| Occurrence of resveratrol and pterostilbene in age-old darakchasava, an ayurvedic medicine from India. J Ethnopharmacol. 1999; 68:71-76.
Pinto MC. Garcra-Barrado JA. Maci'as P. Resveratrol is a potent inhibitor of the dioxygenase activity of lipoxygenase. J Agric Food Chem. 1999; 47:4842-4846.
Ray PS, Maulik G, Cordis GA, et al. The red wine antioxidant resveratrol protects isolated rat hearts from ischemia reperfusion injury. Free Rad Biol Med. 1999; 27:160-169.
Sanders TH, McMichael RW Jr, Hendrix KW. Occurrence of resveratrol in edible peanuts. J Agric Food Chem. 2000; 48:1243-1246. |
Rebecca Wood
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 Chickpeas reduce pitta and kapha. In ayurvedic medicine, chickpeas are considered rajasic and valued for hard physical labor.
The chickpea provides more vitamin C, nearly double the usual amount of iron, and (soy excepted) three times more fat than most legumes.
Use If the only way you know chickpeas is from a salad bar, then you're eating canned chickpeas and missing a treat. Simmered until tender, with garlic and some toasted cumin seeds, chickpeas are one of the creamiest and tastiest of beans. |
| JASMINE
(Jasminum officinale)
Jasmine blossoms, with their heady, tropical scent, are an important herb in both Chinese and ayurvedic medicine. Jasmine is used to relieve depression, calm the nerves, and dissolve damp problems such as edema and Candida. Its roots and oil, as well as its blossoms, are useful in treating cancer and headaches. Jasmine is also considered an aphrodisiac. It reduces pitta and kapha.
There are several jasmine varieties with one, Arabian jasmine (J. sambac), used primarily to flavor green tea. |
| AYURVEDA
As with Chinese medicine, Indian ayurvedic medicine was developed by a culture using a plant-based diet of whole, fresh, seasonal, and regional foods. Its purpose was to promote health and to prevent disease. An interesting difference between Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine arises from the fact that India is predominately a subtropical region and China is predominately a temperate region. Because of this dramatic climactic difference, Ayurvedic cuisine uses more sweat-inducing spices and is overall a more cooling and cleansing diet. |
| In Japanese tradition, buckwheat is considered medicinal for the kidneys. In ayurvedic medicine, it reduces kapha.
The most outstanding nutritional characteristic of buckwheat is the high proportion in it of all eight essential amino acids—especially lysine, which, at 6.1 percent, is greater in proportion in buckwheat than in any of the cereal grains. In addition, buckwheat has up to 100 percent more calcium than other grains, is rich in vitamin E, and contains almost the entire range of B-complex vitamins.
Use Buckwheat groats have a soft texture and, if roasted, a strong, robust flavor. |
James A. Duke, Ph.D.
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 Practitioners of ayurvedic medicine, the traditional medicine of India, regard this root as the Indian answer to ginseng for the male libido. Ashwaganda, they claim, can help treat impotence and male infertility. But I wouldn't recommend taking this particular herb every day—just occasionally. Try a cup or two of tea made with five teaspoons of dried herb per cup of boiling water.
V Country mallow (Sida cordifolia). Here's another stimulant herb with a folk reputation as an erection-enhancing aphrodisiac. |
J. E. Williams, O.M.D.
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 Indian ayurvedic medicine has well-developed and extensive systems of detoxification called panchakarma that are thousands of years old. Nature cure practitioners like Benedict Lust, Bernard Jensen, and John Bastyr (the founder of Bastyr University of Naturopathic Medicine in Seattle, Washington), healed people in America and Canada with detoxification regimens in the early and mid-1900s. |
Ronald L. Hoffman, M.D.
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 A more acceptable herb to use for glaucoma is Coleus forskohlii, originally used in ayurvedic medicine. An appropriate dose is 50 milligrams of the standardized 18 percent extract three times daily, taken orally.
To sum up: the best preventive plan against glaucoma is to pursue overall good health; follow the guidelines for good cardiovascular health; eat a low-carbohydrate, low-fat diet; and exercise regularly to maintain good blood flow to the eyes.
Retinal Disorders: Are Floaters Always Innocent? |
| The chakras of ayurvedic medicine, a tradition of ancient India, correspond faithfully to our modern conception of autonomic ganglia: relay stations and control points for the autonomic nervous system. Yoga breathing exercises are intended to provide regulatory feedback to the autonomic nervous system. |
Robert S. McCaleb, Evelyn Leigh, and Krista Morien
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 As a mainstay remedy in traditional Indian ayurvedic medicine and other Asian healing systems, turmeric has been used through the ages in the treatment of arthritis and other inflammatory conditions.
