Blog — ayurveda

Brian Keenan
Saffron:  The World’s Favorite Flower

Saffron: The World’s Favorite Flower

The World’s Flower Saffron, known scientifically as Crocus sativus, is more than just the world's most expensive spice; it's a treasure trove of rich history, culture, and traditional properties that spans continents and centuries. In the realm of Ayurveda, saffron is not merely a spice but a symbol of purity and a key to balancing the body's unique energies, offering mood enhancement and fertility benefits which are now very well elucidated in research in modern times. Additionally, in Traditional Chinese Medicine, where saffron's circulation-boosting and spirit calming properties are revered, saffron’s role in mind/spirit harmony is once again highlighted. Again,...

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Skin Health and Ayurveda: A Radiant Path to Natural Beauty

Skin Health and Ayurveda: A Radiant Path to Natural Beauty

In the quest for timeless beauty and radiant skin, Ayurveda, the ancient system of holistic healing from India, shines as a beacon of wisdom in an era where there’s more skin tips than can possibly be implemented and are often contradictory. Beyond fleeting trends and synthetic cosmetics, Ayurveda offers a profound understanding of skin health, highlighting the intricate balance of our inner and outer worlds. The science and artistry of Ayurvedic skincare combines targeted topical oils, internal herbs, and dietary approaches for a unique approach to natural skin care. This approach is not simply holistic, it provides guidance and explanations...

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Ayurvedic Strategies for Back to School

Ayurvedic Strategies for Back to School

As the summer comes to an end, we turn our attention to the changing seasons and of course, the full swing of the back to school season.  In Ayurveda, as autumn sets in, it is characterized by the ascension of the Vata energy as the dominant movement expressed by nature. Vata energy is considered a combination of two of the 5 elements of nature: air and ether, which can be conceptualized as “the space between.” As a result of these 2 primordial forces rising, which we call Vata energy, increases in dryness, coldness, and winds naturally occur. We watch as...

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Red yeast rice

Get the scoop on Red Yeast Rice!

Red yeast rice is a fascinating substance that has been a part of traditional culinary and therapeutic practices for centuries, particularly in Asian cultures. Made by fermenting a type of yeast called Monascus purpureus with white rice, it is recognized by its characteristic reddish-purple hue and unique flavor profile. This substance is gaining international attention for its potential utility to overall human health and well-being as well as its unique gustatory contributions.  One of the defining aspects of red yeast rice is its rich nutritional composition. It is packed with important nutrients, including proteins, amino acids, and a range of...

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Vegan Mango Honey Ice Cream

Vegan Mango Honey Ice Cream

SERVES: 4—6 | TOTAL PREP TIME: 20 MINS | SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: BLENDER Enjoy homemade vegan ice cream made simply with just 5 ingredients and a blender. This healthy dessert is naturally sweetened with fresh mangoes and honey, warmly spiced with cardamom and our proprietary CoCurcumin mix, and made creamy with full-fat coconut milk. Reduced fat coconut milk can be substituted however, you may end up with a sorbet-like consistency.   INGREDIENTS 2 cups fresh mango puree (3-5 mangoes) 2 cups cup full-fat coconut milk ¼ cup raw honey (substitute: monkfruit sugar) 1 ½ tbsp CoCurcumin (substitute: ground turmeric) ½ tsp...

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Easy-To-Digest Spring Recipes

By Dr. Anju Sodhi (Bams, ND) SPRING GINGER DAL Easy to digest foods is critical this time of year. The Agni, digestive fire, must be kindled and protected. This dal recipe provides easy to digest protein, functional foods that aid in digestion and is hearty without being heavy. INGREDIENTS: 1 cup yellow lentil (toor dal) ¼ teaspoon green chilis 1 cup whole spinach 2 tablespoons ghee ½ teaspoon fennel seeds 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon mustard seeds 2 pinches dried red chili flakes (optional) 3 inches of fresh chopped ginger 1 teaspoon CoCurcumin Kosher salt to taste ¼ cup cilantro...

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Spring Recipes For Immunity And Fertility

By Dr. Anju Sodhi (Bams, ND) It's springtime and we have some ama to get rid of. During this season of birth and growth, some people are feeling the need to conceive children. The recipes below can help with conception but also nurture those without the itch to grow families. The reproductive organs are the last tissue in Ayurvedic nutrition to receive nutrients. They are the most refined and strongest organs that not only produce gametes but also the immune system. These recipes are made to nurture the reproductive system to support immunity, increase chances of getting pregnant, and burn...

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Fall Recipes For September

By Dr. Anju Sodhi (Bams, ND) As we wind into the fall, vata is on the rise. With school starting, many kids are feeling a little restless and put off. For adults, the changing season reminds us that the relaxation found during the summer is reducing. Sweetness is needed for this recipe; feel free to use either maple syrup OR honey. These recipes will help reduce vata and keep us warm as we watch the changing leaves. NIGHT TIME MILK FOR FALL This milk drink will ease vata and allow us to get a good night’s rest. Saffron will help...

