Exploring The Role Of Herbs And Spices In Ayurveda India is a diverse land. With a varied mix of 8 main religions and countless other religions co-existing peacefully amongst each other, India has always been a culture rich land. And with culture, comes its various offerings – numerous languages, over a billion Gods, delicious food, and holy scriptures. These ancient scriptures are as diverse as they can be. Some dictate the essential principles of how to live, while others preserve techniques and learnings passed down from generations. Whatever they may contain, the purpose of these texts has always been to help us live better, healthier, and happier lives. One such text that does that is Ayurveda. Although Ayurveda consists of several topics, what this article focuses on is the role of Indian herbs and spices and how they help us balance our body, mind and spirit. If you are new to the Indian cuisine, you’d be shocked to find out just how many everyday eatables like the khada masala, potted herbs, and even the general online Indian spices play vital roles in our overall well-being.
How do Indian herbs and spices help? “Prevention is better than cure.” – A lot of us at some point in our lives have heard this saying. The whole point of ayurvedic medicine also depends on this simple belief. Simple everyday ingredients like the khada masala help you prevent getting infected from any foreign substance by keeping your body warmer, helping you digest the food better, and providing essential nutrition.
What types of spices and herbs can you use? The origins of Ayurveda are unknown. The records date back to several centuries and have ever since been passed down by families, practitioners and scriptures. Till now, there are over 600 different formulations and more than 250 single herb concoctions that have been noted to benefit us by making use of several wild and domestically available Indian herbs and spices. With benefits ranging from relieving pain to uplifting someone’s mood and helping with anxiety-related problems, the best thing about ingredients that are used in ayurveda is that they’re easily accessible for anyone and everyone.
Can these ingredients be used every day? Used in moderation, some of the ingredients found in store-bought & online Indian spices can be a part of your daily routine. For example: khada masala such as cumin seeds, cinnamon and black pepper seeds can be used in your masala based sabzis every day. Not only do they make the food fragrant and delicious, they also aid with digestion, provide essential antioxidants, and has antiviral properties. However, overuse of these ingredients can lead to issues such as intolerable body heat, diarrhoea, or acidity.
With practitioners using spices and herbs in quantities based on their experiences, people may find it difficult at first to find the right amount of proportion to include in their lives. Having noted that, the benefits immensely outweigh the problems. It is because of these reasons and the availability of information that people are becoming aware about the benefits of everyday ingredients that can be found in any online Indian spices store or portal.