April 2022 - Center for Ayurveda Studies

Cooling Decoctions for Summer: Rock Sugar Pānaka

April 29, 2022April 29, 2022 Dr Sumit Sur Leave a comment

Taken from the 15th century CE classic Ayurvedic text Bhava Prakasha written by the ancient physician Bhava Misra, the recipe for sarkarodaka utilises fresh red cane rock sugar, fresh clean water, green cardamom seeds/elaichi, cloves/lavanga, and karpur

The heat of summer makes the body uncomfortable with the excess sweat and captured heat. Today's good living gives us several choices, using technology and modern convenience to lure us into air-conditioned rooms, drink ice cold water, enjoy frozen fruit drinks, ice-creams and plunge into chlorinated swimming pools. Visuals lure us into an illusion that these will keep us safely cool.

Ayurveda advised that only foods that produce cooling inside will actually cool our body. The ancient texts of Ayurveda gave us the original sweet cooling drinks, from which today's modern cold drinks have evolved, preparations that use ingredients that actually cool the body without halting the metabolism inside, essentially reducing radiant heat loss from each cell's factory. These sweet cooling drinks are known as pānaka, described in the pākaśāstra, texts of Ayurveda devoted to the topics of dietetics, culinary arts and the science and art of cooking (paka, S., to cook).

Pānaka (पानक, S., syrup) are cooling drinks that expel the thirst that comes from excess perspiration and loss of body water. Sarkarodaka is an excellent pānaka for replenishing the body's water, while eliminating that thirst.

rock cane sugar

Red Cane Sugar

The main medicinal herb in this preparation is fresh sugar cane solidified into crystals. When unbleached it has a reddish tinge due to minerals in the whole cane sugar, and when it is made using a low slow fire, it naturally crystallizes into rock sugar called sarkara; this is chemically interpreted differently in the body than granulated sugar which is heated and minerals are eliminated to give chemically pure sucrose which holds a lot of heat and energy within its chemical bonds. Due to their differing chemical constituents and quaternary structures, they have different effects on the body.

Fresh clean water that has not been ripped of its minerals through an RO or chemical process is the best water for the body. Pure water from nature is regularly advocated by Ayurveda, given a mild boil to eliminate pathogens.

Spices

The spice ingredients are chosen for their specific medicinal properties. Elaichi, known as green cardamom pods (ēlā, S.) increases digestive fire, called deepana, and also promotes pachana, digestion of food sitting in the gut undigested. It sends urine down and out, if retention or flow is an issue, known as mutrala. The seeds are released from the pod just before use, and ground in stone mortar and pestle.

Lavaṅga/cloves are also deepana, increasing digestive fire; mutrala, aiding proper urination; ruchikara, increasing the flow of taste at the level of the tongue, and also improving the appetite for food; durgandha-nasaka, helping to rid foul smell from the mouth; and krimighna, destroying parasitic infections and microbes that persist in imbalanced amounts in the mouth.

Karpoor/camphor is known for its properties of reducing vata, reducing coughing, known as kasahara; and reducing fever, known as jwaraghna. Like elaichi and lavanga, camphor is also deepana, increasing digestive fire.

Marica/black pepper has the quality of both deepana an pachana, like elaichi. It is shwashara and kasahara, opening the respiratory channels to relieve asthma (shwasa) and coughing (kasa). It is famous for its ability to stir and clear obstruction of mucous and phlegm from the channels of the body, known as pramathi.

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शर्करोदक

जलेन शीतलेनैव घोलिता शुभ्रशर्करा |

एलालवङ्गकर्पूरमरिचैश्च समन्विता |

शर्करोदकनाम्ना तत्प्रसिद्धं विदुषां मुखैः ||१२८||

शर्करोदकमाख्यातं शुक्रलं शिशिरं सरम् |

बल्यं रुच्यं लघु स्वादु वातपित्तप्रणाशनम् |

मूर्च्छाछर्दितृषादाहज्वरशान्तिकरं परम् ||१२९||

Bhava Prakasha Nighantu, kṛtanna varga, chapter 12, slokas 128-129

Transliteration: śarkarodaka

jalēna śītalēnaiva ghōlitā śubhraśarkarā |

ēlālavaṅgakarpūramaricaiśca samanvitā |

śarkarōdakanāmnā tatprasiddhaṁ viduṣāṁ mukhaiḥ ||128||

śarkarōdakamākhyātaṁ śukralaṁ śiśiraṁ saram |

balyaṁ rucyaṁ laghu svādu vātapittapraṇāśanam |

mūrcchācharditr̥ṣādāhajvaraśāntikaraṁ param ||129||

Translation:- The water which is prepared by mixing red rock cane sugar (śarkara) with water (udaka) and then mixed with cardamom (ēlā), cloves (lavaṅga), camphor (karpūra) and black pepper (marica) in equal quantity, is called śarkarodaka.

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Śarkarodaka helps sperm count, produces a healthy appetite, and enhances strength. It increases the capacity to taste. It is known to decrease vata and pitta dosha. Its inherent properties are sweet in taste, cooling in nature and easy to digest. It can cure rakta dusti, the condition of having disturbed doshas in the blood. It also intervenes on fainting/delirium, vomiting, excess thirst, burning sensation, and fever.

Ingredients:

Fresh red cane sugar - 20g (about 4 tsp)

Fresh clean water - 1 litre

Elachi/green cardamom pods, fresh ground - 1g

Lavanga/cloves, fresh ground - 1g

Karpur/camphor - 1g

Black pepper, fresh ground - 1g

Recipe:

Add 1000ml clean, fresh water into a clean vessel. Add 4 teaspoons red cane sugar that has been freshly ground to powder. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved into the water.

Then add about 1 gram of freshly ground seeds from 3-4 green cardamom pods. Add about 1 gram of freshly ground flower buds of cloves, and about 1 gram of camphor. Add freshly-ground black pepper (golmorich, kali mirch, marica, Piper nigrum). Stir well for five minutes, adding prayers for good health. Serve with a smile in glasses, with rims lined with ground cane sugar.

Mango juice OR Aam Panna or Panha in a transparent glass with whole green fruit,

Cooling Decoctions for Summer: Green Mango Pānaka

April 29, 2022May 2, 2022 Dr Sumit Sur Leave a comment

When the heat of summer approaches, the ancient texts of Ayurveda advise us to partake in sweet cooling drinks. Many pānaka are described in the pākaśāstra, texts of Ayurveda devoted to the topics of dietetics, culinary arts and the science and art of cooking (paka, S., to cook)

Pānaka (पानक, S., syrup) are drinks made with citric acid, sugar and a digestive spice. They are made through a process of cooking a fruit in water on low fire, adding sugar and specific spices, and boiling it down (decoction) until it becomes light, sticky, thin liquid syrup. These cool drinks are prepared to expel the thirst. Generally the base is an acid that the human body can digest, such as those in tamarind, lemon, green mango, coriander, and buttermilk. The process transforms its heating properties into a cooling effect through sugar and spice.

One of the most popular uses the beloved mango fruit in its unripe form. Mangoes of different species begin to fill trees throughout the tropics in March, as the heat increases. For many weeks they remain small, hard, dark green unripe fruits with a soft seed inside. Slowly, they grow into large, still-green, unripe fruits, at which time they are extremely sour. Until Akshaya Tritiya, in April or May, when they can be eaten sweet and ripe, the unripe fruits are used to make various aachaars, pickles and other preparations that utilize their medicinal benefits.

Āmra-phala-prapāṇaka is the term for pānaka that is boiled and thus called prapāṇaka; it is made from boiled green mango. In the 15th century classic Ayurvedic text Bhava Prakasha by ancient physician Bhava Misra, the recipe utilizes fresh whole green mango fruits for citric acid, clean fresh water, red cane rock sugar, camphor, and black pepper to create light, watery, zingy syrup that awakens the taste buds.

The medicinal benefits of āmra-phala-prapāṇaka are its ability to create a healthy hunger or appetite, which normally wanes in the heat of summer. The sweet-sour tangy taste enhances strength immediately in the body, and the citric acid awakens all 5 sense organs. The miracle of black pepper is due to its property of shroto-sodhana, opening and cleaning any blocked channels in the body.

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आम्रफलप्रपाणक

आम्रमामं जले स्विन्नं मर्दितं दृढपाणिना |

सिताशीताम्बुसंयुक्तं कर्पूरमरिचान्वितम् ||१३०||

प्रपानकमिदं श्रेष्ठं भीमसेनेन निर्मितम् |

सद्यो रुचिकरं बल्यं शीघ्रमिन्द्रियतर्पणम् ||१३१||

Bhava Prakasha Nighantu, kṛtanna varga, chapter 12, slokas 130-131

Transliteration: āmra-phala-prapāṇaka

āmramāmam jale svinnam marditam drḍapāṇinā |

sitāśītāmbusamyuktam karpūramaricānvitam ||

prapānakamidam śreṣṭham bhīmasenena nirmitam |

sadyo rucikaram balyam śīghramindriyatarpaṇam ||

Translation - Fresh green mango should be boiled well in clean water. After self cooling it should be clearly mashed well with normal cool water (śītāmbu). Then it should be mixed well with rock sugar (sitā), camphor and black pipper powder. Among all prapanaka, it sits at top rank and was concocted by sage Bhimsen. It promotes better appetite (ruchi) and digestion, produces strength in the body, and quickly (śīgram) opens and awakens and refreshes (tarpaṇam) the 5 senses (indriya).

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Āmra-phala-prapāṇaka

raw mango juice 3 — The medicinal benefits of āmra-phala-prapāṇaka are its ability to create a healthy hunger or appetite

Ingredients

fresh green mango - 2 fruits

fresh clean water - 1 litre

red cane sugar - 20gm (about 4 tsp)

camphor/karpur - 1gm

black pepper, fresh ground - 1gm

Recipe

From a local mango tree, freshly pick two large green mangoes that are not completely hard. Wash them with clean water to remove any dust or grime. Put the whole mangoes in an earthen pot. Add 1000ml clean, fresh water and boil on low flame for 15 minutes with the lid intact. After 15 minutes, turn off the flame and leave the pot to be cooled on its own over time, known as "self-cooling."

After 30 minutes, open the lid and mash the two cooked mangoes in the vessel. After properly mashing and removing the skin and central seed/pericarp from the boiled pulp, shift the boiled pulp and water mix into another vessel. Add 4 teaspoons red cane sugar that has been ground to powder. Add fresh chunks of camphor/karpoor and freshly-ground black pepper (golmorich, kali mirch, marica, Piper nigrum). Stir well for five minutes, adding prayers for good health. Serve with a smile. The rims of the serving glasses may be lined with saindhava salt or ground rock sugar.

