Introduction to ayurveda

Ayurveda comes from the vedas- the holy scriptures in India.  It originated thousands of years ago in a verbal form, then it was documented around 3000 years ago.  The scriptures are conversations between the sages about disease and epidemics.

Epidemics were a relatively new phenomena at that time, due to communities coming and living together rather than living nomadic lifestyles, and the sages discussed how to prevent and treat such disease.

Ayur means life and veda means knowledge, so it translates as ‘knowledge of life’- how to live.

Central to ayurveda is the concept that we are a microcosm of the macrocosm.

The macrocosm being the earth and every that lives within it, and the microcosm being the earthly bodies, including animals.

Both us and everything in the earth is made up of 5 elements:

ether (space), air, water, fire and earth.

So the macrocosm affects the microcosm- what is happening within these elements, impacts our bodies.

And although we live more removed from nature than ever, we cannot escape it- we breathe it, bathe in its water, eat its food.

Therefore discussion of the seasons plays a central role in the Ayurvedic texts- winter, spring, summer and autumn, all have an impact on the body, and can throw our bodies out of harmony if we do not know how to live within these seasons i.e. eating the right foods, drinking the right things, and our daily routine, amongst other things.  

I believe in using this knowledge as a preventative measure, to keep our bodies in harmony- recognising the early symptoms and treating these organically using food and drink as medicine.

In terms of food and drink, according to ayurveda there are 6 tastes: 

In order to maintain health and balance in the body, we should ensure that we are consuming all of these tastes:

Sweet (rice, wheat, honey, oats, mung bean, sweet potato, grapes)- soothes, nourishes & energises the body.   

Salty- helps to expel gas, is a laxative, cures stiffness, clarifies the channels of circulation.

Sour (citrus fruits, vinegar, yoghurt, pomegranate)- stimulates the appetite, salivation and the digestion of food, strengthens the sense organs

Astringent (chickpeas, corn, tea, coffee, honey, figs)- absorbs excess fluids in the body and helps to alleviate acidity.

Bitter (biter greens, sprouts, broccoli, turmeric, nettle)- The bitter taste promotes the firmness of the skin and muscles, promotes digestion, cures excess thirst, clears up mucous

Pungent (black pepper, chillies, garlic, ginger)- helps the body to absorb nutrients, helps in the elimination of waste products, kills germs, breaks blood clots.

All these tastes have crucial roles to play in the health of our body, but any of these in excess has its own detrimental effect on our bodies.  The taste which should generally dominate our diet is the sweet taste.  However, overindulging in this taste can lead to lethargy, obesity, hypersomnia, loss of the power of digestion.  This is very much a problem in our society.  On the other hand, having an excess of lentils or pulses which are considered to be super healthy has its own problems. As they dominate in the astringent taste, an excess of these can lead to emaciation, weariness, and even a reduction in fertility.  

In ayurveda, eating the local food around you is of central importance.  Nature is so intelligent in producing those foods that we need within that season. 

Ayurveda places a huge emphasis on agni- which translates as fire.  This refers to the digestion process, the metabolism.  In ayurveda, we are always concerned with how strong this agni is.  A strong agni indicates a healthy body.  When you are ill, often you experience a loss of appetite.  And you know you are on the mend when you start getting hungry again.  So everything in Ayurveda is about encouraging this feeling of hunger, so keeping it at bay as so many of us often do- at the first sign of a bit of hunger we will snack.  However, if you waited until you were really hungry to eat, you would enjoy your food a whole lot more.  And by waiting at least four hours in between each meal, without snacking in between, you would allow the body to fully digest the previous meal before ingesting the new one.

If the previous meal has not been fully digested, then you may build up what is known as ‘ama’ in the body- which literally means undigested food, and is closely related to toxins.  Ama is the number one producer of disease in the body, and is produced by undigested food and undigested thoughts:

"Those who want to preserve ‘ojas’ and maintain the health of the heart and the vessels attached to it in good condition, should avoid any factors that may lead to unhappiness (mental worries).  Tranquility and wisdom should be followed for this purpose."

(Caraka Samhita)