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The Ayurvedic science of Ritucharya (seasonal behavior) deals with how to conduct your life during the changing weather patterns of the seasons. The stresses of seasonal changes can bring about diseases that may be prevented by adopting seasonal regimens prescribed by Ayurveda.
With the strongest sun of the year, summer is hot. From the Ayurvedic perspective, pitta dosha is getting high. Exaggerated doshas are alleviated by diets and lifestyles that are opposite in nature to the prevailing condition. If the weather is hot and pitta is aggravated, cooling foods and drinks are beneficial.
People tend to have respiratory problems as the season changes from spring to summer, so cooling respiratory herbs and foods are in order. Diseases of fever tend to increase, as do those of inflammation. All are signs of heat.
Your seasonal strategy at this time is to stay cool, prevent water retention and stay balanced in your activities. Don’t overdo it if you have a tendency to heat up. Get up early in the morning when it is cool and avoid working in hot environments.
Recommended Summer Foods
Ayurveda classifies the actions of foods and herbs according to taste, from which we can understand the biochemical and physiological properties of the substance. A bitter taste, which is cooling, is said to be composed of air and ether elements. Sweet taste, composed of earth and water elements, is grounding, cooling and calming.
In your diet, concentrate on sweet, bitter and astringent tastes. Focus on fresh, sweet fruits and vegetables that grow in this season. Use more raw foods like salads and eat fewer foods with pungent, salty tastes including yogurt, cheese, tomatoes, vinegar and hot spices.
Cucumber, watermelon, non-acidic fruits and juices, grains, wheat, rice, and milk are ideal summer foods. Add to the list for summer meals a few more cooling foods: coconut, sweet fruits, cabbage, black olives, squash, wheat, white beans, sprouts and sweet potato.
A delicious mid-summer drink is a lassi (dilute yogurt shake) made with cilantro and cumin, or lime water with cumin or coriander powder. As a cooling drink in the evening, use cool milk with raw sugar, rosewater and blanched almonds.
Selected Herbs for the Summer
Amla fruit
This famous Ayurvedic herb is the most universally used cooling herb in South Asia. It is one of the most useful medicines in the Indian pharmacopoeia and is considered to be one of the strongest rejuvenatives. It is an exceptionally rich source of vitamin C.
Amla is the frontline anti-inflammatory herb, and is used for a wide variety of inflammatory conditions, including hemorrhoids, gastritis, and colitis. It is considered to be the prime general herb for the eyes, and is said to treat premature gray hair. Amla is the basis for the famous Ayurvedic rejuvenative jam chyavanprash.
Discover the herbal tea benefits of Yogi Tea with organic herbal tea and green tea: Get Regular, Ginkgo IQ, Green Tea Super Anti-Oxidant.
Dandelion
The ever-present dandelion is a significant herbal medicine in three of the world’s largest and oldest systems of herbalism-Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, and European.
Dandelion root is bitter and cold and, due to its high mineral content, a bit salty, making it effective for conditions of damp heat such as eczema, acne, boils, and jaundice. Mainly it is considered to be an herb that generally benefits the liver.
Dandelion contains bitter glycosides, the bitter resin taraxacerin, phytosterols, tannins, triterpenes, a wide variety of minerals, most notably potassium and calcium, and several vitamins, including A and C. Dandelion is higher in nutrient content than many other vegetables. For example, while carrot has 11,000 I.U. of vitamin A per 100 grams, dandelion has a whopping 14,000 I.U. Human and animal studies reveal that dandelion increases bile flow, benefiting liver congestion, bile duct inflammation, and gallstones. Dandelion is recommended it for detoxification from a diet of meat and overuse of fatty and fried food.
Oddly enough, one of its best applications is largely unknown here in North America. Dandelion is a very good herb for the prevention and treatment of breast disease of various types. Ayurveda particularly reveres it for that use, calling it “specific for the problems of the breast and mammary glands.”
Discover the herbal tea benefits of Yogi Tea with organic herbal tea: DeTox, Fasting, Get Regular, Peach Detox, Woman's Dong Quai Tonic, Woman's Mother to Be.
Eleuthero
Eleuthero is a distant relative of Asian ginseng. It is frequently nicknamed “Siberian ginseng” in this country. This herb is native to the Taiga region of the Far East, originally used by the inhabitants of the region to increase quality of life. Chinese medicine records say that the use of eleuthero use dates back 2,000 years. Called ci wu ju in Chinese medicine, it is used to prevent respiratory tract infections and to provide energy and vitality.
Science has discovered a treasure chest of beneficial ingredients in the herb. Six compounds show activity as anti-oxidants, four show anti-cancer action, three show cholesterol lowering action, two show immune enhancing effects, one has gall bladder stimulating activity, one has the ability to decrease/moderate insulin levels, one has activity as a protector against radioactivity, one shows anti-inflammatory and anti-fever activities and yet another has shown activity against bacteria.
Improvements in muscular strength, maximal oxygen uptake, work capacity, fuel homeostasis, serum lactate, heart rate, visual and auditory reaction times, alertness and psychomotor skills have also been repeatedly documented.
Discover the herbal tea benefits of Yogi Tea with organic herbal tea and green tea: Ginseng Royal Vitality, Green Tea Energy, Green Tea Triple Echinacea.
This article was written by Karta Purkh Singh Khalsa, C.N., A.H.G., an herbalist and educator with more than 25 years of clinical experience. He also coauthored Herbal Defense. Karta Purkh is a member of Yogi Tea's team of experts who help us formulate our products.