“Nutrition Became A Luxury For Indians”

April 28, 2022April 28, 2022 Y Krishna Jyothi Leave a comment

“We can’t have a standard protein intake for all segments of people in India because their choices, perception and psychology of food depend mostly on their income levels” – Dr. Narasimha Reddy, Paediatrician & Founder of Roligt Foods Pvt Ltd

A Paediatrician and Neonatologist by profession, Dr. Narasimha Reddy Basani, along with his dermatologist-wife Dr. Shilpa Reddy, founded Roligt Foods Pvt Ltd., with the belief that access to healthy and sustainable food is every individual’s right. A Swedish word, ‘roligt’ means ‘fun’ and the company aims to make healthy food fun.

Roligt Foods founder — Roligt Foods Founder Dr. Narasimha Reddy

Roligt Foods launched its own brand of beverages – CocoWorks in 2019, to bridge the growing nutrient gap among urban populace. Based in Hyderabad, CocoWorks offers bottled tender coconut water and also cold pressed juices (blended with coconut water and sweetened with organic honey) in varied flavours: The Dark Knight (dark chocolate), Go Guava Gone (guava), Carronut (carrots), Juzz Beet It (beetroot), Pinacolada (pineapple), Activated Charcoal Lemonde and Cold Brew Coffee (coffee and maple syrup) – to name a few. The coconuts, fruits and vegetables used in CocoWorks’ products are ethically-sourced and free from preservatives, added sugar, flavours and banned fertilisers/pesticides.

But, why coconut water? Because it’s a fundamental source that allows us to create multiple products and everything coming out of coconuts is healthy. Coconut water can be consumed by anyone in any age group and in any condition, due to the availability of nutrients like electrolytes, proteins, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals.

“Not everyone pays consistent attention to one’s nutrition; it’s only after falling sick that we are forced to focus on it. This, in turn, is leading to serious protein deficiency among Indians, thereby resulting in long-term health risks. In a nutshell, nutrition has become a luxury for Indians nowadays – blame it on our hectic lifestyles, stress, socio-economic imbalances and such other issues,” Narasimha Reddy states.

In a conversation with Ayuve – Narasimha Reddy throws light on the nutritional aspects of dairy and dairy alternatives, protein sources and the status of protein consumption in India.

Malnutrition

Malnutrition and protein deficiency usually take 2-3 years to show visible changes in one’s body. In children, they have long-term effects like stunting (impaired growth and inadequate psychosocial stimulation), frequent infections and poor body muscle. In case of adults, it is associated with lesser body mass index, metabolic changes and immune-compromise status (rise in non-communicable diseases).

Of all Indian states, Telangana has improved a lot due to implementation of government welfare schemes and campaigns aimed for pregnant and lactating women. NGOs like Akshaya Patra Foundation are also doing a wonderful job in fulfilling the nutritional needs of children studying at government schools.

However, in urban areas, perception of people is quite different – they like to indulge in fast food; they prefer a cup cake to fruits or smoothie. Availability plays a vital role here – unlike the situation about two decades ago, people can feast on anything today, every day.

With everything being available round-the-clock and 365 days, the craving for good food is lost. More the choices, more the confusion for consumers to pick safe food! Even as the thin line between good food and healthy food is slowly diminishing, we can’t expect the lower income groups to eat meats and high protein food consistently. Hence, we can’t have a standard protein intake for all segments of people in India because their choices, perception and psychology of food depend mostly on their income levels.

malnutrition in woman — Malnutrition in adults associated with lesser body mass index, metabolic changes and immune-compromise status

Bio-availability of Protein

Protein intake differs for vegetarians and non-vegetarians. When it comes to average Indians, not everyone can afford to buy non-vegetarian food like meat, fish, etc. Though good protein sources are available in vegetarian food like cereals, legumes and millets, people don’t give much thought to the intake, but are mostly concerned with variety. This is all due to lack of awareness about proteins, carbohydrates, calories or nutrition.

However, things have changed in the recent past, particularly post-Covid-19 pandemic. More people, especially in urban areas, have grown conscious towards healthy food and nourishment. They are assessing the nutritional literature of brands they’re buying and making conscious efforts to eat and stay healthy. Despite this, India is very behind in terms of protein deficiency and malnutrition.

Adulteration

The quality of protein changes with the source. Needless to say, food adulteration has turned out to be a huge problem in India. It can’t be denied that the food we’re consuming today is being grown using banned fertilisers and harmful chemicals. Even after procurement of the produce, there are several ways to adulterate a food product. We can’t expect quality and safe food when we can’t support the farmers and other stakeholders involved in the system.

Taste Matters

cheese dosa protein — Butter & cheese found their way into South India breakfasts like dosas & idlis

child junk food protein — Junk foods like pizzas & burgers may taste yum, but are not nutritious

It’s taste that drives our eating habits. For example, butter is consumed heavily in Gujarat than any other Indian states. Now, in South India, butter found its way into our breakfasts – dosas and idlis. Nutrition is not food and there is a huge difference between taste and nutrition.

Not many evince interest in protein, unless the food is tasty. For example, millets are high in protein content but they’ve few takers. Though India is one of the world’s largest producers of millets, the domestic consumption is far less due to poor marketing system and support from the governments.

It is easy for hundreds of companies to sell indulgent food like a cupcake for Rs 100, but it becomes a difficult task for a brand to sell millets for Rs 60 per kg. It’s because of their psychology. And this is how brands have evolved over the years in terms of reaching out to their customers. Few sensible enterprises are talking about nutritional awareness, though.

However, it can’t be denied that every company wants to make money. But, what matters more is their choice – do they want to make money by making the nation healthy or sick. A healthy brand or nutrition source can never win over an unhealthy brand, unless and until there are strict policy decisions in place.

Dietary Supplements

cricket insects — Achea protein, derived from crickets, has become sustainable & cheap source of proteins in South America and the UK

Many factors decide the protein content in the dietary supplements like the source (whey, vegan and animal-derived), refining and protein extraction processes. In South America and the UK, Acheta protein (derived from crickets) has become one of the most cheapest and sustainable protein to be derived from an animal source.

It is touted to contain all essential amino acids and more iron than spinach. The protein quotient, too, is high when compared with beef, salmon, chicken or egg. But, Indians won’t consume it because of our inhibitions. So, establishing a common nutrition segment for everyone is a challenging task, taken up recently by organisations like National Institute of Nutrition and ICAR.

Dairy Alternatives

There are various types of proteins like milk protein. However, many are allergic to milk, per se. Children can digest lactose and milk solids until the age of 4-5 years, but adults can’t, because our bodies stop producing the enzymes needed to digest any animal-derived protein. What’s the use of consuming milk when our bodies can’t digest? It’s just that having milk for absorbing calcium has become a fundamental belief for us all, thanks to decades of marketing and we don’t question it.

The calcium absorbed and the amount of milk solids assimilated in our bodies are still questionable. This is the case with curd, too, which is known as for its probiotic enzymes. Like mother’s milk is for babies, cow’s milk is for calves and not for humans. There are multiple sources in vegetarian foods like spinach, which provide ample calcium. However, not even a single enterprise in India campaigns about spinach as one of the cheap-and-best sources of calcium.

vegan milk protein — Dairy alternatives: almond milk, coconut milk, oatmilk, soy milk & rice milk

Several UK-based studies and a recent one by China also confirmed that milk is affecting multiple organs in our bodies, by way of inflammation. But, such studies never see the light in India due to our policies towards dairy industry. We are consciously depriving the consumer of making an informed choice.

Nevertheless, in view of the growing cases of lactose intolerance and other reasons, people are turning to dairy alternatives like soy milk, cashew milk, almond milk, oat milk, coconut milk, etc. This is really a welcome change. But again, there’s no need to vigorously promote these dairy-free brands as the healthiest options when in reality, only 1 out of 100 people suffering from deficiency need these alternatives. So, it’s better to have teas and coffees without adding milk. Besides, there’s no point in consuming these dairy alternatives when they have preservatives or synthetic flavours.

Marketing & Consumer Consciousness

In India, predatory marketing is rampant from several years. A balanced Indian diet offers daily essential nutrients. But, we prefer to consume a so-called health drink to get Vitamin C and phytonutrients instead of eating citrus fruits. A smoothie made from milk has 600-800 calories, which an F&B brand never reveals. But, with more people eating out due to various reasons, our nutrition intake underwent a lot of changes. It’s OK to eat out once in a week, but definitely not, if this becomes a regular habit. We won’t buy it if we know about the number of calories it has and the ill-effects these empty calories have on our health.

protein lunch spread — Lavish spreads are the new trend foods that one should avoid

Trend foods are those fancy things that we should be avoiding – they are mostly unsustainable ways of eating. There’s no point in a person feasting on a ‘Bahubali Thali’ when it should be shared by 3-4 people. But, the concept gives more mileage to the eateries or organisers on social media.

Good food is never marketed and a conscious customer should question these irrational food trends, promotional strategies, wrongful indulgences and quick fixes. We should think about long-term effects. This is possible only through nutrition label, which helps create awareness among consumers on safe food and protein intake.

Sour Foods: Everything About Amla Rasa

April 26, 2022April 26, 2022 Dr. Mamta Tiwari Leave a comment

As sour is one of the strongest tastes, it is often desired by the palate and becomes a common craving for those seeking stimulation, such as those with cloudy mind, polluted or dulled senses, or those with excess kapha

The rasa experience of each specific food substance is a crucial attribute by which āhāra sustains the human body. Though the term rasa has deeper meanings than the usual translation as taste, the shad-rasa-s generally refer to the six (shad, six, S.) tastes we experience, sweet-sour-salty-pungent-bitter-astringent.

Amla-rasa has the basic material and energies of prithvi (earth) and agni (fire). Foods with naturally sour taste are heavy to digest and unctuous. The most prominent attributes of food articles with natural sour taste is their ushna (heat-producing) and tikshna (penetrating) effects on the body, which attract many people to this flavour, as it also awakens the awareness and stimulates the brain. Sour flavour is associated with strong temptation, as the body instinctively knows it to be a good appetizer and digestive aid.

Consumption of amla-rasa substances stimulates the digestive fire through the dry heat of earth-fire, and also increases the production of saliva and abdominal digestive juices by translating the incoming sour taste with memories and emotions of early experiences and effects of eating sour.

