It's strawberry season and the red, juicy fruits are tempting us. However, Ayurvedic opinions on the health benefits of strawberries are divided. When and how do we best consume these delicious fruits?
Fresh fruit is one of the most valuable sources of energy in Ayurveda. They are characterized by a high content of prana, vital life energy, and are an important part of the sattvic diet to strengthen the psycho-mental balance.
Depending on their taste (rasa) and properties (guna), fruits can have different effects
- nourishing and toning, such as banana or mango
- healing and rejuvenating, such as pomegranate and grapes
- stimulating and draining, such as lemon or pineapple
With its sweet and sour taste, the strawberry is one of the sour berry fruits, as it also has a sour taste after digestion (amla vipaka) and a hot quality (ushna virya), which determine its stimulating and cathabolic effect. All these properties suggest that the strawberry should be classified as a vitalizing and sour fruit that is particularly well tolerated by Vata.
Unfortunately, all acidic fruits are contraindicated for people who are prone to skin complaints and inflammatory disorders. They now block the srotas (circulation channels) and aggravate any discomfort associated with heat, irritation, redness or burning. This is bad news for anyone who suffers from allergic spring reactions, as in this case the regular consumption of strawberries is unfortunately detrimental to health. Pitta types should also be careful with sour berries and not eat too many strawberries.
The inflammation-promoting and blocking effect of sour fruits is intensified by combining them with fermented or slimy dairy products. This means that many of us will have to eliminate delicious strawberry tiramisu, strawberry sundaes and strawberry quark dishes from our diet. The acidic effect of strawberries can be mitigated somewhat by adding a little dried ginger, cardamom or turmeric. For example, I have personally been cooking my strawberry jam with a little turmeric and cardamom for years to improve its healthy digestibility.
The combination of milk and fruit isincompatible and indigestible for all constitution types: a strawberry milkshake inevitably puts our digestive fire (Agni) on strike and produces undigested metabolic residues (Ama), which can be the cause of digestive problems, respiratory diseases and joint problems.
These arguments should be enough to make a strawberry shake with rice or coconut milk in future. It tastes at least as good and has an extremely revitalizing effect on the body and mind.
Article by Petra Pliester
