Archives for Aug 27, 2021

Upma (Savory Cream of wheat)

Aug 27, 2021 by Chinmayi Kulkarni Leave a Comment

Upma is a a savory breakfast preparation from southern part of India. It is made with bear mush or cream of wheat. It is easy to prepare and can also be served as a side dish with other meals. It can be modified in a number of ways to incorporate your favorite vegetables and spices.

It is good for all 3 doshas

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Total Time: 20 Minutes
Serves: 2 persons

Ingredients

1 cup Semolina or Cream of wheat
1 ¼ T Ghee (preferably cow’s)
1 t each of mustard seeds and cumin seeds
A pinch of asafoetida
4 to 5 fresh curry leaves
½ tsp turmeric (optional)
1/2 t finely chopped green chili
1 T chopped shallots
1 T carrots (optional)
1 T green peas (optional)
Chopped cilantro for garnish
Salt to taste preferably Himalayan salt
3 cups of water

Method

Roast the cream of wheat until golden brown and fragrant in a dry pan over medium flame and set aside.
Heat ghee in a saucepan, then add mustard and cumin seeds.
When the seeds sputter, stir in other spices, shallots, chili, curry leaves, carrots, and peas, and saute until onion turns golden brown.
Add salt and water, bring it to a boil and then add the roasted semolina.
Stir continuously to prevent lumps and let it cook for 3 to 4 minutes till grains swell up.
Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Serving suggestions

Add lemon juice or plain yoghurt for enhanced flavors.

Check out the Ayurvedic benefits of ingredients used in this recipe

Asafoetida I Cumin Seeds I Curry Leaves I Mustard seeds I Turmeric

Golden Milk (Masala Turmeric milk)

Aug 27, 2021 by Avi Kumar Leave a Comment

Haldi doodh or golden milk as popularly known in Western society, is a version of milk mixed with ground turmeric and other spices. It is a warm comforting drink with turmeric’s anti-inflammatory properties and is good for those days when you feel run down due to the weather.

Good for all doshas. Should avoid consuming at night for high kapha constitution

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Total Time: 10 Minutes
Serves: 2 persons

Ingredients

2 ½ cups of Milk preferably cow’s whole milk
¾ t ground turmeric
3 to 4 cardamom pods
1 t thinly sliced ginger
5 to 6 whole black peppercorns
1 small cinnamon stick
1 t of sugar or honey or maple syrup
Sliced almonds and pistachios for garnish (optional)
1 or 2 saffron strands for garnish (optional)

Method

Put the milk on the stove in a saucepan and add ground turmeric to it when it is lukewarm.
Add crushed green cardamom pods, sliced ginger, black peppercorns, and cinnamon.
Add in the sweetener and whisk everything together.
Keep it over low flame for 5 minutes.
Remove the pan from heat and let it sit for another 5 minutes covered with a lid. This helps soak all the flavors from the spices.
Strain the milk and serve.
Garnish with sliced nuts and saffron strands (optional)

Serving suggestions

You may sprinkle some nutmeg powder before serving.

Check out the Ayurvedic benefits of ingredients used in this recipe

Black Pepper I Cardamom I Cinnamon I Ginger I Saffron I Turmeric

Gulkand (Rose Petal Jam)

Aug 27, 2021 by Chinmayi Kulkarni Leave a Comment

Gulkand is a sweet rose petal preserve and an effective Ayurvedic formulation with natural cooling properties. It is a powerful antioxidant and offers numerous health benefits. It helps in digestion, controls pimples, boils, blemishes, reduces acidity and stomach heat. It also provides relaxation and restful sleep when taken before bed with milk.

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Total Time: 2 to 3 weeks
Serves: 450 to 500 gm

Ingredients

250 gm Rose petals
250 gm Sugar
1/2 t cardamom powder (optional)

Method

Collect and wash fresh rose petals (preferably Indian red rose) and let them dry.
Crush or finely chop the rose petals.
Mix these with sugar and cardamom and place in an air-tight container.
Keep it in sunlight for 2-3 weeks and stir every day with a dry and clean spoon. It’s ready to serve once it gets sticky and syrupy.

Serving suggestions

Can be blended with milk and taken as a cooling drink.
Desired dose for adult: 2 tablespoons/day

Notes

Contraindications
People with diabetes should avoid it as it contains sugar.
Obese people may consume only a small quantity.

Check out the Ayurvedic benefits of ingredients used in this recipe

Cardamom

Rasala (Medicated yoghurt)

Aug 27, 2021 by Avi Kumar Leave a Comment

Rasala is basically churned yogurt with sugar and spices like pepper added to it. This recipe is good for the gut and can be useful in inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease and colitis. It is generally recommended to have this in summer and autumn.

Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Total Time: 15 Minutes
Serves: 1 glass (200-250 ml)

Ingredients

1 cup fresh yoghurt, plain
½ t crushed black pepper
2 t jaggery or sugar
Salt to taste (preferably Himalayan salt)
1 ½ t ghee (preferably cow’s ghee)
1 t mustard seeds
½ t fenugreek seeds
½ t cumin seeds
1 dried red chili
A pinch of turmeric optional

Method

Blend together yogurt, pepper powder, jaggery, and salt.
Melt ghee in a pan and add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, red chilies, and curry leaves to it and wait till it sputters.
Pour this seasoning over churned yogurt and serve with roti or rice.

