Herbs and spices have always been one of the cornerstones of local and Asian naturopathy. Ayurveda also draws on an immeasurable variety of traditional recipes and uses for spices and herbs in the medical and therapeutic field.
Many of these are also widely used in our country: for example, the regular consumption of ginger water has already become firmly established in the lifestyle-driven health trend, but few people know that in Ayurveda this legendary morning drink is used as a classic home remedy for diet-related high cholesterol, thrombosis, asthma or arthritis. However, in order to optimize the effect, a distinction should be made between dried and fresh ginger in the preparation: fresh ginger (ardraka) has a stronger cleansing and degrading effect with its pungent taste after digestion (katuvipaka) and dried ginger (sunti) has a milder and restorative effect due to its sweet taste after digestion (madhuravipaka).
The healing qualities of many spices, foods, medicinal and culinary herbs are described in detail in classical Ayurveda literature. According to the Dravyaguna doctrine, the healing power of a spice arises directly from its specific mode of action through its taste (rasa) and properties (guna). These determine the quantity and dosage form in therapeutic use. As further active principles, potency (virya), the effect after digestion (vipaka), effect (karma) and special, not directly explainable modes of action (prabhava) are very important for the differentiated, pharmacological use of foods, spices and herbs.
Today's Ayurvedic medicine and pharmacology are based on this knowledge, as are the traditional home recipes of Indian folk medicine. However, while the former is taught and scientifically researched at over 220 Indian universities, the old home remedies of the Ayurvedic healers (Vaidyas) from India's regional family traditions are in danger of being forgotten. To prevent this, the FRLHT- Foundation for Revitalization of Local Health Traditions is active in Bengalore. Thanks to generous donations from the Indian automotive industry, the foundation has a generous budget in the multi-digit million range, which is used for the preservation of ancient Indian naturopathy. In recent years, over 20,000 spices, herbs and medicinal plants in their various populations, vegetation zones and areas of application have been cataloged, documented and their preservation promoted through the creation of nature reserves. This is a milestone in preserving the rich wealth of knowledge of India's ancient healing traditions.
While studying the comprehensive database, I personally once again became aware of the immense variety of traditional healing methods, which include many different practices that contradict Ayurveda. And in conversation with Darshan Shankar, the director of the FRLHT Foundation, I finally understood why so much different and sometimes contradictory information on the properties of foods, spices and herbs is described in many Ayurveda books known here: The ancient healing knowledge of India is much greater than the writings of Ayurveda! The spices and herbs differentiated in the Samhitas into rasa, guna, virya, vipaka, karma and prabhava cover only a fraction of the traditional herbal medicine that is still practiced today by a few traditional healers in all parts of the great country - from the Himalayan mountains of northern India to the deserts of Rajasthan and the jungles of southern India. According to the local history and climate, the origin and development of the regionally influenced naturopathy is unique and does not seek compatibility according to Ayurvedic explanations. Rather, the aim is to preserve and promote diversity, explained Darshan Shankar.
For Ayurveda in Europe, this means that we must learn to distinguish between the classical, scientifically documented Ayurvedic knowledge and the old home recipes of folk medicine, which are still used in almost every Indian household today. In this sense, typical Ayurvedic recipes such as rice with raita yoghurt or mung dal not only determine our daily diet, but are also part of the traditional medicine chest for regulating digestion. Rice is served with yogurt and cooling spices (such as coriander or fennel) to reduce digestive fire and diarrhea, and with mungdal and heating spices (such as ginger, pepper and mustard seeds) to strengthen digestive power.
And yet I can't imagine practising Ayurveda without the delicious spices of India, which we use to refine our daily meals and which are also used as valuable therapeutic agents to balance everyday ailments. Not only does clove delicately round off any beet or pumpkin vegetable, but clove tea is the best home remedy for colds and headaches. Turmeric and cumin not only refine fruity tomato and bell pepper sauces, but 1 glass of turmeric water will put an end to any sore throat and cumin tea helps against flatulence and hot flushes. With this knowledge, we can turn our spice cupboard into a medicine cabinet and prepare the right soup with the right spices as a tasty healing food for all occasions.
Ayurvedic medicine chest
In India, all members of the family are treated with spices as a daily household remedy for many everyday ailments. This ancient knowledge is automatically incorporated into kitchen practice:
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Prepare 1 tbsp fresh ginger and clove seeds or alternatively ½ tsp licorice and 1 tbsp fresh ginger as a tea for colds and sniffles
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½ tsp turmeric boiled in water and cooled for sore throats, skin complaints and intestinal fungi
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Brew ¼ teaspoon each of aniseed and ajwain with hot water to make a cup of tea and drink in sips before meals for acute indigestion and flatulence
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Simmer 1 sliceof ginger root and ½ teaspoon of galangal powder in ½ liter of water for 15 minutes and drink about 20 minutes before eating in case of loss of appetite
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Bring 1 teaspoon of grated ginger with 1 teaspoon of cumin and 1 teaspoon of hing to the boil in ½ liter of water and reduce by half. Drinking it in small sips is an excellent remedy for flatulence.
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Boiled rice with fresh yogurt and a little nutmeg stops diarrhea.
