Better Health Newsletter
Issue 1: Spring 2004
1. Vedic Description of Spring
2. The Inner Experience of Balance
3. Hibernation Ends - Wake Up Kapha
4. Seasoning for the Seasons
5. Herbal Preparations
6. Spring Clean with Panchakarma
7. Get Out and Enjoy
8. In the Spotlight - Sesame Oil: history, lore, botanical description, storage,
health benefits, oiling of head and oil massage
9. Recipe: Sesame Laghu
10. Science Looks at Ayurveda - Health Care Costs
11. Book Review
12. Links and Featured Site
Welcome to our first e-newsletter, celebrating the onset of the Spring season. Follow Dr Donn Brennans' seasonal advice points 1-7 inclusive. Newsletters will be published seasonally throughout the year.
1. Vedic Description of Spring
'The woods are decked with the full-blown flowers of the kinshuka, lotus, vakula, mangoe, and ashoka trees. The bee hums and the notes of the cuckoo are heard to reverberate through the skies. The south wind fans this king of the seasons and the forests are hung with the festoons of tender and sprouting leaves in his honour.'
2. The Inner Experience of Balance
This description of Spring comes from the ancient classical text of Ayurveda known as Sushruta. The ancient texts continue with a marvellous wisdom describing the effects of the season on our health and how we balance mind and body at this time. It explains that this season continues the kapha increasing influence of winter and the need to balance it. Otherwise we may feel dull, lethargic and even depressed. Physically we put on too much weight and can suffer colds, allergies etc. In fact with increased kapha there is a tendency for toxins to gather and be held onto in our tissues.
3. Hibernation Ends - Wake Up Kapha
Time to spring cleanse! There are many ways we may help our body to clear its toxins. Kapha reducing foods are lighter on the digestion and therefore less inclined to cause problems. Strengthening digestion is a way to stimulate metabolism to clear toxins.
4. Seasoning for the Season - Dr Donn Brennan's seasonal tips
Use ginger more. Choose spices like cumin, fennel, pepper, turmeric or the 'Digest spice mix' in cooking. Or take the 'Herbal digest' herbal tablet before meals. Clear toxins by sipping hot water often. Consider eating very lightly for a day - choosing soups, fruit (raw and stewed), juices, herbal teas and 'kitcheri'(a rice and dahl soup).
5. Herbal Preparations
Consider using an herbal preparation to help your liver, kidneys and skin to eliminate toxins from the body. Choose 'Elimtox' or if you are pitta or have a hot pitta type problem use 'Elimtox-O' instead.
6. Spring Clean with Panchakarma
Of course the best spring clean is a good course of Panchakarma. Maharishi Ayurveda recognises the immense benefit of Panchakarma in cleaning out toxins which have got deeply ingrained in our tissues. These deep rooted toxins are what cause us to function below par and also to develop diseases. They age us. So regular panchakarma is highly recommended. This is the best time to do panchakarma. Late in kapha season the 'ama' or toxins tend to be more mobile in our bodies. So it is easier to get rid of them now with these powerful cleansing treatments. They are an enjoyable way to rejuvenate.
7. Get Out and Enjoy
Exercise is very beneficial for many reasons at this time of the year. So get out and enjoy the 'full-blown flowers', the 'festoons of tender leaves', 'the humming bees' and the scented breeze.
Kapha season: spring-early summer (approx March-June)
Kapha time: approx 6am sunrise to 10am and 6pm to 10pm
Maharishi Ayurveda notes how the changes in our environment over the year affect the three doshas in a specific sequence. The first dosha to be aggravated is Kapha, by the springtime moisture and coolness. The second is Pitta, by the summer's heat and the third is Vata, by the cold winds of late autumn and winter.
This sequence( kapha, pitta, vata) reflects Maharishi Ayurveda's central theme, that the human body and the body of nature reflect each other ('As it is in the macrocosm, so it is in the microcosm)
8. In the Spotlight - Sesame Oil: history, lore, botanical description, storage, health benefits, oiling of head and oil massage
History
No need to shout "open sesame" to get to the magical flavour of
sesame seeds. Sesame seeds are believed to be one of the first condiments
as well as one of the first plants to be used for edible oil. The English
term Sesame traces back to the Arabic Simsim, Coptic Semsem, and early Egyptian
Semsent (listed in the Ebers Papyrus, a 65 feet long scroll listing ancient
herbs and spices discovered by a German Egyptologist,Ebers).
Sesamum Indicum, indicum meaning from India, is native to the East Indies. Usage dates back to 3000 BC. 5000 years ago, the Chinese burned sesame oil not only as a light source but to make soot for their ink blocks. Through the ages the seeds have been a source of food and oil.
Lore
Probably the most widely known reference is " open sesame" the magic
words used by Ali Baba to open the treasure cave in the classic tale "
The Thousand and One Nights". Other interpretations suggest the phrase
comes from the manner in which the sesame seed pods burst open with a pop
much like the sudden pop of a lock springing open.
Botanical Description
This annual herb can grow as high as seven feet tall though most plants range
two to four feet. The white to lavender pink flowers, similar in appearance
to foxglove, mature into pods containing the edible sesame seeds, which burst
with a pop when the small seeds are mature. Prime season for sesame is between
Sept. and April when the new crops are harvested. A cologne is made from sesame
flowers. The oilcakes left after pressing sesame oil are rich in protein and
are used as cattle feed and as a subsistence food. The seeds come in a variety
of colours depending on the plant variety, including shades of brown, red,
black, yellow, and the most common a pale greyish ivory. The darker seeds
are said to be more flavourful.
