Ayurveda, a natural system of medicine, originated in India more than 3,000 years ago. The term Ayurveda is derived from the Sanskrit words ayur (life) and veda (science or knowledge). Thus, Ayurveda translates to knowledge of life. Based on the idea that disease is due to an imbalance or stress in a person's consciousness, Ayurveda encourages certain lifestyle interventions and natural therapies to regain a balance between the body, mind, spirit, and the environment.
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The 3 Doshas in Ayurveda
Ayurveda classifies personalities into three different categories or Doshas - Vatha, Pitha, and Kapha. We have a blend of all three doshas, but one dosha dominates over the other two.
- Vatha type of personality can be best described as the wind. People with this type of personality are lean, wiry, very active and restless. Their mind tends to wander just like the wind and they cannot sit and concentrate for a long time on a particular thing. They are always agitated. This type of personality has very little sleep, eats poorly and does not have very good digestive capabilities.
- Pitha type of people are very fiery. Their anger shoots up at lightning speed. They tend to be very sociable and cheerful and draw people towards them. People belonging to this dosha cannot tolerate hunger at all and have a good digestive capacity.
- Kapha type of person is very complacent. People belonging to this category are very calm and composed and make firm judgments. They are slow-paced and relaxed.
Ayurvedic Tea
Ayurvedic teas are traditional herbal teas served in Ayurvedic medicine. It is the key component of Ayurveda to help people attain health, wellness, and vitality. Three types of tea - Vatha tea, Pitha tea, and Kapha tea, are made of different herbs and elements and are supposed to detoxify and purify the body. Known to provide a lot of health benefits and enhance health and endurance.
The right kind of Ayurvedic tea can help in balancing the doshas in your body.
Top Ayurvedic Herbs for tea
The most common and important ingredients of Ayurveda are adaptogens, or herbs and roots with the ability to reduce stress naturally. Adaptogens may help you adapt to new seasons, new stressful situations or events more easily. Ashwagandha or Indian ginseng is the most popularly used adaptogen in Ayurveda used for treating stress and increasing stamina. Research showed it may be useful in “neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and Alzheimer’s diseases”. Tulsi or Holy Basil, another important and widely used adaptogen has a basil like flavour and could help with treating “lifestyle-related chronic diseases” including psychological stress, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Sweet licorice is an adaptogen too, and important root that may be used for calming properties.
The basic method of preparing these herbal teas remain the same in all three cases, but the herbs used varies according to the type of tea being prepared.
- Vatha tea must include herbs such as fennel, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, liquorice, stevia.
- Pitha tea must include elements such as ginger, cardamom, fennel, roses, liquorice, stevia.
- Kapha tea must ideally include ingredients such as cloves, cinnamon, liquorice, ginger, cardamom, black pepper.
Other important and common ingredients are pepper, turmeric, moringa, garlic, cumin seeds, blackthorn, hop, haritaki, and hundreds of other herbs rarely used in Western countries.
Since our bodies often have more than one dosha, you can drink teas with multiple Ayurvedic ingredients. Apart from balancing the doshas, these Ayurvedic herbs have multiple other benefits as well.
The health benefits of drinking ayurvedic tea are immense and range from aiding weight loss, curing indigestion, brightening the skin, detoxing the body and enhancing the quality of life.