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Summer Recipes For July

COCONUT MANGO ICE CREAM Ice cream is necessary this summer. This vegan ice cream is easy to make and is accidentally a healthy serving of fruit. Enjoy as a snack or an incredible ending to a large meal. 1-13.5 oz can of coconut milk, full fat 1 vanilla pod 2 ripe mangos, peeled and pit removed ¼ cup maple syrup Place the can of coconut milk in the refrigerator overnight. Remove the seeds from a vanilla pod using a sharp knife. Chop the mangos into pieces. Place the coconut milk, vanilla beans seeds, mangos and maple syrup in a food...

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Summer Recipes For June

By Dr. Anju Sodhi (Bams, ND) KHEER Makes 4 servings During this hot season, sweet foods can be our friend-in moderation. Kheer provides an easy-to-digest dessert that is not too sweet but can ameliorate the symptoms of pitta. Be advised that honey is a great sweetener but it is not to be cooked. There are several options to make this dessert listed below. 2.5 cups coconut milk (from the can) 2 tablespoons organic raw sugar 2 cups water ½ cup basmati white rice ¼ teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon cardamom ¼ cup raisins (optional) ½ teaspoon rose water (optional) Chopped pistachios...

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Ayurvedic Tips for Healthy Digestion

Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude, family, friends, memories, and traditions. However, it is also a time where many people overindulge in the delicious, and often carbohydrate-heavy, foods. This not only leaves us feeling slow and sluggish but has the potential to completely throw our usual healthy diets out the window. Thankfully, there are few ways to support the body and avoid the pitfalls of over-consumption. In Ayurveda, the digestive process is considered central to the development of good quality of Tejas (intelligence), Ojas (vitality) and Prana (life-force). The digestive process is a broad term that includes our gross digestion...

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Two hands holding a cute skeleton and ghost cookie.

Fall into Trick Or Treat

As the harvest moon approaches, the season of fall is in full swing. The air is brisk, and the hours of daylight are noticeably diminishing. Often, we begin spending more time indoors, enjoying the warmth and comforts of home. We tend to exercise less and eat a bit more, usually, craving foods that make us feel good, temporarily; foods that contain increased amounts of sugar and fat. With Halloween right around the corner, it is important to avoid overindulging in sugary treats in order to maintain balance in mind and body. Similar to the autumn air, the qualities of vata...

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Yoga poses on ascending towers of cubes of sugar.

Yoga and Balancing Blood Sugar

Today, more than 30 million Americans have type two diabetes1 and blood sugar dysregulation is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States2. As a result, much research has gone into any and all ways to mitigate the severity and progression caused by unhealthy sugar metabolism. Dietary approaches, herbal and nutritional supplements such as Gymnema, and a host of pharmaceutical drugs all play their role in helping manage blood sugar and stem the growing epidemic of diseases caused by sugar dysregulation. Ultimately, the results of sugar dysregulation impact all aspects of health, in particular, our cardiovascular, nervous, and...

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People of various ages with their arms around each other

Vata Stage of Life: What Ayurveda Teaches for Longevity and Healthy Aging

by Dr. Brian Keenan In Ayurvedic medicine, there are 5 elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Ether (or the space between things) that interact and combine to form the 3 dosha: vata, pitta, and kapha. These dosha go on to be the functional and corporeal interactions of life, nature, and by extension, human health. Moreover, beyond governing all aspects of life, the dosha are also responsible for the variety and uniqueness of life. This is said to be because these three dosha combine and interact in various ratios and at various levels in each living being. Simply put, this explains...

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Dr. Brian Keenan ND, LAc

Honey: A Tale as Old as Time

As long as there has been civilization, and some might even say even before it, humans utilized the panacea known as honey. Sweet, nutritive, and medicinal, this complex substance represents the pinnacle of symbiosis. From the plant’s propagation cycle to the bee’s livelihood, to medicine for animals and humans, honey connects the world. Moreover, it is one of the few common threads in virtually every early civilization. As far back as 8,000 years ago in Spain we have found paintings of warriors attempting to gather honey. In a post-Mesolithic rock painting in Rajat Prapat in Central India presents honey collection...

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Cooling Herbs: Where East Meets West

Of the three doshas described in Ayurvedic medicine, Pitta is the one that is associated with water and fire. The interplay of these elements creates a transformative property and is associated with processes such as digestion and detoxification. When Pitta is too hot, the Ayurvedic practitioner will look to cooling herbs to bring the body back into balance. Traditionally, Pitta imbalance is generally characterized by night sweats, irritated skin, and anger. Western trained providers tend to think about systems involved in the presentation of an illness, such as the nervous or endocrine system, as do providers trained in Eastern disciplines...

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