Ayurvedic Insight
Issue #24, October 2003
In This Issue
Herb for the Season: Ashwagandha
By Shannon Mooney
Along with the beautiful colors of changing leaves and delicious
harvest vegetables of fall, come the shorter, colder, dry days of
vata season. Imbalanced vata dosha can manifest in the body as nervousness,
anxiety, fear and feelings of being scattered and ungrounded. When
vata is increased, even the smallest stressors, such as exposure to
wind or excess caffeine, can throw a person out of whack. Prolonged
or chronic stress can weaken the body and invite disease. According
to Ayurvedic medicine, Ashwagandha may be the single most important
herb to balance vata in the body. Ashwagandha is a powerful adaptogenic
tonic that enhances the body’s resistance to stress, strengthens
immune response and maintains homeostasis, making it the perfect herb
for achieving optimal health and vitality this fall.
Ashwagandha enables a person to better adapt or cope with various
degrees of stress. It nourishes the entire nervous system, specifically
toning and recharging the adrenals. The flow of prana becomes more
efficient, rechanneling energy otherwise spent on stressing, towards
an increase of core stamina. It is a perfect aid to athletes who wish
to increase endurance. The herb promotes a calm mind, and improved
focus and concentration. It lessens anxiety and encourages restful
sleep. Traditionally, it has also been taken to treat senility and
enhance memory. It is thought to help balance brain chemistry, which
may boost productivity, increase motivation and improve moods.
Ashwagandha is an important rasayana or rejuvenative tonic. Traditionally
in Ayurveda, it is prescribed for emaciation, weakness and debility.
It is anabolic in nature and nourishing to the musculoskeletal system,
improving quality and tone of the tissues. It helps produce ojas,
the vital essence that nourishes reproductive health and governs immune
function. Ashwagandha is the main rejuvenative of the male reproductive
system. It tonifies the hormonal system, and treats sexual debility,
impotence, and infertility.
Supporting and protecting immune function is paramount in maintaining
health and preventing disease. With vata season here, Ashwagandha
is the herb of choice to help tonify, strengthen and revitalize your
system to withstand the stress of the modern world.
Recipe: Four Star Vegetable Soup
- 1 tsp. sunflower oil (can use up to 1 Tbsp. if you like)
- 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
- 1/8 tsp. asafoetida
- 1 and 1/2 tsp. coriander seeds
- 2 Tbsp. dry urad dal
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (omit for Pitta)
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger root, grated
- 1 carrot, sliced
- 1 zucchini, sliced
- 1 cup other vegetable: asparagus, summer squash, string beans,
onion, or greens
- 4 cups water
- 1 tsp. salt, mineral salt if you can get it
Warm the oil in medium-sized saucepan. Add the cumin, hing and coriander
seeds and saute until brown, 3-5 minutes. Stir in the urad dal, garlic
and ginger and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Add the vegetables and
stir. Pour in the water and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium heat
and cook for 1/2 hour or more. The longer you cook it, the more tender
everything will be. Add salt and serve. This is a good soup to tonify
digestion and vital energy.
Recipe reprinted with permission from Ayurvedic Cooking for Westerners
by Amadea Morningstar, Lotus Press, P.O. Box 325, Twin Lakes, WI 53181.(c)1990
All Rights Reserved.
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