Tulsi - "Holy Basil"

                                                TULSI - "HOLY BASIL"

In terms of the Ayurvedic doshas, tulsi has bitter, pungent, and astringent tastes and generates a warming influence on the physiology. The herb is predominantly Kapha-reducing, but it can also be used to pacify Vata and Pitta. However, it can have a mildly Pitta-aggravating effect in individuals who are severely overheated.

Tulsi has spiritual as well as medicinal significance in Ayurveda. In Hindu mythology, the plant is an incarnation of the goddess Tulsi, offering divine protection. Many Indian families keep a living Tulsi plant in their homes – tending to it with great care and reverence. The plant’s woody stalks are often made into beads used in meditation malas or rosaries.

Often referred to as holy basil, Tulsi is a potent herb that has been used in India for thousands of years to treat colds, coughs, and flu. According to Ayurveda, tulsi promotes purity and lightness in the body, cleansing the respiratory tract of toxins and relieving digestive gas and bloating. Tulsi leaves offer a rich source of essential oil, containing eugenol, nerol, camphor, and a variety of terpenes and flavonoids. The oil is a strong antiseptic against many kinds of disease-causing organisms, including bacteria, fungi, and parasites.

Tulsi’s Benefits in Soothing Stress
Tulsi oil has antioxidant properties that may explain its effectiveness in reducing the damaging effects of stress on the body. A number of studies of animals have shown that tulsi protects healthy cells from the toxicity of radiation and chemotherapy. In addition, tulsi seems to influence the neurochemistry of the brain in a way similar to antidepressant medications.

Ayurvedic Herb - Ginger

Ginger is the most valuable herb in ayurvedic system. Ginger increases Pitta dosha in body and decreases Kapha and Vatta dosha. Ginger is also called bitter tonic, excellent herb to improve digestion. If a person eats little raw ginger with sea salt before lunch or dinner his digestion improves and can be free from many digestive aliments.

Traditional ayurvedic texts recommend ginger for use for joint pain, motion or airsickness and clearing the microcirculatory channels to facilitate absorption of nutrients and better elimination of wastes.
Where will you get such a cheap herb of such great importance other than “Ayurveda”

The best way to include ginger in your diet is to add a slice of ginger in your morning tea, its stimulates your digestive system and also stimulates your taste buds. Another way of having ginger is to boil a little piece of ginger in a liter of water and boil it for 5 minutes, cool the water and you can drink that water throughout your day. Ginger can also be used in your daily cooking recipe as a condiment and spice which will increase taste of your food with its benefitting properties.
Ginger must be avoided by persons having gastric disturbance like acidity, gastritis or gastric and duodenal ulcers as ginger is bitter it irritates the gastric mucosa.
As a person gets old he should regularly in take ginger in his diet because ginger is a cheap medicine which can give a healthy physiology to old age people and can bay off many old age diseases.

Tridosha

Ayurveda relies on Tridosha theory for diagnosis and curing disease.Tridosha are the 3 dosha present in body. Increasing or decreasing these dosha causes ill in body. Dosha should be kept in harmony for proper functioning of the body.
The 3 dosha are:-

1)Vata, composed of air, governs all movement in the mind and body and must be kept in good balance. Too much vata leads to worries, insomnia, cramps and constipation. It controls blood flow, elimination of wastes, breathing and the movement of thoughts across the mind. It is also responsible for the activation of the nervous system, hearing and speech; and expresses as enthusiasm and creativity. Vata also controls the other two principles, Pitta and Kapha, and is usually the first cause of disease. Another word for Vata is Vayu - it is the more traditional Sanskrit word for air.

2) Pitta is said to be composed of fire and water; it governs all heat, metabolism and transformation in the mind and body. It controls how we digest food, how we metabolize our sensory perceptions, and how we discriminate between right and wrong. Pitta must be kept in balance, too. Too much it can lead to anger, criticism, ulcers, rashes and thinning hair. A balanced Pitta mind makes one a good leader with a warm personality.

3) Kapha is the watery humour. It cements the elements in the body, providing the material for physical structure and maintains the body resistance by lubricating the joints; providing moisture to the skin, helping to heal the wounds, filling the spaces in the body; giving the biological strength, vigor and stability, supporting memory retention and giving the energy to the heart and lungs. In all it maintains immunity.
Kapha is also responsible for emotions of attachment, greed and long-standing envy; it is also expressed in tendencies toward calmness, forgiveness and love. Too much Kapha leads to lethargy and weight gain, as well as congestion and allergies
Each being from his birth has one pre-dominant dosha, which represents his physique character and behavior. Ayurveda has the key to cure this imbalance in dosha to cure man and make him healthy.

Health and wellness - Vedic style

 The Vedic knowledge of health and wellness was introduced by Aryans, after coming from central africa to India through Khyber Pass (Afghanistan), around 1500 B.C. They settled across the state of Punjab (India) and after it the Vedic era began. During Vedic era four major vedas (the oldest scriptures old Hinduism) were composed with it many other scriptures were composed which includes Ayurveda and in it Charka Samhita and Susruta Samhita.

     Ayurveda is not only a traditional medicine system or a alternative medicine system, but its a perfect, analyzed and well guided way for a Human being to live a healthy and prospers life. It is a system to included in to your day to day life activities and Scripture Charka Samhita has true presentation of art of living.

     Today, a modern man has lost in his modern life and world, he has forgotten the knowledge of "What to eat ?","When to eat" and "How to eat ?". He is neglecting his health and trying to hide the symptoms of disease rather than diagnosing or curing it, Example "For acidity in stomach, he takes acid neutralizing agents but does it really cures or ward off the disease? Here comes where the allopath system and the Ayurveda system differs, Allopath system sees a organ individually but in Ayurveda system it sees body as whole compartment, what changes occurred in other compartments of body so that result there is increase in acid secretion in stomach.

     Today, Modern man has open huge charity hospitals and does huge charity of medicines, but I ask you does it really help? Or more important is that “To teach a man how to live a better and a healthy life “this would be rally a great boon if all of us understands it, this would be the real charity and thats what God Charka has given through his knowledge.

     Ayurveda is not a business, like today’s huge profit making business like Hospitals and Pharmaceutical business. But Ayurveda is like a mother, who takes care of all his children. God Charka stress on basic rules or start from zero level to teach us how to live a healthy life. Ayurveda knowledge is free for everyone from poorest man to the richest man of society it has no distinction between its followers. It’s not a degree you can only achieve by going to college or to has it you should have any criteria, its free knowledge for everyone.

     God Charka say's "To enter heaven, you need pure soul, for it you need pure body and pure mind and to have it you should take pure food".


Everyone has heard the story of Elixir of life(Amrut) which gives immortality, this may be true but the Ayurveda and its herbal medicines are truly potent to give life a longevity.

God Charaka