Food supplements in Ayurveda
Some call them herbal pills, others spice powders, healing schnapps or medicines. No matter what name we want to assign to Ayurvedic products, one thing is certain: no health system in the world has a variety of herbal products and formulations comparable to Ayurveda. The science behind these products is called „Dravyagunavijnana“, which translates as the „science of substances and their properties“. The basis [...]
Sariva: A portrait of the versatile medicinal plant
On a study trip to the south-west coast of Sri Lanka a good 20 years ago, I got to know and love it under the Sinhalese name Iramusu: SARIVA, also known as Indian sarsaparilla. The dried root bark of the 1.5 to 3 metre long climbing plant is used to make a delicious spa tea, a real all-rounder. Its fragrance and flavour is a real Ayurvedic [...]
Turmeric in Ayurveda: the yellow gold
Curcuma has been used as a spice and medicinal plant in traditional Ayurvedic medicine for over 5000 years. Over 3,000 scientific studies prove that curcuma is one of the three most important medicinal plants on our planet with a dizzying array of possible uses. However, there are a few rules to follow in order to maximise the health benefits: Curcuma is not just curcumin, the spice powder [...]
Trikatu: The three hot ones - ginger, black and long pepper
No Ayurvedic kitchen or pharmacy should be without it - it consists of dry ginger (shunthi), long pepper (pippali) and black pepper (marica) and is one of the most famous three-spice recipes in Ayurveda: Trikatu means „the three hot ones“. Trikatu is more than the sum of its three individual spices, the combination potentises its effect. The pungent flavour has a [...]
The Ayurveda medicine cabinet: help for self-help
Wait and see and drink tea. Most people prefer to stay at home when they are acutely ill. Many only visit a doctor's surgery when severe symptoms persist for several days or the course of the illness worsens. Until then, they help themselves - unfortunately not always successfully. Ayurveda offers a variety of [...]