The prithvi component of sour taste induces the quality of good anulomana, which pushes contents of the channels, especially the gut, forward, thus facilitating the movement of faeces down and out. In general, sour articles facilitate digestion for those with low digestive power; hence, they are often utilized as a menu item for people with excess kapha dosha in body (think of excess phlegm, excess moisture, excess fat) such as those having diabetes, obesity, cardiac diseases.

sour food — Fermented foods like cucumber pickles, coconut milk yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, red beets, apple cider vinegar improve our digestive ability

The hot nature of sour taste, however, may aggravate those with pitta dosha disorders, and may even precipate diseases of rakta-dosha such as skin diseases. Substances with amla rasa can be used as part of a nutriment-promoting diet as they endear strength and satisfaction when consumed judiciously.

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अम्लो रसो भक्तं रोचयति, अग्निं दीपयति, देहं बृंहयति ऊर्जयति, मनो बोधयति, इन्द्रियाणि दृढीकरोति, बलं वर्धयति, वातमनुलोमयति, हृदयं तर्पयति, आस्यमास्रावयति, भुक्तमपकर्षयति क्लेदयति जरयति, प्रीणयति, लघुरुष्णः स्निग्धश्च|

Source: Charaka Samhita, Sutra-sthana 26/43.2a

Transliteration: amlō rasō bhaktaṁ rōcayati, agniṁ dīpayati, dēhaṁ br̥ṁhayati ūrjayati, manō bōdhayati, indriyāṇi dr̥ḍhīkarōti, balaṁ vardhayati, vātamanulōmayati, hr̥dayaṁ tarpayati, āsyamāsrāvayati, bhuktamapakarṣayati klēdayati jarayati, prīṇayati, laghuruṣṇaḥ snigdhaśca

Translation: Amla rasa makes food relishing, stimulates agni, enhances body bulk and energizes it, awakens the mind, firms the sense organs, increases bala (strength), causes vatanulomana (normal movement of vata), nourishes the heart, increases secretions in the mouth, propels, moistens, and digests food, gives satisfaction, and is light, hot and unctuous.

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Natural sources of amla-rasa include the fruits lime, certain varieties of orange, amalaki (Emblica officinalis), tamarind (Tamarindus indica), and green unripe mango. Dairy products that are fermented also provide natural amla-rasa, such as takra (buttermilk), and dahi (cow curd/yogurt). Other food products with amla-rasa that are prepared include vinegar, kanji (slightly fermented rice cooked in water), and achaars (known as pickles).

These items are sour due to production of citric, malic, oxalic, and tartaric acids in fruits and fermented vegetables. Dairy products such as yogurt and meat products that are preserved are sour due to the presence of lactic acid. All are rich in antioxidants, mainly vitamin C. The rich collection of vitamins, acids and other associated nutrients are thought to be the reason why they are essential parts of the diet.

Sour items improve the digestive ability of our gastrointestinal tract by improving enzyme secretions along with propulsion of excreta forward in lower part of the tract. This is helpful for people with chronic constipation or irritation in the bowel, as both over-dryness or swelling prevent proper function of those muscles lining the tract that help push contents forward in the movement of peristalsis.

orange juice sour — Citrus fruits like oranges & lemons are natural sources of amla-rasa

Proper evacuation and restoration of the muscles and lining of the tract help with proper digestion and assimilation of nutriments, which allow proper formation of ahara-rasa, which is the essence of food. This in turn improves nourishment to all the dhatu-s (body tissues). Overall nourishment for the body-mind occurs only when clean digestion occurs, and this is why Ayurveda stresses proper appetite, hunger and digestion, which begin with the relishing of food. While today's medical evaluation is based on bio-chemicals in the blood, Ayurveda knew that improved overall health status that is functional and deep is visible with enhanced luster of the body, complexion, and glow of skin, hair, and nails. These are possible when the digestion of high-quality foods is optimal.

The next time you drink a freshly-squeezed glass of orange juice or lime juice, notice how the mild sourness awakens the activity of mind, known as Mano Bodhyati, by polishing the sense organs to be keen and more receptive. The clarity brings deep satisfaction.

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स एवङ्गुणोऽप्येक एवात्यर्थमुपयुज्यमानो दन्तान् हर्षयति, तर्षयति, सम्मीलयत्यक्षिणी, संवेजयति लोमानि, कफं विलापयति, पित्तमभिवर्धयति, रक्तं दूषयति,मांसं विदहति, कायं शिथिलीकरोति, क्षीणक्षतकृशदुर्बलानां श्वयथुमापादयति, अपि च क्षताभिहतदष्टदग्धभग्नशूनप्रच्युतावमूत्रितपरिसर्पितमर्दितच्छिन्नभिन्नविश्लिष्टोद्विद्धोत्पिष्टादीनि पाचयत्याग्नेयस्वभावात्, परिदहति कण्ठमुरो हृदयं च (२)|४३|

Source: Charaka Samhita, Sutra Sthana 26/ 43.2b

Transliteration: sa ēvaṅguṇō'pyēka ēvātyarthamupayujyamānō dantān harṣayati, tarṣayati, sammīlayatyakṣiṇī, saṁvējayati lōmāni, kaphaṁ vilāpayati, pittamabhivardhayati, raktaṁ dūṣayati,māṁsaṁ vidahati, kāyaṁ śithilīkarōti, kṣīṇakṣatakr̥śadurbalānāṁ śvayathumāpādayati, api ca kṣatābhihatadaṣṭadagdhabhagnaśūnapracyutāvamūtritaparisarpitamarditacchin nabhinnaviśliṣṭōdviddhōtpiṣṭādīni pācayatyāgnēyasvabhāvāt, paridahati kaṇṭhamurō hr̥dayaṁ ca|

Translation: This, though endowed with so many qualities, if used singly and excessively, makes teeth sensitive, causes thirst, causes closure of eyes, raises the body hair, liquifies kapha, aggravates pitta, affects blood morbidity, causes inflammation in muscles and laxity in body, produces swelling in wasted, injured, emaciated and debilitated persons, because of its agneya nature causes suppuration in wounds, injuries, bites, burns, fractures, swellings, dislocations, poisoned spots due to urination and contact of insects, compressed, excised, incised, punctured and crushed etc., and causes burning sensation in throat, chest and the cardiac region.

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pickles sour — Mild sourness present in fermented foods like pickles awakens the activity of mind

buttermilk sour — Dairy products like curd & buttermilk are rich in antioxidants, mainly vitamin C

When over-consumed however, sour produces disturbing signs and symptoms of acid toxicity, such as pari-dahati kanthamurohridaya, burning sensation in the mouth, throat and chest; danta-harsa, dentine hypersensitivity of teeth and the gum line; samvejayati lomani, piloerection; and because of increase in heat of the body, excess sour foods may cause trishna, increased thirst. The heat in sour taste liquifies kapha dosha through its sharp nature, but the excess liquid from melting may aggravate respiratory problems such as asthma, bronchitis, and cough.

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तथाऽतिलवणक्षारैरम्लैः कटुभिरेव च ||५||

दध्यम्लमस्तुसुक्तानां सुरासौवीरकस्य च ||७||

शरत्कालस्वभावाच्च शोणितं सम्प्रदुष्यति ||१०|

Source: Charaka Samhita, Sutra Sthana, chap 24, slokas 5,7,10

Transliteration: tathā'tilavaṇakṣārairamlaiḥ kaṭubhirēva ca ||5||

dashyāmlamastu suktānāṁ surāsauvīrakasya ca ||7||

śaratkālasvabhāvācca śōṇitaṁ sampraduṣyati ||10||

Translation: By habitual intake of acidic or pungent foods, liquor/fermented drinks, too much salty, alkaline substances, sour and pungent food, kulatha (Dolichos biflorus), masha (Phaseolus mungo), nishpava (Dolichos lablab), tila taila (Sesamum indicum) sesame oil, pindalu (Randia uliginosa), radish and all green (leafy) vegetables, excessive intake of curd, sour whey (curd-water), vinegars and other sour fermented liquids, consuming decomposed, putrid food with opposite properties excessive sleeping during the day especially after taking liquids, unctuous and heavy food, heat, indigestion, taking meal during indigestion and due to natural pattern in autumn season, one vitiates the blood.

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The warm and sharp nature of sour taste when used injudiciously results in increase of pitta dosha, known as pittam abhivardhayan then aggravation. The viscosity of blood is disturbed by increase in pitta dosha that then leads to various diseases, such as kandu (itching), pandu (pallor), visarpa (a subtype of skin disease), vishphota (skin rashes, and jwara (fever). Amla-rasa helps improve the formation of proteins in the body by providing acids that assist in enzymatic reactions, but excess consumption results in breakdown of muscle (catabolism), producing muscular tissue-wasting (maṅsadhatu vidaha), that may further result in sharira shaithilaya (loss of weight and energy and looseness of gripping around the bones). The person can become emaciated and further complications of edema and inflammation may develop in body. The changes in composition of blood in terms of viscosity and other biochemical parameters due to aggravated pitta may give bad prognosis to wounds, burns, fractures or swelling.

Sour foods are vital for a healthy person's daily diet. When consumed, they should be eaten just after having something sweet in the meal or in the early part of the meal. They should always be mindfully consumed by individuals with high pitta prakrti or vikrti, baseline or disease constitution.

One Good Creates Gold Mylk, Vegan Nuggets

April 20, 2022April 20, 2022 Y Krishna Jyothi Leave a comment

One Good launches Good Mylk, containing 24 Carat edible gold, and Vegan Nuggets, a plant-based meat product

After changing its name from GoodMylk to One Good, the Bengaluru-based vegan dairy brand has been launching a wide variety of products, besides its cashew-oat milk. The renowned dairy alternative enterprise recently introduced Buttermylk, Mango Mylkshake and bean-to-bar vegan chocolates (Sea Salt-California Almonds, Hazelnut and Country Crunch-Butterscotch).

Now, it’s the turn of gold mylk and plant-based chicken nuggets. Two weeks ago, One Good raised many eyebrows by bringing out Gold Mylk, containing 24 Carat pure edible gold. Launching the Gold Mylk, One Good Founder Abhay Rangan said in a social media post that “Dairy companies make a lot of noise about whether plant-based milk can be called milk. Yet, they sell products called Gold, which contain no gold in them. So today, we're launching One Good Gold, a luxury mylk infused with 24k pure edible gold. We don't like hypocrisy. Our products contain what they say, and you can always be sure of that.