Serving suggestions

Can be served as a health drink by adding more water and lemon juice.

Notes

Contradiction- During respiratory illness.

Check out the Ayurvedic benefits of ingredients used in this recipe

Black Pepper I Cumin Seeds I Fenugreek I Mustard Seed I Turmeric

Eye Irritation

Aug 27, 2021 by Chinmayi Kulkarni Leave a Comment

What is Eye Irritation?

Eye irritation is an eye condition that occurs when you have some sort of disturbance in your eyes or the surrounding area. You may experience irritations such as itching, pain, tears, etc.

What are the Symptoms of Eye Irritation?

There are some common symptoms of eye irritation. They are itchy eyes, teary eyes, redness in the eyes, eye pain. One may also experience more severe symptoms such as blurred vision or light sensitivity.

What are the Causes of Eye Irritation?

One of the main causes of eye irritation is allergy. In case your eyes encounter any sorts of allergen that disturbs the membranes of your eyes, you develop severe eye irritation.
You may also have eye irritation if you are accidentally exposed to smoke, dust, or any chemicals. It may also irritate if any foreign object gets into your eyes. The extent of irritation depends on the size of the foreign object that is stuck in your eyes. The bigger object will cause more irritation than the smaller object.
Using computers, laptops, or mobiles for a long time may irritate your eyes. This is called “Digital Eye Strain”
You also may get infected by some viruses or fungal infections that may cause irritation in your eyes.

When to see a Doctor?

The eyes are the most important organs in our body and should not be ignored if you develop any problems related to your eyes. Seek medical attention if you notice any concerns in your eyes. However, the symptoms may not always be serious for eye irritation but should be checked out to be safe.. Rush to a doctor or hospital if you have a severe eye injury such as a cut or punctured eye, blurred vision, or a harmful chemical in the eye. This is an emergency situation.

Lifestyle Prevention of Eye Irritation

Some of the obvious instances of getting eye irritations cannot be avoided but some lifestyle changes may prevent you from getting eye irritations and help you protect your eyes. Reducing alcohol consumption is one of them. Also, quitting smoking can help. Protecting your eyes from the sun is important and wearing good quality sunglasses is advised. Also, try to give rest to your eyes and avoid looking at the screen of your computer or mobile for a longer time.

Common Ayurvedic Remedies for Eye Irritation

Curative Ayurvedic Herbs:

Preventative Ayurvedic Herbs:

Fainting and dizziness

Aug 27, 2021 by Avi Kumar Leave a Comment

What is Fainting and Dizziness?

Fainting is a serious health condition that happens when someone loses consciousness and posture due to decreased blood flow to the brain. Dizziness on the other hand is described as a range of sensations, like feeling to be fainted or feeling unsteady and it makes a false impression that you or your surroundings are whirling and is often called vertigo.

What are the Symptoms of Fainting and Dizziness?

The symptoms of dizziness and fainting are mostly common. People with these conditions may feel heaviness in their legs, feeling warm or hot without even being exposed to it, start sweating, feel nauseous, and/or become confused. Some severe conditions may be falling over, appearing pale, weaker pulse, etc.

What are the Causes of Fainting and Dizziness?

Several different circumstances can trigger fainting. These include heart problems such as irregular heartbeats, convulsions, low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), anemia, and difficulties with how the nervous system controls blood pressure. On the other hand, dizziness can be caused by inner ear disruption, motion illness, and medication side effects. Occasionally it’s affected by an underlying health condition, for example, poor circulation, infection, or injury.

Sometimes fainting may occur in otherwise healthy individuals. The instances when an individual with no underlying health condition suffers from fainting include, unexpected exposure to an unpleasant sight or experience. Abrupt emotional upset can also cause fainting.

When to see a Doctor?

In case someone experiences recurrent fainting and dizziness needs to see a doctor. If the dizziness is prolonged and unexplained then visiting a doctor is a must just to examine the possibility of other serious health conditions that are causing fainting and dizziness.

Lifestyle Prevention of Fainting and Dizziness

Lifestyle prevention of dizziness and fainting is really difficult as these conditions are caused by numerous factors which are very difficult to control. However, some of the obvious causes of these conditions can be prevented. Obvious conditions such as dizziness from exercise can be controlled by drinking a lot of water. Exercising too much can cause you to release excess sweat from your body and you become dehydrated. Whenever you feel dizziness while working out, take a rest and drink water. Also, deep breathing can help you recover from dizziness and vertigo. Try to take a deep breath and hold for a few seconds behind the belly button. This exercise will surely help you. Regular health check-up is also very important to rule out the possibility of having any underlying disease and not knowing it. If you know that some diseases may trigger possibilities of dizziness and fainting then you can take precautions.

Common Ayurvedic Remedies for Fainting and Dizziness

Herbal formulas: If you determine that the dizziness is primarily due to pitta, a wonderful Ayurvedic herbal formula may prove helpful. Mix these herbs:

Brahmi 1 part
Jatamansi 1 part
Saraswati ¼ part
Take ½ teaspoon of the mixture 2 or 3 times a day with water after meals.

Curative Ayurvedic Herbs:

Sandalwood | Shatavari | Saraswatarishta

Preventative Ayurvedic Herbs:

Not Known.