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Recipes with Ajwain: Mung Dal Kitchari (Vata Reducing)
Ajwain smells like thyme because it contains the same aromatic oil, thymol. Compared to thyme, ajwain is brighter, stronger, and less subtle. It is slightly bitter and very sharp, akin to black pepper but more etheric in quality.
The vitality (prana) and lightness of ajwain is intrinsic to its taste. Its aromatic oils disperse blood and dilate blood vessels, while its pungent spiciness stimulates the heart for an altogether refreshing effect on the circulation.
Ajwain rivals asafoetida in its ability to relieve gas and bloating. It warms up cold digestion and relaxes intestinal cramping due to colic. Use with any foods that take a long time to digest. Its fiery nature increases bile, aggravating hot Pitta constitutions. Overuse in summer may cause you to sweat, aggravating dryness in Vata.
About Ajwain
Ajwain is native to the Middle East and is still common in Egypt as well as Indian cooking. Like turmeric, ajwain is a spice used to enhance digestibility rather than flavor.
Cooking Ajwain
Ajwain is in the carrot family along with parsley, celery, cumin, and caraway. The egg shaped seeds resemble other carrot family members in look and taste. A small amount of raw ajwain will dominate the flavor of a dish. Fried in ghee or other oils, ajwain takes on a more subtle, complex flavor. Ajwain is commonly added to deep-fried foods, grains such as rice, chickpeas and digestive lassis.
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Find out by taking this free, easy quiz.
You'll learn your body type, and whether 'Ajwain' is a good fit.
Complete the basic quiz in 1 minute, or go deeper with additional quizzes
at your own leisure to learn more about your body.
AYURVEDA'S GUIDE TO VITALITY & WHOLESOME NOURISHMENT
Your Ayurvedic diet is tailored to your individual body and your specific imbalances.
With an Ayurvedic diet you feel joy and satisfaction because what you are eating truly nourishes and balances you.
Disease results from diets and lifestyles that are incompatible with your nature.
By eating a personalized diet matched to your body, you experience optimal health.
See How it Works.
Ayurveda assesses metabolic imbalances through 20 main biocharacteristics
(gunas).
Aggravating them weakens your body and causes imbalance.
By knowing which biocharacteristics are habitually imbalanced in your body, you will be able to identify and correct metabolic imbalances before you get sick.
Every biocharacteristic has an opposite which balances it (i.e. hot balances cold).
You restore balance by favoring diet and lifestyle choices that increase the opposite biocharacteristic.
Taste is used to sense the most basic properties and effects of food.
Each taste has a specific medicinal effect on your body.
Cravings for food with certain tastes indicate your body is craving specific medicinal results from food.
Taste is experienced on the tongue and represents your body's reaction to foods.
Sweet taste causes physical satisfaction and attraction whereas bitter taste causes discomfort and aversion.
Kapha should use less sweet taste while Vata and Pitta would benefit from using more sweet taste.
One of the first signs of illness is that your taste and appetite for food changes.
The six tastes are sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent.
Do you crave foods with any of the tastes below?
Ayurveda is a metabolic theory of medicine that explains individual health, tendencies, and disease patterns through the concept of doshas, which can be understood as your metabolic patterns and tendencies.
Each dosha reflects a distinct metabolic nature and describes strengths & weaknesses in bodily function, and how these affect energy levels, digestion, susceptibility to disease, and many other tendencies.
Your metabolic nature not only affects your physical characteristics, but also influences your mental thought patterns, confidence, and enthusiasm.
Ayurveda balances these metabolic strengths & weaknesses to support your body's vitality and prevent recurrent disease cycles. This support is a critical aid, especially in chronic or incurable disease conditions.
The 3 metabolic body types
(doshas),
are Catabolic (Vata), Metabolic (Pitta), and Anabolic (Kapha).
Through dosha, Ayurveda empowers people to identify metabolic imbalances early, break repetitive patterns of disease, and cultivate habits that support long-term vitality and well-being.
Ultimately, these metabolic patterns also provide a framework for understanding yourself, including body, mind, and spiritual tendencies.
Ayurveda & Greek Medicine were the dominant form of medicine along the Silk Road from England to China and South Asia.
They work by assessing your metabolic type, patterns, and nature.
Greek medicine recognizes 4 metabolic temperaments, Melancholic, Choleric, Sanguine, and Phlegmatic.
