Your Brief Guide To Making Herbal Formulas

Are you interested in Ayurvedic herbs but don't know where to begin? With a few herbs, you can make formulas to address a myriad of symptoms and imbalances.

How to Make a Formula

Formulas generally consist of 3-5 herbs. When designing a formula, begin with the most aggravated dosha (Vata, Pitta or Kapha) for acute disorders, or the main dosha in your constitution for a chronic condition.

Then, choose an herb that supports digestion (agni) in a smaller amount.

Next, decide which organ, channel, or tissue needs attention, and choose an herb that tonifies or addresses that area. This herb is used to guide the formula to the correct location. You may be finished at this point!

Use one of your last two 'slots' for an herb that addresses a specific symptom. Choose an herb that fits the client's imbalanced biocharacteristic (guna) - detect which biocharacteristic is out of balance in the client, and choose an herb to balance it.

You may also use an herb to harmonize or balance the entire formula. For example, if your entire formula is made up of hot herbs, you may end up causing inflammation in the client. A harmonizer is an herb that generally more docile and balanced that can counteract some of the others qualities in the formula so that it isn't too harsh on the body. Licorice is a great example of a harmonizer for a harsh formula because of its inherent sweetness. Or, if a formula is very cold, cardamom may be used so that it is digestible.

Search the Joyful Belly website for the biocharacteristics and dosha properties of each herb.

Writing Down the Formula

To describe your new formula as a recipe, express the formula using 'parts,' or a ratio. In the example below you would use 5 parts of the 'dosha' herb for every 3 parts of the agni herb. If you were making a small batch, that would mean 5 teaspoons of the dosha herb for every 3 teaspoons of the agni herb. Here's an example

Base Formula (Note all parts are highly circumstantial according to the strength of the herb and client):

• 5 parts Dosha Herb
• 4 parts for secondary Dosha (if necessary)
• 3 parts Agni or Digestion Herb
• 2 parts Organ/System/Dhatu Herb
• 1 parts Palliate the Symptom/Disease

Optional Additions:

• 1 part Elimination Herb (flush malas) - A mala herb is one that balances excretions (sweat, poop, or urine).
• 1 part Endocrine Regulating Herb
• 1 part Harmonizer Herb

There are many herbal actions to choose from. You may feel the client has toxicity in digestion, include a laxative herb. If the client has heat in the skin causing a rash, choose a hepatprotective that supports the blood and liver. A diaphoretic herbs such as cloves increase sweating. See the list of herbal actions on Joyful Belly to select herbs with the properties you want.

Base Herbs to Balance Each Dosha

You will find that most formulas for Vata Dosha, regardless of the specific disease, have a grounding, strengthening herb as a base like Ashwagandha or Dashamula. Many Vata formulas even contain both. These two herbs are the most effective at balancing Vata Dosha overall.

A formula that addresses high Pitta is built on a base that is cooling and soothing like Guduchi or Shatavari.

Kapha conditions need a base that is hot, invigorating, and reduces excess like Punarnava or Guggulu. As an herbalist it is your job to see which dosha is out of balance.

When you balance your doshas, symptoms disappear in many cases. However, it takes a very long time to address the root cause only. That's why it's helpful to add herbs that address other elements of the disorder.

Often, you get lucky and the herb for the disease is the same as the herb for dosha and agni, or some combination of the effects you want to achieve. If this is the case, increase the quantity of that herb in the formula.

Get the idea? Read up on the herbs you're interested - there is much more depth to each than is included here. Herbs are a fascinating subject that could inspire you for a lifetime. Most importantly, be creative and see if you can compose formulas that will achieve the effect you want.

• Vata - Dashamula, Ashwagandha, Vidari
• Pitta - Guduchi, Shatavari
• Kapha - Punarnava

Adjusting the Formula to the Strength of the Herbs

If the formula contains an herb which is particularly strong, you made need to reduce the ratio in the formula. Or, for a bland herb, increase the ratio in the formula. Generally, for a strong herb like cardamom, I never put more than a ratio of 1:10. For a very powerful herb like cayenne, my ration is 1:20. For bland herb like vidari of Shatavari, I rarely use less than a 1:3 ratio. Here is a list of the relative strength of common herbs.

• Very Strong (Use 1:20 generally)

  • Cayenne, Hing

• Strong herbs (Use 1:10 generally)

  • Spices: black pepper, cloves, cardamom, most spices, Chitrak, Neem, Aloe, Guggulu

• Medium / neutral (Use 1:3 to 1:5 generally)

  • Ashwagandha, Amalaki, Guduchi, Bhumyamalaki, Dashamula, Punarnava, Licorice Root

• Mild (Use 1:3 or more)

  • Brahmi, Shatavari, Vidari, Tulsi, Lemongrass

Main Herbs by Dhatu

The following herbs have a particular affinity for the following tissues. This means they may increase blood flow to the tissue, or otherwise be absorbed by the tissue more than other tissues.

