellow gram (channa), green gram (moong) , fenu greek seeds (methi)  in equal proportion is the best herbal scrub which can be used to remove the oil. This mixture prevents the washing of natural oil from skin.

4. Consume hot soups.

5. Use vata balancing foods like wheat, oil, corn, black gram and jaggery. 
6. Tickle your taste buds with sweet, sour and salt tastes
7. Always use hot water for all daily routine activity.
8. Use thick blankets and sheets made of cotton, silk and wool.
9. Always wear foot wear.
10. Indulge in sexual act.
11. Spend your leisure time with friends and relatives whom you like.