Cold and dry with a slow, variable or erratic metabolism. Colicky, tense. Withdrawn, pensive, anxious, and hesitant. Analytical, intelligent, detail oriented and creative. Prone to ojas depletion, dehydration, an overactive nervous system, and depression.
Has a hot and dry metabolic nature. Enthusiastic, vibrant and bright. In excess burns up fluids and ojas, irritable. Corresponds to high bilirubin in the blood that irritates and heats up the body and liver.
Herbs or spices with volatile essential oils that present strong aromas. Aromatic oils shock, refresh and numb tissue, with the end result of relaxing, opening and clearing stagnant fluids in tissues.
Medicinal Benefits, Uses & Herbal Actions of Ajwain
Experiences are Personal
Experiences vary according to the person and constitution. Individual results may vary.
The list of herbal-actions below has not be approved by the FDA and should not be used to treat a medical condition.
STRONG CARMINATIVE
Stimulates the release of gas. Helpful for bloating or cramping abdominal pain. Propels food downward. Carminatives typically expel gas by relaxing the muscles of the intestines.
An herb that strengthens spleen function by improving strength of the blood. Spleen tonics Builds agni, brighten the person's appearances & firms up tissues.
A vasodilator is an herb that widens the blood vessels by the relaxation of smooth muscle cells within the vessel walls, thereby increasing circulation systemically or to a local area.
Herbs that promote urine formation, thereby flushing the kidneys and urinary tract while eliminating any excess water retention. As diuretics reduce water retention, they are often used to reduce blood pressure.
Scrapes fats / cleanses blood vessels by 1) purging bile, 2) strengthening the liver's ability to metabolize fats, 3) by increasing uptake of cholesterol in the liver, and 4) by inhibiting fat cells.
In each study below, students from the
Joyful Belly College of Ayurveda ate the selected food for 3 days and reported the effects.
See other studies of food & herbs at Joyful Belly.
TEMPERATURE/CIRCULATION
How did Ajwain affect your temperature?
20
16
12
8
4
0
0
2
5
16
5
Much colder
Slightly colder
Same
Slightly warmer
Much warmer
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
How did Ajwain affect your sweat quantity?
20
16
12
8
4
0
0
0
15
11
2
Much less
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more
Much more
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
How did Ajwain affect the color of your tongue body?
15
12
9
6
3
0
0
12
0
12
Paler
Redder
Bluer
No Change
Total Responses: 24 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
How did Ajwain affect the swelling of your tongue body?
20
16
12
8
4
0
3
1
18
More Swelling
Less Swelling
No Change
Total Responses: 22 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
How did Ajwain affect your appetite/hunger?
25
20
15
10
5
0
0
1
4
21
2
Much less hungry
Slightly less hungry
Same
Slightly hungrier
Much hungrier
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
How did Ajwain affect your digestion speed?
20
16
12
8
4
0
3
16
7
2
0
Much faster
Slightly faster
Same
Slightly slower
Much slower
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
TOXINS
How did Ajwain affect the amount of gas & bloating?
20
16
12
8
4
0
3
14
7
4
0
Much less
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more
Much more
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
How did Ajwain affect your stool smell?
25
20
15
10
5
0
0
1
20
7
0
Much less
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more
Much more
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
Tongue: How did Ajwain affect the thickness & size of your tongue coating?
20
16
12
8
4
0
1
15
11
1
0
Much smaller
Slightly less
Same
Slightly larger coating
Much larger
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
How did Ajwain affect the color of your tongue coating?
25
20
15
10
5
0
4
0
0
3
21
Yellower
Browner
Grayer
Whiter
No Change
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
How did Ajwain affect your urine smell?
25
20
15
10
5
0
0
1
22
5
0
Much less
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more
Much more
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
How did Ajwain affect the amount of bubbles in your urine?
30
24
18
12
6
0
0
0
26
2
0
Much less
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more
Many more
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
How did Ajwain affect your sweat smell?
20
16
12
8
4
0
0
1
17
9
1
Much less
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more
Much more
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
HYDRATION
How did Ajwain affect your urine frequency/quantity?
20
16
12
8
4
0
0
0
9
17
2
Much less
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more
Much more
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
How did Ajwain affect the cracks on your tongue?