Scientists have now identified potent antioxidant compounds in turmeric that account not only for many of its medicinal virtues, but also for its traditional use as a food preservative in hot tropical countries.
Although clinical research on turmeric is still in preliminary stages, studies conducted to date have generated excitement among scientists and health practitioners. |
| A limited amount of research in humans has shown that ginger may be helpful in the treatment of arthritis and migraine, two traditional uses of ginger in ayurvedic medicine. One paper reported on 56 case studies of patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal disorders who treated themselves with ginger for time periods ranging from 3 months to 2.5 years. Twenty-eight of these patients had rheumatoid arthritis, 18 osteoarthritis, and 10 muscular discomfort. |
| Ginger has been in continuous use as food and medicine in Asia for at least 5,000 years, and to this day the herb remains a key remedy in both traditional Chinese medicine and Indian ayurvedic medicine. Ancient Indians called ginger rish-wabhesaj, meaning "the universal medicine."
One of the most important traditional Ayurvedic uses of ginger is for reducing the pain and inflammation of arthritis. It is sometimes applied externally, as a paste, to painful joints. |
| The plant also has a long history of use in both Chinese and ayurvedic medicine.4
International Status
Flaxseed is approved by Germany's Commission E to treat chronic constipation, irritable colon, diverticulitis (inflammation of the small pockets in the colon wall), gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining), and enteritis (inflammation of the small intestine); to soothe colons damaged by laxative abuse; and as a poultice (external treatment) for local inflammation. Flax is also approved for such use in France and Belgium. |
| Ways to incorporate traditional medicines such as TCM and ayurvedic medicine into regulatory models are also needed, as these systems do not fit well within the framework of DSHEA. The German regulatory system also lacks an appropriate mechanism for those remedies, whereas the system used in France and Canada may work somewhat better. The latter type of system focuses on informing the public about traditional uses, rather than expecting strong scientific backing of all remedies. |
Larry Trivieri, Jr.
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 Other methods for treating stress include dietary changes, herbal medicine, exercise, ayurvedic medicine, and traditional Chinese medicine.
Life experiences, beginning with infancy and childhood, shape behavior in significant ways. How these experiences are handled often affects our ability to deal with stress in the future. Therefore, it is important for both children and adults to learn effective coping skills (or "stress hardiness") when dealing with stressful stimuli and events. Failure to do so, says Dr. |
Neal Barnard, M.D.
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 Indeed, it has been used in traditional Indian ayurvedic medicine for centuries as an arthritis treatment.
A team of researchers in Denmark who have been studying ginger since the late 1980s accidentally triggered a natural experiment on its effects. One of the researchers mentioned to a newspaper reporter that ginger blocks inflammation in the test tube and that it might prove useful for arthritis or other inflammatory diseases. Many readers decided to try it, and they began to call the research lab to report their results. |
Larry Trivieri, Jr.
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| Many of the chapters in Part Three: Health Conditions contain information on the application of ayurvedic medicine to specific illnesses.
Rejuvenation (Rasayana)
After the cleansing regimen, a program of tonification called rasayana begins.Tonification means enhancing the body's inherent ability to function, and rasayana is similar to a physiological tune-up. It is used to restore vitality to the reproductive system, countering sterility and infertility, bringing forth healthier progeny, and improving sexual performance. |
| Cleansing and Detoxifying (Shodan)
Cleansing in ayurvedic medicine takes on a far more encompassing role than in Western medicine, where a physician rarely has a patient release material from the stomach, sinuses, or bowels. In contrast, the purifying techniques of vomiting, bowel purging and enemas, blood cleansing, and nasal douching, collectively called pancha karma, are commonly used by Ayurvedic physicians to remove toxins from different areas of the body. |
Donald R. Yance, j r.,C.N., M.H., A.H.G., with Arlene Valentine
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 Ashwagandha [Withania somnifera)
Ashwaganda is one of the most revered plants in ayurvedic medicine. It has recently been shown to have antitumor, immunomodulatory, and radiosensi-tizing effects in experimental tumors in vivo, without any systemic toxicity. I recommend it during and after radiation therapy.46,47 Ashwagandha significantly increases white blood-cell count, reducing leucopenia caused by radiation and immune suppressive drugs. It also has a normalizing effect on red blood-cell count, hemoglobin, and platelet count. |
J. E. Williams, O.M.D.
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| Energy Medicine and Detoxification
Systems of cleansing and detoxification are also integral to both Chinese and ayurvedic medicine. Ayurvedic physicians use complex regimens of fasting, steaming the body, cleaning out the orifices (like the sinus cavities), purging the colon of fecal matter, using retained oil enemas (which means the oil is retained in the lower large intestine for a short while), and taking cleansing herbs. Called panchakarma, these programs have been used for thousands of years in India and are now practiced in specialized centers in the West. |
Dr. Gary Null
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 In fact, the ayurvedic medicine helped me so much that my husband and both our daughters see Dr. Lonsdorf now.