The company statement read: “We started with the aim of making plant-based dairy more affordable and accessible, and we learned that was only half of the battle. We wanted to do more, so we became more. We’re experimenting with this next phase because we’ve never lost sight of our mission to help the animals and help the planet. We want to empower consumers to make One Good choice every single meal, starting with dairy and continuing with meat.”

The nuggets are made from bread crumbs, fiber, textured soy protein concentrate, refined palm oil and seasoning – all plant-based, non-GMO and zero-cholesterol ingredients. They are crispy, scrumptious and protein-rich. These will be available in Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi.

MilkinOats Accelerates Market for Oat-Based Vegan Products

April 20, 2022April 21, 2022 Y Krishna Jyothi Leave a comment

“Vegan products are assumed to have a lesser nutritional value, but that is not always the case” – Ashna Goel, Founder & MD, MilkinOats

Ashna Goel was in Italy, for her fourth semester of MBA, when she was introduced to oat milk and the baker in her almost instantly fell in love with it. “Unlike other dairy alternatives like soy milk or almond milk, oat milk can be heated, boiled and foamed, and hence can be used in making teas, coffees, smoothies and Indian dishes. It is creamy, smooth and has a rich consistency, making it the perfect alternative to dairy milk. I realised that all these facts make oat milk the most suitable dairy alternative for the Indian palette and also the most sustainable among all the options.”

This motivated Ashna and her Co-Founder Vishwesh J. Nair, a lactose intolerant who was looking for dairy alternatives and also a colleague from her previous employer, to build the first 100% Made-In-India oat milk brand – MilkinOats – in October 2020. Through their product, they also started spreading awareness about veganism and sustainability.

MilkinOats founder ashna goel — MilkinOats Founder-Director Ashna Goel

The Founder & MD of MilkinOats, in an interview with AYUVE, told that she did know that reaching out to consumers would be a tougher task initially, given the fact that milk has been a part and parcel of Indian diet since ages. “Dairy has been a huge part of our everyday life and is used in almost all meals. So, going dairy-free might not be an easy task, at first. Also, there is lack of knowledge about dairy alternatives among Indians. To tackle this, we had to first educate people by demonstrating the usage of oat milk and also the harmful effects caused by the dairy industry to the environment and our health. This resulted in increased awareness and also created a demand for our product,” she explains.

Today, 90% of MilkinOats’ customers are vegans and lactose intolerant people, while the remaining 10% are the ones who are trying to shift to a healthier lifestyle by switching over to dairy-alternatives in their daily lives.

As regards to the ongoing debate over the nutritional values of dairy alternatives, Ashna likes to clear the air: “Vegan products are assumed to have a lesser nutritional value, but that is not always the case. Our products are made exclusively from oats and oat milk. Oats and oat milk have a lot of health benefits. They are rich in dietary fibre, omega-3 and Vitamin B12. Oat milk also replaces the saturated fats from dairy milk with unsaturated fats.”

An alumnus of SDA Bocconi Asia Center in Mumbai, she substantiates her remarks by revealing that the present Indian market for non-dairy products is estimated at around Rs 93 billion out of which, she says, approximately Rs 53 billion for oat milk alone. Though more people are realising the importance of switching to dairy-free alternatives, only a single person in a family – the lactose intolerant or the health-minded – consumes plant-based milks regularly.

“So, using 1L cartons/tetra packs might not be the best choice for such people. This is because plant-based milk is supposed to be consumed within 3-4 days of opening the carton. To overcome this problem, we launched 200 ml packs to ensure that the oat milk is consumed completely and not wasted. By avoiding such wastage, we add to the eco-friendly factor that our company strives to achieve,” says this Delhi-based entrepreneur and advocate of sustainable living.

At a time, when the world is trying out other types of plant-based milks derived from potato and cauliflower, MilkinOats wants to be a brand “whose main focus is oat milk and oats-based products”

milkinoats chocolates — Oat-based vegan chocolates

milkinoats products — Daily Essentials personal care range from MilkinOats

All the raw ingredients used by MilkinOats are eco-friendly, natural and vegan. To limit its carbon-footprint, the brand uses limited amount of water in production. It is also a plastic-neutral brand; for every unit of plastic created, it recovers and removes a measured equivalent of plastic waste from the environment, thus reducing its carbon-footprint to a great extent.

At present, the brand produces three variants of oat milk – Barista’s Choice, Classic and Chocolate. Last year, it launched homegrown oat milk chocolates (Chalet Velvety, Chalet Winter Berries, Chalet Rose ‘n’ Pistachio and Chalet Almond Crunch) and oat-based personal care range under its own brand ‘Daily Essentials’ (bathing bar, mini bath bomb, body butter and crème body lotion).

“We’re the third brand after Cadbury and Lindt to have introduced an oat milk chocolate. Traditionally, women used to use oatmeal for personal care as a home-remedy in view of its moisturizing and exfoliating benefits. Hence, we introduced the oat-based personal care products to understand the consumer behavior,” she quips.

The MilkinOats’ products can be ordered on its own website and other online retail stores like Amazon, Vvegano, Vegan Dukan and One Green. They are also available in supermarkets and modern retail units like Nature’s Soul, Defence Bakery and Haryali in Delhi, Greend in Mumbai, Plantarium in Hyderabad, Earth Story in Coimbatore, The Goodness Store in Gurgaon and Earth Box in Indore.

milkinoats fix — MilkinOats Barista milk & Fix French Vanilla instant coffee

At a time, when the world is trying out other types of plant-based milks derived from potato and cauliflower, MilkinOats wants to be a brand “whose main focus is oat milk and oats-based products. However, we are flexible to change the company’s strategy based on the changes in the market.”

When inquired about cost factor and inaccessibility of non-dairy milk and related products to most of the Indians, Ashna does agree that the prices of non-dairy products in India are high when compared to dairy products. “This is because the demand for non-dairy products isn’t as high as that of dairy products. In this day and age, the vegan market has grown a lot and this is a result of the easy accessibility of plant-based products, especially in tier-1 and metro cities. We are planing to expand into tier-2 and tier-3 cities, since the products are difficult to acquire. Until then, people can order our products online and get them delivered at their doorsteps.”

Like every other startup, the brand too had witnessed its share of challenges and struggles. “But, the customers’ positive responses have pushed us in making our products better and make them available at a competitive price. We do have plans to go global and we will do so when the time seems right. For now, we aim to create a domestic market for vegan products and make them accessible and affordable for our customers. We deeply believe in a greener, happier and fair environment where animals are viewed as living beings and their rights are valued,” she sums it up.

Old is Gold… Puraana Ghrita

April 19, 2022April 19, 2022 Dr. Aditi Jain Leave a comment

One of the coveted substances in India, similar to an old bottle of wine or whisky in the West, is an old bottle of pure cow ghee. Puraana ghrita is ghee that has been aged for ten years

Puraana ghrita has an unpleasant odor. It has the appearance of a lacquer solution, is cold, and destroys all grahas (planets in reference to jyotisha which causes demonic seizures). It stimulates the intellect and works well as a purgative. Because it is pure and sacred, old ghrita relieves tridosha. It also has a pungent bitter taste.

Pra-puraana is ghee that has been stored for more than ten years (extremely old).

There is no incurable disease for the ghee that is a hundred years old, known as kaumbha sarpi. It destroys all the grahas through sight, touch, and inhalation and is especially recommended for those suffering from epilepsy (apasmara), the effects of grahas, and insanity or mania (unmada).

According to the Ayurvedic treatise Bhavaprakasha, the nomenclature of aged ghrita is as follows:

1 year old - Puraana ghrita

10 year old - Prapuraana ghrita

100 year old - Kaumbha sarpi/kaumba sarpi

As per Aacharya Sushruta:

111 years old - Kaumbha sarpi

111 years old - Mahaghrita

These grhitas not only pacify the three doshas, they restore and preserve health, allowing the consumer to live happily and nourished by the yet-unknown factors or powers of century-old ghee. It is elaborated that older the ghrita, the better its qualities.

jar and spoon of aged ghee — Puraana ghrita is ghee aged for over 10 years

Qualities of an age-old ghrita

The prominent gunas (qualities or properties) of old ghrita are sara (fluidity), teekshna (sharp, quick penetration), ushna (heat), katu (pungence), and laghu (lightness). These characteristics promote deepana (digestive fire/metabolism), cheda (incision or breakage), lekhana (scraping), srotovishodhana (clearing of body channels), varnya (imparting color/glow), varnashodhana (wound healing) and ropana (cleaning).

Mechanism of Action

The combined effect of these properties uproots many complex disorders of neurological and psychological origin. In Ayurveda the concept of srotas (channels) range from visible such as arteries and veins as well as the alimentary canal of the gut from mouth to anus; to the least visible, most minute channels beyond the blood vessels, nerve fibre, and capillaries. The ancient sciences clearly describe these fine channels invisible to the naked eye, as a web-like network that links the continuum of functions of each unit and assists in the physiology and function of life. When any pathologic process occurs, it hinders this web-like network by blocking or slowing it down. To understand this web, explore embryology and the gradual development of 1 cell to 100 trillion, with all the channels and networks of information that form. Modern concepts of desmosomes, tight junctions, and gap junctions are described by function using Ayurvedic ancient language.

Puraana ghrita, unexplored by modern chemistry, physics, and biology, has qualities that open any blockages in these micro-channels. By clearing away old debris, the machinery of the body at micro and macro levels is reset. The neurological and psychological pathways with their super-fine channels designed to be impenetrable in order for electric signals to conduct, are impervious to normal drugs. These same drugs when combined with new ghrita are opened. Use of very old medicated ghrita opens these channels and renders them easily approachable for further treatment. Puraana ghrita is also considered the best for rejuvenation therapy.

The Effect of Time

The extended period of preservation improves Ghrita’s traits and properties to the level where it becomes an elixir of life

aged ghee in brass bowl — Desi ghee or clariified liquid butter in a brass bowl

What effect does aging have on certain substances? Time by its nature transforms and cooks. Ghrita is one commodity that can be used even after decades of storage, indicating that it transforms instead of decaying. The extended period of preservation improves fhrita's traits and properties to the level where it becomes an elixir of life, healing a wide range of ailments and preserving good health.

Every substance in the universe has a latent agni (metabolic fire that consumes) that keeps it in a constant state of paaka (ripeness), making it lighter and lighter in composition. When consumed, the laghutva (lightness, easy-digestibility) generated in old ghrita transcends the blood-brain barrier to mend the brain by cleaning out residues. It works as a remarkable medicine to treat both complex mental illnesses as well as physical disease.