Storage
Due to their high oil content, the seeds will quickly become rancid. Best
to purchase them in small amounts and use them quickly, refrigerated, they
may be kept up to six months.
Sesame oil, on the other hand, is remarkably stable and will keep for years, without turning rancid, even in hot climates
Health Benefits
One half cup of sesame seeds contains over three times the calcium of a comparable
measure of whole milk. Some studies show that sesamin, a lignan found only
in sesame seeds, has remarkable antioxidant effects (which can inhibit the
absorption of cholesterol and production of cholesterol in the liver)
The seeds are rich in vitamin A, E, and protein. They are 50% unsaturated fat, with a high magnesium content to help steady nerves.
Sesame oil is a rich source of polyunsaturated fatty acids and it contains potent free radical scavengers. Preliminary research on sesame oil abhyanga is emerging,
Dr Edward Smith found that those who practise it daily have significantly less bacterial infection on their skin. This may be due to the major component of sesame oil, linoleic acid, which makes up 40% of the oil. Linoleic acid is known to inhibit the growth of certain bacteria. It is a powerful anti-inflammatory agent. While no one has researched this implication, it may account for the experience of many who find abhyanga helps with joint problems.
Further, sesame oil contains antioxidants, and heating the oil- which is traditional in Ayurveda and referred to as "ripening"- has been shown to increase the antioxidant potency.
Oiling of head
'One who applies til (sesame) oil on his head regularly does not suffer from
headache, baldness, greying of hair, nor do his hair fall.
Strength of his head and forehead is specially enhanced; his hair becomes black , long and deep-rooted; his sense organs work properly; the skin of his face becomes brightened; applying til oil on the head produces sound sleep and happiness.
Til oil is to be applied on the head in sufficient quantity so that the head actually becomes unctuous'. From classical text of Ayurveda, Carakh Samhita.
Oil massage
'As a pitcher, a dry skin, and an axis (of a cart) become strong and resistant
by the application of oil, so by the massage of oil the human body becomes
strong and smooth -skinned; it is not susceptible to the diseases due to Vata,
it is resistant to exhaustion and exertions.
Vayu dominates in the tactile sensory organ, and this sensory organ is lodged in the skin. The massage is exceedingly beneficial to the skin; so one should practise it regularly.
Of the one who practises oil massage regularly, the body, even if subjected to injuries or strenuous work, is not much injured; his physique is smooth, strong and charming. By applying the oil massage regularly the onslaught of ageing is slackened.
By massaging oil in the feet, roughness, immobility, dryness, fatigue and numbness are instantaneously cured; tenderness, strength, and steadiness of the feet are effected, the eye sight becomes clear and Vata is thereby relieved'. From classical text of Ayurveda, Carakh Samhita.
9. Sesame Lagu recipe, Vaidya Shakhar.
Dome Dec 2 '99
500 grms sesame seeds ( black seeds recommended )
250 grms jaggery sugar ( brown, muddy coloured best)
1 tsp cardamon
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 - 1 tsp ginger
100 grms dessicated coconut
honey, to bind ( honey should be the colour of sesame oil, best variety.)
Dry roast the sesame seeds until golden, do not burn!, let it cool, then grind
to a powder.
The jaggery should be grated.
Mix all ingredients together, and use the honey to bind into little balls. This is good for preventing osteoporosis, also good for hormone balance for ladies.
The above makes a large quantity, reduce by a half or a quarter for a more convenient amount.
10. Science Looks at Ayurveda - Health Care Costs
A landmark study into health care costs compared the medical costs of a group of 677 enrolees in the Quebec provincial health care plan before and after learning Transcendental Meditation. Prior to this study no research project had found a programme that could reduce health care costs over the long term.
This study found that in the years before the subjects learned TM their health care costs were the same as for people in their age range, but once they began to meditate however their health care costs began to decline from 5% to 7% each year.
The reductions were most dramatic among people who had previously shown the highest pattern of health care costs i.e. people who had been to doctors and hospitals most frequently (18% reduction a year, 54% over three years)
11. Book Review - 'Contemporary Ayurveda' by Hari Sharma MD FRCPC and Christpher Clark MD.
Written for doctors but also a good read for the layman, Contemporary Ayurveda introduces what Maharishi Ayurveda offers to clinical medicine and the 'consciousness model' of medicine. It includes its practical application in Transcendental Meditation, and the effects of emotions and thinking on health.
A chapter on physiology and anatomy covers the mahabhutas and the qualities and locations of the doshas, shrotas and dhatus.
Factors that make one susceptible to disease are summarised from the ancient texts of Ayurveda and are linked to pulse diagnosis, diet and digestion.
There is also a section which covers 'active ingredients', free radicals, the herbal pharmacopeia, rasayanas and the rhythms of nature
An extensive section on purification therapies covers the details of panchakarma as well as the benefits of exercise for different body types at different times of day and the year.
There's advice for parents so the whole family can enjoy the best possible health, and this excellent book concludes with a chapter Maharishi's Vedic approach to health which covers primordial sound, music, Yagya, Maharishi Sthapatya Veda, Jyotish and collective health.
Click here to buy Contemporary Ayurveda
12. Links and Featured Site
On our website www.maharishiayurveda.co.uk you can find links to other Maharishi Ayurveda sites of interest.
This issue's featured site is
http://www.ayurveda/ayurvedic.com/index.html which is the website of Dr Nancy
Lonsdorf where you can subscribe to the 'Ayurveda Self Guide Booklet' and
to the 'Healing Naturally' monthly e-zine. Dr Lonsdorf is one of the world's
leading experts on Maharishi Ayurveda and Women's Health.