The Ayurvedic science of Ritucharya (seasonal behavior) deals with how to conduct your life during the changing weather patterns of the seasons. The stresses of seasonal changes can bring about diseases that may be prevented by adopting seasonal regimens prescribed by Ayurveda.
With the strongest sun of the year, summer is hot. From the Ayurvedic perspective, pitta dosha is getting high. Exaggerated doshas are alleviated by diets and lifestyles that are opposite in nature to the prevailing condition. If the weather is hot and pitta is aggravated, cooling foods and drinks are beneficial.
People tend to have respiratory problems as the season changes from spring to summer, so cooling respiratory herbs and foods are in order. Diseases of fever tend to increase, as do those of inflammation. All are signs of heat.
Your seasonal strategy at this time is to stay cool, prevent water retention and stay balanced in your activities. Don’t overdo it if you have a tendency to heat up. Get up early in the morning when it is cool and avoid working in hot environments.
Recommended Summer Foods
Ayurveda classifies the actions of foods and herbs according to taste, from which we can understand the biochemical and physiological properties of the substance. A bitter taste, which is cooling, is said to be composed of air and ether elements. Sweet taste, composed of earth and water elements, is grounding, cooling and calming.
In your diet, concentrate on sweet, bitter and astringent tastes. Focus on fresh, sweet fruits and vegetables that grow in this season. Use more raw foods like salads and eat fewer foods with pungent, salty tastes including yogurt, cheese, tomatoes, vinegar and hot spices.
Cucumber, watermelon, non-acidic fruits and juices, grains, wheat, rice, and milk are ideal summer foods. Add to the list for summer meals a few more cooling foods: coconut, sweet fruits, cabbage, black olives, squash, wheat, white beans, sprouts and sweet potato.
A delicious mid-summer drink is a lassi (dilute yogurt shake) made with cilantro and cumin, or lime water with cumin or coriander powder. As a cooling drink in the evening, use cool milk with raw sugar, rosewater and blanched almonds.
Selected Herbs for the Summer
Amla fruit
This famous Ayurvedic herb is the most universally used cooling herb in South Asia. It is one of the most useful medicines in the Indian pharmacopoeia and is considered to be one of the strongest rejuvenatives. It is an exceptionally rich source of vitamin C.
Amla is the frontline anti-inflammatory herb, and is used for a wide variety of inflammatory conditions, including hemorrhoids, gastritis, and colitis. It is considered to be the prime general herb for the eyes, and is said to treat premature gray hair. Amla is the basis for the famous Ayurvedic rejuvenative jam chyavanprash.
Discover the herbal tea benefits of Yogi Tea with organic herbal tea and green tea: Get Regular, Ginkgo IQ, Green Tea Super Anti-Oxidant.
Dandelion
The ever-present dandelion is a significant herbal medicine in three of the world’s largest and oldest systems of herbalism-Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, and European.
Dandelion root is bitter and cold and, due to its high mineral content, a bit salty, making it effective for conditions of damp heat such as eczema, acne, boils, and jaundice. Mainly it is considered to be an herb that generally benefits the liver.
Dandelion contains bitter glycosides, the bitter resin taraxacerin, phytosterols, tannins, triterpenes, a wide variety of minerals, most notably potassium and calcium, and several vitamins, including A and C. Dandelion is higher in nutrient content than many other vegetables. For example, while carrot has 11,000 I.U. of vitamin A per 100 grams, dandelion has a whopping 14,000 I.U. Human and animal studies reveal that dandelion increases bile flow, benefiting liver congestion, bile duct inflammation, and gallstones. Dandelion is recommended it for detoxification from a diet of meat and overuse of fatty and fried food.
Oddly enough, one of its best applications is largely unknown here in North America. Dandelion is a very good herb for the prevention and treatment of breast disease of various types. Ayurveda particularly reveres it for that use, calling it “specific for the problems of the breast and mammary glands.”
Discover the herbal tea benefits of Yogi Tea with organic herbal tea: DeTox, Fasting, Get Regular, Peach Detox, Woman's Dong Quai Tonic, Woman's Mother to Be.
Eleuthero
Eleuthero is a distant relative of Asian ginseng. It is frequently nicknamed “Siberian ginseng” in this country. This herb is native to the Taiga region of the Far East, originally used by the inhabitants of the region to increase quality of life. Chinese medicine records say that the use of eleuthero use dates back 2,000 years. Called ci wu ju in Chinese medicine, it is used to prevent respiratory tract infections and to provide energy and vitality.
Science has discovered a treasure chest of beneficial ingredients in the herb. Six compounds show activity as anti-oxidants, four show anti-cancer action, three show cholesterol lowering action, two show immune enhancing effects, one has gall bladder stimulating activity, one has the ability to decrease/moderate insulin levels, one has activity as a protector against radioactivity, one shows anti-inflammatory and anti-fever activities and yet another has shown activity against bacteria.
Improvements in muscular strength, maximal oxygen uptake, work capacity, fuel homeostasis, serum lactate, heart rate, visual and auditory reaction times, alertness and psychomotor skills have also been repeatedly documented.
Discover the herbal tea benefits of Yogi Tea with organic herbal tea and green tea: Ginseng Royal Vitality, Green Tea Energy, Green Tea Triple Echinacea.
This article was written by Karta Purkh Singh Khalsa, C.N., A.H.G., an herbalist and educator with more than 25 years of clinical experience. He also coauthored Herbal Defense. Karta Purkh is a member of Yogi Tea's team of experts who help us formulate our products.
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