The Acharyas used all ages of ghrita and elaborated on the effects of old ghrita in many Ayurvedic treatises. Ghrita, with its sweeping characteristics, offers profound ramifications for every human condition, ranging from pesky skin problems to exceedingly complicated mental disorders, cancers and metabolic conditions.

Due to its immense power and timeless value, aged ghrita is not easily found. Wrapped in the intangible cover of time and karma, aged ghees are only revealed by a few who had the foresight to accurately make, authentically preserve and properly store these priceless reserves of the invaluable medicine that aged ghrita promises it is.

Food for Your Face

April 19, 2022April 19, 2022 Dr. Bhaswati Bhattacharya Leave a comment

The skin eats too, so start in your kitchen for your beauty routine. Āyurveda’s simple logic, unencumbered by marketing dollars to propagate its messages, looks at the biology and chemistry of the face.

Many modern consumers are convinced by the media that cosmetic products for the face are better than less intervention or homemade interventions. If companies would explain the chemistry of their products more accurately rather than cloak it under trade-secret claims, people could make more intelligent decisions. But this is the fault of today’s consumer, who is usually lazy about knowledge and lazy about making things fresh. Convenience is considered the perfect excuse for eating foods filled with preservatives and using cleansers and cosmetics that are laden with preservatives that slowly build up in the body and show damage decades later. Āyurveda’s simple logic, unencumbered by marketing dollars to propagate its messages, looks at the biology and chemistry of the face.

There are a host of natural bacteria that live all over the healthy human body, known as the microbiome. On the skin, a subset of these 900 trillion bacteria, which balance our 100 trillion human cells, take up space so that harmful bacteria cannot invade. By overusing antibacterial creams, the skin loses its capability to produce its natural antibiotics. These key chemicals communicate signals and protect us. Alcohols and astringents in face care products dry the protective layer and kill the bacteria yet make it easier for harmful bacteria to move between the cracks. When the skin is exposed to artificial creams, it loses its tone and firm connection with the underlying live skin cells, fat, nerves, muscles and connective tissue called fascia—promoting wrinkles. Āyurveda classifies all astringents as chemicals made of master elements earth and air, which are ultimately drying and increase vāta. When people dry their skin regularly, they create permanent vāta imbalances that can last a lifetime. The only temporary cosmetic solution then is to apply moisturizers. This is very convenient for the facial products industry.

face wash — Āyurveda recommends that you gently wash your face with cool water several times a day

aloe woman face — Apply freshly harvested aloe vera gel to acne scars and drink some too

Āyurveda recommends that you gently wash your face with cool water several times a day, scheduled around rituals of food, waking, entering the home, and cleaning. Rub or pat your face dry with a natural cotton cloth after rinsing. Over weeks, your face will naturally become less greasy overnight, as it stops overcompensating in anticipation of the morning’s alcohol, soap or astringent treatments. Water is naturally astringent to the level needed. If you feel very uncomfortable with the oily layer or it is grimy, learn about the following ingredients used for thousands of years to cleanse the face. Āyurvedic beauty spas use them in a host of routines for the face. Think about why these ingredients work and then choose logically for your own face.

Aloe vera, known in Sanskrit as ghritkumari, regenerates and soothes the epithelial (top skin) layer. Aloe vera contains a naturally produced antibacterial and antifungal chemical. Apply freshly harvested aloe vera gel to acne scars and drink some too. Beware of using bottled or pre-packaged aloe vera, as it is secretly laden with preservatives.

Castor oil is known as eranda and makes eyebrows and eyelashes grow thicker. Apply eranda onto eyebrows and near eyelashes at night. In the morning, remove it with some yogurt and lemon rind. A teaspoon is commonly also swallowed at night as a periodic laxative. The oil is commonly combined with other digestive herbs such as haritaki into formulations designed for vāta anulomana (sending unharmonious vāta down and out).

Rose wate for face — Rose water is very cooling and is great for inflammation on the skin, especially sunburn

Rose water is very cooling and is great for inflammation on the skin, especially sunburn. It is used to treat many types of dermatitis and is excellent for rosacea. But Āyurveda emphasizes that the underlying cause of inflammation in the gut must also be addressed for long-term results. Spritz on affected areas.

Cow yogurt is an effective cleanser. It has some properties of milk, but really more properties of the alcohol and fire produced by the fermentation of the bacteria Lactobacillus. These alcohols are mildly alkaline and cause a reflex of acidification of the skin. Yogurt is generally mixed with cucumber or rose water and left on for only 10–15 minutes. It has a skin-tightening and moisturizing effect.

Cucumber has excellent cooling properties. It is great for reducing swelling and puffiness, especially under the eyes. Thin cucumber slices can be placed for 10–15 minutes on the closed eyes. A puree of cucumber can be used as a scrub. To compare with commercial products, leave your cucumber scrub from your favourite facial product line in a covered glass for three hours. If it does not look brown and squishy after this time of oxidizing, it probably contains preservatives.

Replacing your bathroom cabinet contents with oils, spices, a mortar and pestle, and some small stone bowls will change your facial skin in a few months and be an investment for life. Over several weeks of gradually diminishing use of artificial products, the skin’s natural oils and incessant desire to rejuvenate come forth. Most people notice the natural, healthy glow.

Popular Vegetarian Restaurants in Hyderabad

April 18, 2022April 18, 2022 Y Krishna Jyothi Leave a comment

If you are in Hyderabad and a vegetarian, here's a lowdown on a few vegetarian eating out joints - some new and many classic - that you can choose from on your next lunch or dinner date

With more people choosing to dine out than cook at home, for various reasons, the restaurant industry is thriving in Hyderabad. F&B is in a better place now than pre-Covid share some insiders.

Even though every restaurant serves vegetarian food, it’s hard to find the veg-only eateries where vegetarians and vegans can treat themselves to some appetising dishes. Well, we’ve simplified your job by listing out the popular vegetarian-only eateries in the city. Take a quick look!

Ohri’s Jiva Imperia

ohri's jiiva hyderabad

Location: White House Building, Begumpet

Timings: 12-3.30 PM & 7-11 PM

Price: Rs 1,000 for two

Contact: 098667 78014

Website: http://www.ohris.com

Hyderabad’s favourite restaurant chain, Ohri’s has 22 theme-based restaurants set up across this happening city. At Ohri’s Jiva Imperia, one can relish North Indian, South Indian, Rajasthani, Gujarati, Chinese, Continental and Italian delicacies besides desserts. This exclusive vegetarian dining place is famous for its Banana Dosa, Paneer Manchurian, Noodles, Sev Puri, Palak Chat (made with spinach), Chocolate Fountain and mocktails.

The restaurant oozes richness in its all-white interiors, furnishings, lighting, seating and ambience – that only adds to your dining experience. It also has one of the most extravagant buffet sections offering some of the most flavoursome food. Don’t bother about diet; ocassionally, it’s good to indulge!

Bikanervala

bikanervala vegetarian restaurant

Locations: Road no.1, Banjara Hills & Opp. Nizam College NCC Ground, Basheerbagh

Timings: 8 AM-11 Pm

Price: Rs 1,000 for two

Contact: 040 6666 1111

Website: https://www.bikanervala.com

This sweet shop-cum-restaurant serves the best of North Indian dishes, street food and fast food. Bikanervala is a popular hangout place for families, youngsters and on-the-move business class, for it provides a perfect laid-back experience to enjoy one’s meals.

It has a wide range of paranthas, tandoor and paneer varieties. Its bestsellers include Bawali Vegetables, Awadhi Paneer, Tandoori Khumb, Palak Paneer Mastani, Dal Panchmel, Diwani Handi, Dal Makhani, Kandhani Paneer Tikka, Bhindi Mastani, Hariyali Koft, Semiya Pulao and Pineapple Raita. Its weekday buffets are a must to try.

Jalpaan

Jalpaan restaurant hyderabad

Location: Oasis Centre, Somajiguda

Timings:12-4 PM & 7PM-12 AM

Price: Rs 1,200 for two

Contact: 040-40179999, 040-40189999, 0-83741-11103

Website: https://jalpaanrestaurant.in

Jalpaan is a fine blend of royal vegetarian cuisines, traditional cooking methods and classy ambience. The Monday candlelight dinners here offer a vintage experience to the visitors. The eatery mainly serves Indian, Chinese, Italian, Continental, desserts and mocktails. If you’re someone who loves to experiment with food, then you should try Potli Biryani, Tamatar Dhaniya Shorba, Flower Pot, Pani Puri, Deconstructed Vada Pav, Hazari Paneer Tikka, Pav Bhaji Fondue, Tresleches and Pan Mousse.

Tatva

tatva vegetarian restaurant hyderabad

Locations: SP Road, Begumpet & Road no. 36, Jubilee Hills

Timings: 12-3.30 PM & 7-11.30 PM

Price: Rs 1,500 for two

Contact: 0-91000-10912 & 0-79950-28026

Website: https://thetatva.com

Tatva is an ideal space to explore and enjoy scrumptious food, intimate moments and family time, amid regal ambience. It has a wide range of North Indian, Chinese and Continental cuisines to satisfy your palattes. The bestsellers here include: Smoked Pesto Paneer Tikka, Dahi Ke Kebab, Mal'a Teriyaki, Jamur Oelek, Rasmalai Pancotta, New York Cheese Cake, Mexican Sizzler, Mulligatawny, Awadhi Tawa Sabzi, Creme Florentine and Moments D Fusion.

Clove – The Platinum Hotel

clove platinum hyderabad restaurant

Location: Domalguda, Himayatnagar

Timings: 12-3.30 PM & 7-11 PM

Price: Rs 800 for two

Contact: 040-44116666

Website: https://theplatinumhotel.in/dining

At Clove, every dish is curated with the authentic ingredients to ensure a flavoursome dining experience.The place sees many students from nearby colleges and employees working in the offices in close proximity dropping by and indulging in stomach-ful of treats and heartful conversations.

This multi-cuisine vegetarian restaurant serves an extensive range of starters, soups, curries, rice, sizzlers and desserts. Don’t forget to ask for and try out chef specials like Bird’s Nest Kebab, Barbeque Paneer, Paneer Makhmali Roll, Cheesy Chilli Potato Balls, Bagiche ki Sabzi, Sambar Rice, Corn Dumpling Sizzler, Mediterranean Pesto and Platinum Treasure.