Rasa (blood plasma)	Highly dependant on dosha
Rakta (red part of blood)	Turmeric, dandelion, punarnava, manjistha, neem, amalaki, ashoka, kutki, guduchi, licorice
Mamsa (muscle)	Bala, Ashwagandha, arjuna, turmeric, kaishor guggulu, ghee
Meda (fat)	Shilajit, Punarnava, Honey, licorice, vidari, shatavari, ashwagandha, neem, turmeric, manjistha, kutki, triphala guggulu
Asthi (bone)	Yogaraj Guggulu, Bala, Ashwagandha, gotu kola, kaisor guggulu, punaranavadi guggulu
Majja (Marrow)	brahmi, ashwagandha, jatamamsi, bhringaraj, vacha
Shukra (Male reporductive)	Goskhura, Kappikachu, Ashwagandha, Saw Palmetto, Almonds, bala, rose
Artava (Female reproductive	Ashoka, Shatavari, Musta, aloe, vidari, rose

Example Formulas You Can Make

Stress in a deplete, exhausted Vata constitution.

• Dosha: 5 Dashamoola (relaxing, pacify vata dosha, colon tonic)
• Disease Process: 2 Ashwagandha (building, warming, relaxing)
• System: 1 Tulsi (nervine, relaxes mind)
• Harmonizer: 1 Licorice Root (counteracts dryness, sweet taste harmonizes the formula)

A Pitta-Kapha client is frequently flushed red, overheated, and has a recurring rash.

• Dosha: 5 Guduchi (calms Pitta overall, also helps the liver)
• Agni/Organ: 3 Bhumyamalaki (cools and soothes digestion, decongests the gall bladder)
• System: 2 Neem (skin, cools blood)

Slow, sluggish digestion in a Kapha constitution

• Dosha: 5 Punarnava (major herb for Kapha Dosha)
• Agni: 3 Trikatu (ignites digestive fire)
• Symptom: 1 Orange Peel (aromatic that moves food stagnation in the stomach)

Digestive formula for Gas & Bloating:

• Dosha/Agni: 5 Licorice
• Agni/Gas: 3 Hingvastak
• Food Stagnation: 2 Orange Peel
• Mind and Memory Formula (tridoshic):
• Nervine/Brain Tonic: 5 Gotu Kola
• Nervine Tonic: 3 Ashwagandha
• Nervine and Blood Cleanser: 2 Tulsi

Weight Loss Formula

• Dosha: 5 Punarnava (Kapha Dosha base herb, improves water metabolism)
• Agni: 3 Guggulu (improves fat metabolism)
• Symptom: 1 Gurmar (addresses sugar cravings)

Famous Ayurvedic Herbs by Action

Vata Dosha:

• Ashwagandha: Common base herb for Vata. A warming, strengthening, building, adaptogen. Excellent for stress and exhaustion. Commonly used to restore wiped-out adrenals.
• Dashamula: Common base herb for Vata. Grounding, warming, calming, tones the colon.
• Licorice: Choose to address Vata digestive conditions based on dryness. Cool anti-inflammatory.

Pitta Dosha:

• Shatavari: Common base herb for Pitta. Cools and soothes the GI. Nourishes tissue damaged by too much heat.
• Guduci: Common base herb for Pitta: Cools the blood and liver.
• Neem: Cools the blood and liver which directly affects the skin. This is the best herb for skin conditions due to heat.

Kapha:

• Punarnava: Common base herb for Kapha. Great for edema, slow digestion, and obesity.
• Gurmar: Symptomatic herb that destroys the sugar craving.
• Guggulu: Scrapes the adipose tissue to help remove excess weight. Hot and scraping.

Digestives:

• Avipattikar Churna - A cooling digestive formula safe for fiery Pitta constitutions. Can be used alone but more common to see Avipattikar Churna as an element in a larger formula.
• Hingvastak Churna: Excellent herb formula for gas, bloating, and acid reflux due to insufficient acids. Can be used alone or as an element in a formula.
• Trikatu: A blend of ginger, black pepper, and long pepper that strongly kindles the digestive fire. Can be used alone or as an element of a formula. For example as in the Symptom slot for low appetite.

Nervines:

• Tulsi: Calming adaptogen. Improves the agni of Rasa Dhatu (plasma). Boosts immunity. Warming.
• Gotu Kola: Improves memory, and mental clarity. Cooling.

Detoxicants:

• Triphala: Gentle tridoshic laxative that removes toxicity from the colon.
• Amalaki: Removes Pitta type toxicity from the small intestine.
• Haritaki: Removes Vata type toxicity from the colon.

Anti-Parasitic:

• Vidanga: Kills parasites. Strongly aggravates Vata dosha. Always remember to calm Vata down after treating parasites.

Aromatic:

• Orange Peel: Clears food stagnation from the stomach. Combined with herbs that take it too the correct tissues, will clear stagnation in that location. Tri-doshic.

Cholagogue:

• Bhumiamalaki: Stimulates gall bladder to release bile into the small intestine for improved fat digestion. Excellent herb for Pitta-Kapha constitutions and conditions.