The Way of Ayurvedic Herbs
Lissa Coffey
Ayurveda promotes the use of herbs in healing and in self-care. Herbs are edible plants that can be potent in supporting our body’s healing response. Herbs can be used whole, in teas, powders or in recipes. There are so many different herbs in the world, and each one has different properties and can help in different areas. My friend KP Khalsa and his co-author Michael Tierra have written an amazing new book called “The Way of Ayurvedic Herbs: The Most Complete Guide to Natural Healing and Health with Traditional Ayurvedic Herbalism.” There’s so much to love about this book! It explains the basics of Ayurveda and how herbs are used. It also looks at diet, and foods that can be used for particular conditions. Then they go through several herbs, and ayurvedic formulas, and break down where each can be used, and how, to various ailments. And then they look at specific diseases and go over treatments for each. There is so much information in this book, and it’s all useful. It even has some wonderful recipes including one for Yogi Tea! Here is an excerpt straight from the book:
Yogi Tea
This is the original recipe given by Yogi Bhajan.
For each 8 oz cup, start with 10 oz of water. For convenience, make at least 4 cups at one time. For each cup of boiling water, add:
3 whole cloves
4 whole green cardamom pods
6 whole black peppercorns
½ stick cinnamon
Optional: 1 slice of fresh ginger root
Boil for 20-30 minutes, then add ½ teaspoon of any black or green tea. Let sit for 1-2 minutes, then add ½ cup milk and reheat. Strain and serve with honey to taste.
Black pepper is a blood purifier, cardamom is for the colon (gas), cloves are for the nervous system and cinnamon for the bones. Ginger has a delicious taste and is helpful when suffering from a cold, recovering from the flu or for general physical weakness. The milk aids in the easy assimilation of the spices and avoids irritation to the colon. The black or green tea acts as an alloy for all of the ingredients, achieving a new chemical structure which makes the tea a healthful and delicious drink.