A’la Liberty

ala liberty hyderabad

Locations: Road no. 12, Banajara Hills & Cyber Grub, HITEC City

Timings: 11.30 AM-8PM

Price: Rs 1,000 for two

Contact: 0-79895- 69147, 0-88976- 57867 & 040 2333 7861

Website: http://alaliberty.libertyexclusive.com

A’la Liberty caters to vegetarian gourmets who love to indulge in North Indian, Oriental, American and Italian dishes. There’s private dining facility here where you can enjoy those special moments with your near and dear. Few items here like Water-Chestnut Corn Parcel, Manchow Soup, Makhmali Paneer Tikka, Jalapeno Poppers, Godfather Pizza, Karampodi Paneer Bhurji and Cheese Ball Malai Kofta are also made in Jain-style.

Chutneys

chutneys restaurant banjara hills hyderabad

Locations: Road no. 3, Banjara Hills; SP Road, Rasoolpura; Road no. 36, Jubilee Hills; Mind Space, HITEC City; Beside Viswanath Theatre, Kukatpally and LB Nagar Service Road, Bahadurguda

Timings: 7 AM-11 PM

Price: Rs 600 for two

Chutneys is a chain of restaurants popular for authentic South Indian tiffins and delectable North Indian and Chinese cuisines. This Hyderabad’s oldest eatery is always bustling with activity with food lovers waiting in long queue lines, especially during weekends, to binge on those tasty vegetarian delicacies.

In fact, the restaurant is synonymous with the varied chutneys and podis served along with tiffins that satiate the taste buds. If you love heavy breakfasts, then make sure to order Veg Dosa, Corn Dosa, MLA Pesarattu, Sweet Chutney, Sponge Dosa, Guntur Idli and filtered coffee. You can also order thalis (served only for lunch) or just go for à la carte menu.

Dakshina Mandapa

dakshina mandapa restaurant hyderabad

Locations: Taj Mahal Hotel-Abids; Taj Tristar-SD Road & Taj Mahal Hotel-Jubilee Hills

Timings: 12-3.30 PM & 7-10.30 PM

Price: Rs 800-1,000 for two

Contact: 040-66120601; 040-2 7818989 & 040-23558955

Website: https://www.tmhgroup.in

Dakshina Mandapa is a combination of grandeur, serene atmosphere, finest ingredients, richest cooking experience and wholesome flavours. The restaurant is housed in the Taj Group’s hotels, which made a mark for themselves in the hospitality industry. The eatery serves delightful Indian and Chinese cuisines within a reasonable budget. This is definitely a place to visit if you want to please your cravings for authentic dishes like sambar, rasam, flavoured rice, biryanis, paani puri, Dahi Vada and desserts.

Santosh Dhaba Exclusive

santosh dhaba vegetarian hyderabad

Location: Hanuman Tekadi, Abids; Road no.12, Banjara Hills & Opp. KPHB Pillar no.3, Kukatpally

Timings: 11.45 AM-1.30 AM

Price: Rs 600 for two

Contact: 098853 17887 & 097012 34777

Website: https://santosh-dhaba-exclusive.business.site

You may come across many franchises of Santosh Dhaba Exclusive, across the city – few come with tags like Shree, New and Balaji – but the one in Abids is the original. It has branches in Banjara Hills and Kukatpally, too. This low-key cosy eatery is quite famous for its pure vegetarian dishes. Nestled in the bylanes of Abids, the restaurant witnesses several customers who wear a happy smile on their faces, after feasting on their beloved dish.

Apart from Indian and Chinese, Santosh Dhaba Exclusive recently added Italian cuisine to its menu – which covers a wide array of salads, starters, sizzlers, pizzas, pastas, sandwiches, burgers, munchies, meals, fondue, soups, first course, second course, manchurias, snacks, kebabs, Special Santosh Dhaba curries, roti bucket, rice bowl, biryani bowl, dal, kofta, North Indian treat and desserts. If you’re confused as to what to choose, just ask for ‘Today’s Special’ items and indulge in eating spree. But, try out the rotis and paneer delicacies for sure!

Minerva Grand

minerva grand vegetarian hyderabad

Locations: Amrutha Mall, Somajiguda; Opp. Aditya Trade Centre, Ameerpet; Road no.36, Jubilee Hills Checkpost; Bhuvana Towers, SD Road; Opp. Brand Factory, Himayat Nagar; Doctors’ Colony, Kothapet; Near Cine Planet, Kompally

Timings: 7 AM-11 PM

Price: Rs 700 for two

Website: http://minervacoffeeshop.in

Minerva Coffee Shop is synonymous for vegetarian cuisine. It has every dish that you can recollect and love to binge on – North Indian, South Indian and Chinese. This is right place to be if you like to steal a few moments from your busy schedule and savour a quick meal, a cup of coffee or dine in with family. In fact, this is the most sought-after place for its finger-licking-good executive thalis.

The eatery offers extensive range of breakfasts, starters (Indian and Chinese), main course, noodles, rice, evening snacks, sandwiches, hot/cold beverages, desserts, milkshakes and drinks. Try those special dosas (like Produttur Karam Dosa with Chitlam Podi), Paper Dosa, Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Executive Thali, Makai Khumb Khorma, Sabzi Chef ki Pasand, Vegetable Bullets, Tandoori Katti Rolls, Minerva Special Fried Rice and Cold Coffee.

Smoky Pitara

smoky pitara restaurant hyderabad

Location: Sreshta Aura, Road no. 36, Jubilee Hills

Timings: 12-4 PM & 7 PM-12 AM

Price: Rs 1,300 for two

Contact: 0-91000-36855

Email: smokypitara@gmail.com

If you’re looking for relaxed dining with closed ones, then Smoky Pitara is the go-to place. The restaurant provides a simple yet cheerful atmosphere to the foodies while they take delight in every bite of the food served.

Smoky Pitara offers an expansive vegetarian/vegan menu with North Indian, Chinese and Asian delicacies along with buffet options. From starters and curries to bread, rice, noodles, sauces, pizzas and sizzlers, there’s a whole lot to choose from at this restaurant. Don’t miss to order Kasundi Paneer Tikka, Tomato Shorba, Exotic Mangolian Fried Rice, Hawaiian Pizza, Raw Banana Cajun Style Sizzler, spring rolls, Manchow Soup, Mojito and soft kulchas.

Medley

vegetarian medley hyderabad

Location: Road no. 92, Jubilee Hills

Timings: 11 AM-11 PM

Price: Rs 1,700 for two

Contact: 040-48597722/33

Website: https://www.teavilla.in

True to its name, Medley offers a mosaic of veg cuisines from around the world – Continental, North Indian, desserts and beverages. Starting with salads, soups, kebabs & grills, the menu boasts of small plates & main plates, burgers, sandwiches, pizza, pasta, Lebanese, sizzlers, staples, breads, cold/hot coffees, teas and mocktails. However, the bestsellers are: Achari Paneer Tikka, Baked Lasagne, Cheese Fondue, Exotic Italian Pizza, Crispy Lotus Roots and Nutella Waffle.

This isn’t it! The restaurant has lavish interiors including hanging lights, chandeliers, creepers, cushions, comfy sofa sets, swings and colourful chairs that promise you a unique dining experience. Food apart, you'll fall in love with the furnishings too!

Gudgudee

gudgudee vegetarian restaurant hyderabad

Location: Above Mi Store, Madhapur

Timings: 12-4 PM & 7-11 PM

Price: Rs 1,400 for two

Contact: 0-95772-77788

Email: gudgudee.restro@gmail.com

Gudgudee is yet another veg/vegan restaurant that leaves no stone unturned to tickle your taste buds – served in spacious and soothing ambience. It offers different seating experience to its customers - cosy chairs / sofas and floor seating. Yes, you read it right. If you’re someone who adores those childhood memories of sitting on the floor to have family dinners, then this is the place to visit.

Gudgudee has mouth-watering North Indian, Continental and Chinese delicacies besides desserts and mocktails. Its appetizers – available in Continental, Chinese and Tandoor varieties – are not to be missed. Also, try Lemon Coriander Soup, Beetroot Kebab, Burmese Parcel, Paner Kurchan, Asian Veg Manchurian, Dal Maharani, Paneer Tikka Biryani, Baingan Ka Bharta and Cheese Cake.

Little Italy

vegetarian litle italy restaurant

Locations: Aryon, Road no. 92, Jubilee Hills & BK Towers, HITEC City

Timings: 11.30 AM-3.30 PM & 6.30-11 PM

Price: Rs 1,400 for two

Contact: 040-23558001 & 040-39999500

Website: https://www.littleitaly.in

Who said that vegetarian food is limited to certain regions and cuisines? Nothing can beat it if there’s Italian on the menu. With 25 outlets in India, Little Italy is a renowned vegetarian Italian fine-dining restaurant, renowned for its distinctive and authentic dishes. The eatery brings you tasty menu that includes Antipasti (starters), Zuppe (soups), Insalate (salads), Primi Piatti (first course), Second Piatti (second course), Mexican specialties (salads, munchies & quesadillas), Dolci (desserts), fresh fruit mocktails, gelatos, tea/coffees and coolers.

If you are looking for the best, then order Raviolli Nero Al Funghi Selvatici Pasta, Cappuccino Al Funghi Selvatici, Lasagne Alle Verdure, Pasta Del Barone, Rissotto Fungi and Zafferano, Blackberry Elderflower Spritzer, Fantasy Jalapeno Salsa and Sangria.

(What is your favourite restaurant among these? Did we miss to mention your hangout place in the list? Then, do write us on namaste@ayuve.in and share your feeedback.)

All About Ugadi Pacchadi

April 14, 2022April 14, 2022 Dr. Bhaswati Bhattacharya Leave a comment

The translucent drink or special chutney Ugadi Pacchadi is made fresh and shared as part of Ugadi celebrations, bringing people and their doshas in line with the environment and Nature's bounty of the season

Ranjaka Pitta and the Work of the Liver

April 14, 2022April 14, 2022 Dr. Bhaswati Bhattacharya Leave a comment

Ayurveda understood the importance of herbs that could affect the liver function due to its importance in filtering the blood, monitoring sugar, proteins and haemoglobin, and pull out floating cancer cells

The logic of Ayurvedic healing is elegant. The wise physicians of the past saw that certain foods affected the body and proposed themes of functions as specific doshas – vata as movement, pitta as transformation, and kapha as lubrication and stability. The wisemen used doshas and gunas as the crux for diagnosis and medical decisions simply because the theories worked. The theories proposed that transformation occurred in several parts of the body and called them subtypes of pitta.

