Ashwagandha: Is It For You?
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By Chahna Tailor
hen people think of Ayurveda, one of the first herbs that comes to mind is Ashwagandha. Ashwagandha is known for being the herb of choice for those that suffer from stress, anxiety, and insomnia. But this herb can be used for so much more and should also not be used in some instances.
ashwagandha, in large amounts, can put pitta out of balance.
We have three doshas in the body: vata (created by space and air), pitta (created from the combination of fire and water), and kapha (created from water and earth). If you are not sure what these are, check out last month’s Desh-Videsh magazine for my article on the three doshas!
Ayurveda looks at an herb’s rasa (taste), virya (potency), and vipaka (post-digestive effect). But, this herb can also be too heating. Ashwagandha’s virya is heating, and it is also characterized by the guna (quality) of being oily. These are both pitta increasing. So, if you find yourself having symptoms such as hair loss, early graying, a temper, getting hot too easily (even hot flashes), and other ways that show an increase of pitta, it is best that you limit or reduce your consumption.
When it comes to its relationship with the doshas, Ashwagandha is known to pacify both vata and kapha elements, but can disturb pitta. Ashwagandha has a heating potency. Since pitta is a dosha that has a hot quality to it, 48
Ayurveda sees everything as opposites. If there is too much cold, you give it hot. If something is too rough, you give it soft. If it is static, then you give it mobility. Because of this, Ashwagandha will work best for those with high vata, high kapha, and low pitta.
Ashwagandha is considered a rasayana. Rasayana translates
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Ayurveda looks at an herb's rasa (taste), virya (potency), and vipaka (post-digestive effect). But, this herb can also be too heating. Ashwagandha's virya is heating, and it is also characterized by the guna (quality) of being oily.
'' JULY 2020 - WWW.DESHVIDESH.COM