DR. ANTHONY PENEPENT DESCRIBES ONE PATIENTS SUCCESS TREATING HER ENDOMETRIOSIS WITH NATURAL HYGIENE: One woman came to see me who was on prescription narcotic medication for the pain. The medicine gave her no relief, and she was at the point of wanting a hysterectomy to get relief from the pain. I put this woman on a natural hygienic regimen for a couple of weeks. First, she fasted for five days. Then she followed up with a nutritional plan. |
J. E. Williams, O.M.D.
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| Central to the Chinese concept of health is huo qi or "fire energy." ayurvedic medicine has a similar concept called agni. In both systems, this fire energy is said to be responsible for digestive power and it also influences temperament. If a person has too much huo qi, he will be restless and hotheaded; too little and the person becomes lethargic, passive, and has poor resistance to disease. The most desirable state of huo qi is one of moderation and balance. The person's temperament is not too aggressive, yet they have plenty of energy. |
| To accomplish this we could usefully explore the ancient systems of energy medicine of the Chinese and ayurvedic medicine from India. In these, we will find a way of thinking that fulfills the basic requirements to complement Western thinking. They are less linear, balance logic with intuition, work with the changing nature of biology rather than attempt to dominate it, and emphasize the health of the individual rather than concentrating excessively on disease. |
Michael Tierra
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 In ayurvedic medicine, herbs are said to have both a primary taste and effect, and secondary taste and effect. Generally anything that is salty or sweet tasting will have a secondary sweet or sedating taste. This includes nutritional substances such as seaweeds, grains, meat and vegetables. Foods and herbs with sour, pungent or bitter tastes will have a secondary taste, being pungent or stimulating. Sometimes the primary taste is of greater importance and sometimes the secondary taste is. |
| This was especially emphasized while Michael was living and traveling in India, studying ayurvedic medicine. He realized he didn't know how to use the local herbs of India. It struck him that an ancient theoretical foundation should be applicable to herbs known or unknown, no matter where they grew. Since his knowledge of Chinese medicine was greater than his knowledge of Ayurveda, he decided to apply the theoretical principles he had learned from Chinese herbalism to those of India. |
| Ayurvedic medicine has many herbs named after certain animals, such as one called garuda bhuti, named after an eagle— probably because it was first found in eagles' nests. The Chinese still use precious nests of certain birds in a soup considered to be of great benefit as a whole-body tonic.
While such indications are often valuable, it was discovered that there were exceptions. One hermit yogi sadhu, for example, would eat only those foods that he saw monkeys eat. |
| In addition, two formulas that may be considered include Stress Free (formula 8) and the Ayurvedic guggul raj formula, which is used in traditional Indian ayurvedic medicine for circulatory disorders, lowering blood cholesterol and creating the correct ratio of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Guggul raj is also regarded as an effective Ayurvedic treatment for various types of cancer. |
| The general concepts of balance are similar to those used throughout the Orient, in East Indian ayurvedic medicine, and even by the native Americans.
The most important concept to understand about the system involves the ability to diagnose imbalances using the theory of Yin and Yang.
The Yin/Yang theory is a teaching method and does not define anything absolute. It shows the way to develop an intuitive approach to diagnoses and treatment. Thus it is important to avoid getting too attached to the symbols Yin and Yang for they are only tools. |
| This approach, called "Rasayana" in ayurvedic medicine, constitutes an herbal body purification program which may be undertaken for anywhere from one week to 3 months depending on the individual. For best results, one should also follow the balanced diet as given in Chapter 7.
Herb recipes are given in parts by weight, so that the total amount of the formula to be made can be adjusted to your needs and the availability of the ingredients. As a simple guide, use one-half ounce of herb for a one part measurement. |
Michael Tierra, L.Ac, O.M.D.
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 In East Indian ayurvedic medicine, the safest and mildest purgative is triphala, made from Terminalia emblica, T. belerica, and T. chebula. This formula will not cause laxative dependency, and it can be used for both excess and mild deficiency conditions to aid internal cleansing and detoxification.
Contraindications: Purgatives are generally not used in the presence of any surface conformation, since purgatives can weaken and cool the internal and drive the external disease inward. |
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