For example, the liver's actions, with its immense detoxification effects, are known as ranjaka pitta. Colored substances emerge from the liver and create color in the blood, the skin, the bile. Ancient scientists observed that when we eat more mineral-rich foods that reach our liver, these foods give some tools needed by the liver in its immense detox factory, what we now call enzymes and biotransformation complexes. If people were fed with conscious attention to foods that changed the way the body digests, the liver would often self-repair. Better building blocks to the factory of cells that house the DNA of the liver actually changed the way that DNA produced the proteins that were on the liver's DNA blueprints.

human liver — Liver filters the blood, monitors sugar, proteins and hemoglobin, and pulls out floating cancer cells

These building blocks include trace minerals, metals, and elements of integrated force. Minerals and metals found in healthy plants can be used to shift the DNA in specific organs, not only the liver. Ayurveda understood the importance of herbs that could affect the liver function due to its importance in filtering the blood, monitoring sugar, proteins and haemoglobin, and pull out floating cancer cells. Herbs such as Kutki, Amalaki, Kalmegh, Musta, Kutaja, Haritaki, Bhumyamalaki, and Bhringaraj are found in many liver formulas in Ayurveda today and do help patients to alter their health. In addition, combinations of herbominerals deeply cleanse the liver, such as Arogyavardhini.

Ayurveda whispers, however, that the herbs should be combined specifically for each patient. Knowing which one to use depends on the digestive fire, gastritis or gut symptoms that can be aggravated, bowel movements patterns, and usual diet, as well as the patient's age, climate, and lifestyle.

Just as all western apothecaries would titrate a small amount of chemical specific to the patient and create satchets of chemical combinations just 150 years ago, Ayurvedic physicians designed specific combinations of these herbs, in not only powders, but other forms, to combine with food to get to the liver.

To help patients optimize liver-rejuvenating herbs, the best prescription is to ingest them just after the first bite of food. As food appears at the table, the five senses become aware of its aroma, its color, its texture. The fingers can feel the temperature and the texture as well as the hardness. Finally, the taste of the substance sends messages from the tongue to the brain, telling the body and the guts what the mouth has eaten, and that the food will be arriving soon. The liver with its detoxification enzymes prepares for blood laden with new food, sometimes well digested, sometimes not. It anticipates toxins and poisons and things that the body does not like.

liver cleansing super food — Liver cleansing health food

Just as the liver turns its attention to the oncoming food, if the liver-rejuvenating herbs arrive, they will be most efficiently utilized by the liver. This is the best way to prescribe liver herbs, to ask the patient to take them after the first bite of food. Once they have swallowed the medicine and chased it with a small amount of warm water, the meal can resume, and the nutrients can arrive into the gut while the liver is happily processing medicines made specifically for it.

Meanwhile, modern pharmaceuticals defend their medicines even when they have been proven to damage the live. Warning labels are included in the monograph to inform physicians so that they can be mindful. But no solution or remedy is given. The claim is that all drugs have side effects or adverse effects.

Thus, a large movement has started recently by Ayurvedic physician-vaidyas to integrate liver formulas from Ayurveda alongside the pharmaceuticals that mainstream physicians have prescribed to a patient. Vaidyas may also prescribe breath work, foods, and gems to shift the ranjaka pitta. The reality is that patients do not tell their true stories to mainstream physicians because MDs bully patients not to use things that do not conform to their worldview.

The time is coming when patients will understand that an integrated combination of medicines from different medical systems works for severe diseases, when the patient has lost control of their own health. Hopefully, the healthcare system will evolve to acknowledge the need for the patient to find solutions that work to help them truly heal, and not only those that make money for the system.

The Nerve of Ghee

April 14, 2022April 14, 2022 Dr. Aditi Jain Leave a comment

When gaughrita is accompanied by specific herbs that are medhya or nourishing of the thinking mind, ghee's effects are amplified. Ghee can treat disorders and injuries of the head, brain and nervous system

The cow has been symbolized by Kamadhenu since Vedic times as the one who grants all wishes. Borne from the great ancient event of the samudra-manthana during an oceanic war, she rose from the churning of the sea and emerged as an icon of all divine virtues.

In Indian history, a cow has been valued as a mobile hospital for millenia, because its cow-derived products can cure varied ailments. Five of the many products are cow urine, dung, milk, ghee, and curd, known as the medicinal substance panchagavya. Each of these five substances is extensively elaborated in the ancient Ayurvedic texts Charaka Samhita, Sushruta Samhita and Vriddha Vagbhata, and the compound formulation of panchagavya is used for a variety of ailments.

Of the 4 types of sneha (oily medicinal substances), gaughrita is most essential for the daily diet because it provides specific fats needed for the special insulating cells of the nervous system, and it provides specific fatty acids needed by the gut microbiome.

ghee — Ghee can treat disorders and injuries of the head, brain and nervous system

Modern scientific analysis shows that gaughrita is composed of 99.48g of total fat per 100gm, of which 61.924g is saturated fat. Also, 256mg of cholesterol, Vitamin A 3069 IU, 4mg calcium as well as trace amounts of other vitamins and minerals.

Gaughrita is easily digestible due to its 8% lesser saturated fatty acid content compared to other edible oils or fat. It also contains vitamins A, D, E, and K. Vitamins A and K are antioxidants that prevent injury to the body by oxygen radicals. Except for fish oil, no other edible fat or oil contains vitamin A. Due to these high levels of natural antioxidants, more than any other fat or oil, gaughrita has a very long shelf life when stored in dry, cool places.

As a result of understanding that this highly unusual concentrated fat is similar to the high fats of parts of the brain, a link was established between gaughrita and the nervous system alongside the functioning of the psyche.

Beyond the chemical composition of gaughrita, Ayurvedic systems of logic also explain the vast benefits of gaughrita for the brain. Ayurveda utilizes the basic construct of saamanya and vishesha, known as the signature theory. The purpose of saamanya is to establish similarities between substances, while vishesha is to distinguish them. This theory considers three elements for defining saamanya and vishesha, which are similarities and differences in the dravya, the guna, and the karma (substances, properties and action).

ghee nervous system — 3D rendered illustration of human nerve system

An observable demonstration of similarity is lactating human mothers known to produce more breast milk if she herself drinks milk. Another demonstration of similarity is the observation that consuming meat enhances the musculature of the body, theorizing that tissues in the meat are metabolized to be similar muscles in our bodies. A demonstration of opposites or differences is the observation that activities and properties of lightness such as jogging and light foods are used to counteract the qualities of obesity and kapha which is smooth, heavy and unctuous; this promotes the quality of rukshana, which is dry, light and rough.

When involved properties need to be increased, identical dravya, guna and karma are used; when the involved qualities need to be decreased, dissimilar dravya, guna and karma are used.

This concept is particularly poignant when considering gaughrita and the nervous system. The nervous system of the body, which includes the brain, spinal cord and nerves along with all the insulation tissues of the glia and Schwann cells, has the highest fat content in the body. Adding high-quality fat that can be used by the cells of the nervous system easily, gaughrita is known to be extremely nourishing and rejuvenating for the entire nervous system.

Gaughrita crosses the blood-brain barrier due to its guna-s (properties & qualities) of penetrating into small crevices. When gaughrita is accompanied by specific herbs that are medhya or nourishing of the thinking mind, ghee's effects are amplified. Ghee can treat disorders and injuries of the head, brain and nervous system. For example, brahmi ghrita can penetrate into the blood-brain barrier and induce calm and focus. Ashwagandha ghrita can reenergize and strengthen the brain. Panchagavya too improves memory, perception, and the awareness of the mind.

Human Brain ghee — Brahmi ghrita can penetrate into the blood-brain barrier and induce calm and focus

While expounding the importance of gaughrita the Acharyas compared the similar properties of gaughrita to that of ojas, the resilience principle of the body, responsible for maintaining our life force. It was understood that gaughrita enhances this vital force within us, and Ojas was adopted as the indicator of healthy immunity in the body. Saying no to ghrita is saying no to the genuine golden liquid that builds your vitality.

Those seeking additional modern scientific analysis must begin with authentic cow ghrita, made properly from properly raised cows. That medicinal ghrita can be given to patients who are pre- and post-analyzed by PET Scans or by memory testing. Unfortunately, such studies are not funded because there is no proprietary potential for owning the rights to ghee. To understand the nerve of ghee and its boldness in healing the nervous system, snort 2 drops of ghee through the nostrils daily and use your own body as a laboratory. Collect pre and post-tests from several colleagues and use it as a pilot study to raise awareness on the neurologic healing potential of gaughrita.

India’s First Date-Sweetened Dark Chocolates!

April 13, 2022April 13, 2022 Y Krishna Jyothi Leave a comment

The dark chocolates from The Whole Truth Foods will be available in 71% & 55% dark variants in orange, hazelnut, sea salt and almond raising flavours

Mumbai-based healthy food brand The Whole Truth Foods launched India’s first dark chocolate range sweetened with dates. The “100% clean” premium chocolates are made only from two ingredients: single-origin cocoa sourced from Idukku in Kerala and high-quality, non-GMO dates.

The Whole Truth Foods set up its own bean-to-bar chocolate factory in Mumbai for this purpose. The new chocolate range is available in 71% and 55% dark variants in orange, hazelnut, sea salt and almond raising flavours. These chocolates have no added sugar, stevia, fructo-oligosaccharides, compound, maltitol, erythritol or flavours.

whole truth foods ceo — Shashank Mehta, CEO, The Whole Truth Foods

dark chocolates from the whole truth foods — 51% dark chocolate variants

The Whole Truth Foods Founder-CEO Shashank Mehta said, “It was about 18 months ago when we decided to create a chocolate that was sweetened only with dates. However, dates are quite fibrous so achieving that perfectly smooth texture of rich chocolate called for 4X longer conch-time. That meant that every batch of this chocolate had to be continuously ground for up to 22 hours! For us, owning every part of the bean-to-bar journey was critical and so we set up our own chocolate factory in Mumbai. After numerous nights burning the midnight oil and countless iterations, we are super proud to introduce India's first dark chocolate naturally sweetened only with dates and without any artificial sweeteners/ added sugar.”

As a prelude to the launch of the 100% date-sweetened dark chocolates, the brand is educating consumers about ‘healthy’ food through a mini-series of super fun videos under “Healthy Foods Vs The Whole Truth” campaign. The Whole Truth Foods also offers other products like nut butters, protein bars, muesli and energy bars – all made with no added sugar, preservatives, gluten or sweeteners.

