Your Seasonal Dosha (Ayurvedic Constitution) Healing Soup Remedies Part 1.
Now, that the cold and flu season is upon us, I thought I’d offer you some of my favorite soup recipes based on the Ancient Indian Medical System referred to as Ayurveda.
According to Ayurveda, the Digestive process is of primary importance in terms of benefiting from food items themselves. Of course, there is no denying that some foods are simply better for us than others in terms of toxicity, processing methods and freshness. Still, if we follow our personal constitutional needs, we can not only address digestion, but also enjoy our meals!
Generally speaking, the winter (cool) season is related to the Vata (ether) element, but I’ve seen many cases where Kapha (water/earth) and Pitta (fire) folks suffer from weather related problems as well: Kapha in terms of mucus and Pitta in terms of inflammations and infections.
In this Blog, let’s focus on extremely common nasal problems. According to Ayurvedic principles, sinus issues are related to the imbalance between Prana Vata (secondary Vata dosha) and Shleshaka Kapha (secondary Kapha dosha). Let’s not forget Ama, the sticky left over gunk related to poor digestion. We call that Shleshma and once it settles in, it becomes extremely difficult to clear sinus channels. Once the restriction remains in place, the imbalance leads to Pita-related inflammations and or infections. Ergo: you suffer from chronic sinusitis, which doesn’t seem to respond to conventional treatments, including antibiotics. Before we go on to the actual recipe, let me caution you against over eating the following if you suffer from sinus problems: banana, eggplant, tomato, and bell peppers.
4 cups of free range chicken or beef broth (vegetarians and vegans can use vegetable broth)
1 head cauliflower
¼ chopped fennel bulb or yellow onion
1 clove garlic
Himalayan salt to taste
1 teaspoon of spice mix (4 parts turmeric, 4 parts cumin, 4 parts coriander, 4 parts fennel, 1 part ginger and 1 part black pepper). You can make the spice mix and keep it cool for up to a month.
Once the soup is ready, if you wish, you can use the blender and add ¼ cup of coconut milk.
Enjoy and good health!