Valley Culture Raises Rs 2-Cr in Seed Round Funding

Agritech startup Valley Culture raised Rs 2 crore in seed round funding from the TMRW Network. Based out of Dehradun, the startup is promoting a healthy lifestyle by reviving the traditional wholesome foods of Uttarakhand.

valley culture ghee — Valley Culture’s Himalayan ghee

founders valley culture — Robin Nagar & Vaidya Shikha Prakash, Valley Culture Co-Founders with the farmers of Valley Culture. (PRNewsfoto/Valley Culture)

With this amount, Valley Culture is planning to set up a complete farm-to-fork ecosystem and help the Himalayan farmers get better price for their farm produce, build market linkages and direct access to consumers. The brand aims to achieve Rs 100-crore turnover in the next 18 months and impact at least 1 million farmers’ lives.

Founded in 2019 by Shikha Prakash and Robin Nagar, Valley Culture currently works with over 4,000 farmers and sells varied products like Himalayan Cultured ghee, honey (Himalayan jungle, lychee and jamun floral), pulses, grains, spices, jaggery powder, water milled flour, millets, pickles and tea.

The startup has its offline presence at Currently, with their offline presence at Taj Rishikesh, Ananda's in the Himalayas, Hyatt Regency Dehradun, Greenr Cafe and many more and retailing the Valley Culture range online from Amazon and their own website.

In a statement, Valley Culture Founder and third generation Ayurvedic practitioner Shikha observed that most lifestyle diseases like “diabetes are a factor of wrong food choices, which are being pushed our way as a result of modern-day marketing through FMCG giants and social media influencers.”

The Yoga of Water

April 12, 2022April 14, 2022 Lea Kraemer Leave a comment

A deeply attuned yoga school teaches that the water we drink to sustain a strong and energetically powerful body should be like the earth and of the earth, and not an antiseptic experience in a plastic bottle.

Article By Lea Kraemer and Dr Bhaswati Bhattacharya

Water flows in the chant of the aapa sukta mantra of the Rig Veda, considered one of the oldest texts on earth, read and handed down uninterrupted for over a thousand generations. When setting off for an ocean voyage, starting any water-based ceremony, or beginning a river-based event, a prayer to water is cast into the skies for protection from the menacing effects of water. At the same time, water is essential for health and for life. We emphasize drinking clean water daily to prevent ailments. While it is a travesty that nearly half of humans do not have access to safe drinking water, the scary fact is that today's technology has been destroying pure water in order to label it "clean."

In teachings about water by modern masters of yoga, we are warned that drinking distilled water is deleterious for the body because it leaches minerals out of the body. Long-term consumption of predominantly distilled water is a slow poison, promoting a painful death. The process of distillation rids the solution of all minerals, and double distilation leaves a chemically pure H2O. Just kill them instead, the teacher says, rather than feeding them lethal, deceptively-labeled-clean water.

Similarly, extracts of herbs while they look beautiful in colorful little bottles, are only that part of a whole system that a human decided was valuable, extracted and separated from its original life-giving state. The wholeness of an herb with wisdom and magic beyond what a human decided to bottle is suddenly destroyed because the wholeness that defined authentic purity is discarded. Today, extracts are legally permitted as ingredients in foods and dietary supplements, substituting the original structure for a concentrate of the "good stuff."

srping water yoga — The nutrients of the spring and the mountain permeate the water and are joyfully received by our bodies

water yoga — 60-70% of our body is made of water

Just as the wholeness of the herb is not represented in the extract, modern thinking that goes into creating a bottle of water is imbalanced. Whether placed in plastic or glass that has been cleansed and often steriliized with chemical antiseptic for a certification of clean, the maker claims the water is void of all other contaminants, promoting self-protection, seeing H2O as pure and not understanding that water is precious because of its rich mineral bio-energy.

When we observe water coming from a stream or brook, we can witness that pure means a wholeness defined by its connection to nature in all its complexity. Water is pure with its minute quantities of minerals chelated during its natural flow in the wild, harmonizing for our system because we imbibe the same water that the ecosystem drinks. The earth's placement of a mineral in 1 ppb (parts-per-billion) or 1 ppm (parts-per-million) is the exactly right ratio and suspended structure for that drop of water.

Spring water makes the body happy. In ancient Chinese medicine as well as in ancient Indian medicine and native American medicine, it is understood that water imprints everything. Water is all around us and within us, but also subtle and beyond our five-sense perception.

Pure water is powerfully reactive and links us to everything. It is able to imprint everything around us. It is much better in our own bodies when it is complex as part of its purity, filled with minerals we cannot yet calculate using modern science. The nutrients of the spring and the mountain, in balance with the larger ecosystem, permeate the water and are joyfully received by our bodies.

bottled water — Water packaged in plastic bottles is often separated from its original life-giving state

Because 60-70% of our body is made of water, so we must take time to learn about healthy water now, in the 21st century. A deeply attuned yoga school teaches that the water we drink to sustain a strong and energetically powerful body should be like the earth and of the earth, and not an antiseptic experience in a plastic bottle.

Recently, a friend's son had pain in his belly and his urine turned brown. He was taken from school to the emergency room. After seven hours he was diagnosed with kidney stones, told to drink more water, but never counseled with a deeper understanding of what went wrong with his young body's water balance. An epidemic of teenagers are getting kidney stones and not waking up to an understanding of the body demanding that you treat it better and pay attention to its signals. When the body is deeply dehydrated, it changes the outflow of urine, creates a deep fatigue, and muddles the perceptions. Those who have chronically stopped listening to their bodies often stop craving water when they need it, and instead desire the poisons in preservative- and sugar-laden foods.

Unfortunately, many young people are not drinking pure water, because they are being offered soda and carbonated cold drinks. They are also eating too much, and staying largely immobile for their age. When they do eat, they are not connecting to the idea of nourishment or sense of strength or vitality. They eat to satisfy what tempts them in the moment, and those fun foods usually contain subtoxic levels of preservatives. The common misconception about energy today focuses on calories and is not connected to a sense of vitality from within.

But the most dangerous secret is that even when people are drinking bottled water or "pure drinking water" they are getting RO water, made by reverse osmosis. RO water depletes the water of all minerals. Because the industry recently discovered this water was slowly lethal, they simply quietly fortified it with chemically-pure minerals, which never integrates back into the water. Something similar happened with refined wheat flour in the 1940s, which is why so many people today have gut diseases from eating refined gluten devoid of the pure components of whole wheat berries. People using RO water from centralized water purifiers encounter fungal infections and unusual hair loss, bone demineralization, and skin diseases. This is known in communities where RO water was installed a decade ago. The engineers on those facilities quietly bring their own water from home.

To begin rehydrating the body, opt for lemon water if clean pure water is not yet palatable to you. Store it in a clean copper pitcher. Eat cucumbers and whole fruits, not fruit juice. If you need tea or beer, instead adopt fresh kombucha. Have green tea instead of alcohol, both of which are astringent.

RO water purifier — RO water depletes the water of all minerals

water kidneys — People using RO water from centralized water purifiers encounter fungal infections, bone demineralization, kidney & skin diseases

To learn more about real water, watch your dog. Smart nature-bred dogs mistrust stagnant water, strongly preferring fresh running water from a stream, hose or fountain. This fascinating and sacred principle of Ayurveda values ganga-ambu (ganga=flowing, water=ambu, S.) because moving water aligns the electrical force during its natural quality of fluidity. Animals seem to understand this.

Kidneys, representing the svadhisthana chakra and balanced, creative joy, become insulted and toxic when someone ignores their own harmony and becomes fixated on bitter, afflictive emotions. Maybe this is why there is a rise of teenagers with kidney stones: it is an age group that seems to be vulnerable to losing the innocent awe in life too soon. Some teenagers handle stress by becoming sly, unimpressed and critical of everything they see. True joys of family relationships and clean intimacy of friendships is rare. Discovery of true wisdom in nature by watching animals, trees, plants and clouds is also rare.

When our aura expands, good water is needed. Lemon water, cucumber water, water blessed by the Sun, are all excellent sources of Prana. The biorhythm of our electrical bodies is most nourished by the quality of water that is most like a mountain stream.

Yoga is the embodied practice of yoking the mind and body, synchronizing the self with the inner environment, but it also includes a healthy relationship with the outer ecosystem, an essential connection to the very source of life.

The yoga of water is the practice of taking in water like a prayer, as a blessing. If then we practice, our breath flows like water and when we chant, the sound is moist and sweet.

CavinKare Adds Healthier Cheese to its Dairy Portfolio

April 12, 2022April 13, 2022 Ayuve Leave a comment

The protein-rich Cavin’s Cheese, touted to be healthier alternative made of pure cow milk, will be available in Tamil Nadu for now

FMCG company CavinKare expanded its dairy product range by launching protein-rich cheese under its dairy brand Cavin’s. Touted to be a healthier alternative made of pure cow milk, the cheese will be available in Tamil Nadu in Slice, Block and Spread formats.

The Block and Spread Cheese are priced at Rs 160 for 200g and Rs 120 for 180g, while the Slice Cheese will cost Rs 90 for 100g and Rs 400 for 480g. With this launch, CavinKare is planning to launch cheese in diverse exotic and indigenous flavours in all major markets across India and also become one of the top three players in consumer segment.

cavin's dairy products — Cavin's dairy product range

On the occasion, CavinKare Director-Retail Manuranjith Ranganathan said, “We are delighted to strengthen our cold chain offerings with the launch of Cavin’s Cheese, which is the first cheese-based product from CavinKare. Currently launching in Tamil Nadu markets, we will soon take the product to other key markets across India. With a strong and loyal consumer base for our brand, we are anticipating to grow into one of the top three players in this segment with this launch.”

Cavin’s is the umbrella brand for all dairy-based offerings from CavinKare. Its product range includes milk (toned, standardised, full cream and double toned), curd (made from toned, skimmed, double toned milks, diet curd and cup curd), butter, paneer (soft and diet versions), milkshakes (mango, banana, vanilla, strawberry, coffee, chocolate and kaju butterscotch; premium range - rajbhog, badam, gulkhand and rabdi flavours), buttermilk and lassi (mango, strawberry and original).

CavinKare also owns a flagship brand H-Milk under which it offers milk, curd, buttermilk, paneer and lassi made from pure cow milk, with no cream removed, sourced directly from farmers.