20
16
12
8
4
0
0
6
16
2
0
Larger/longer/more cracks
Slightly more
Same
Slightly less/smaller/shorter
Much less
Total Responses: 24 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
NERVOUS-SYSTEM
How did Ajwain affect your energy levels?
20
16
12
8
4
0
0
2
11
14
1
Much less energy
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more energy
Much more
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
How did Ajwain affect your muscle tension?
20
16
12
8
4
0
4
14
8
2
0
Much less tension
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more tension
Much more
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
How did Ajwain affect your anxiety?
15
12
9
6
3
0
4
9
13
2
0
Much less anxiety
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more anxiety
Much more
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
How did Ajwain affect the stillness of your tongue?
18
15
12
9
6
3
4
14
6
More still
No Change
More Trembling / Jittery
Total Responses: 24 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
DIGESTION
How did Ajwain affect your digestion speed?
20
16
12
8
4
0
3
16
7
2
0
Much faster
Slightly faster
Same
Slightly slower
Much slower
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
How did Ajwain affect the amount of gas & bloating?
20
16
12
8
4
0
3
14
7
4
0
Much less
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more
Much more
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
How did Ajwain affect your appetite/hunger?
25
20
15
10
5
0
0
1
4
21
2
Much less hungry
Slightly less hungry
Same
Slightly hungrier
Much hungrier
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
TONGUE
How did Ajwain affect the stillness of your tongue?
18
15
12
9
6
3
4
14
6
More still
No Change
More Trembling / Jittery
Total Responses: 24 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
How did Ajwain affect the color of your tongue coating?
25
20
15
10
5
0
4
0
0
3
21
Yellower
Browner
Grayer
Whiter
No Change
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
How did Ajwain affect the cracks on your tongue?
20
16
12
8
4
0
0
6
16
2
0
Larger/longer/more cracks
Slightly more
Same
Slightly less/smaller/shorter
Much less
Total Responses: 24 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
Tongue: How did Ajwain affect the thickness & size of your tongue coating?
20
16
12
8
4
0
1
15
11
1
0
Much smaller
Slightly less
Same
Slightly larger coating
Much larger
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
How did Ajwain affect the swelling of your tongue body?
20
16
12
8
4
0
3
1
18
More Swelling
Less Swelling
No Change
Total Responses: 22 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
How did Ajwain affect the color of your tongue body?
15
12
9
6
3
0
0
12
0
12
Paler
Redder
Bluer
No Change
Total Responses: 24 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
STOOL
How did Ajwain affect your stool lightness?
20
16
12
8
4
0
1
9
15
3
0
Much lighter
Slightly lighter
Same
Slightly darker
Much darker
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
How did Ajwain affect your stool smell?
25
20
15
10
5
0
0
1
20
7
0
Much less
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more
Much more
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
How did Ajwain affect your stool consistency?
15
12
9
6
3
0
4
10
5
8
1
Much softer
Slightly softer
Same
Slightly harder
Much harder
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
How did Ajwain affect your stool frequency/quantity?
15
12
9
6
3
0
0
6
9
13
0
Much less
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more
Much more
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
How did Ajwain affect your stool color?
25
20
15
10
5
0
3
0
0
5
20
More yellow
More gray
More green
More orange
Same
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
URINE
How did Ajwain affect your urine smell?
25
20
15
10
5
0
0
1
22
5
0
Much less
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more
Much more
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
How did Ajwain affect your urine lightness?
20
16
12
8
4
0
0
5
18
3
2
Much lighter
Slightly lighter
Same
Slightly Darker
Much Darker
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
How did Ajwain affect your urine frequency/quantity?
20
16
12
8
4
0
0
0
9
17
2
Much less
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more
Much more
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
How did Ajwain affect the amount of bubbles in your urine?
30
24
18
12
6
0
0
0
26
2
0
Much less
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more
Many more
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
How did Ajwain affect your urine clarity?
25
20
15
10
5
0
0
20
8
More cloudy
Same
More clear
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
SWEAT
How did Ajwain affect your sweat quantity?
20
16
12
8
4
0
0
0
15
11
2
Much less
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more
Much more
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
How did Ajwain affect your sweat smell?
20
16
12
8
4
0
0
1
17
9
1
Much less
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more
Much more
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
SYSTEMIC
How did Ajwain affect your muscle tension?
20
16
12
8
4
0
4
14
8
2
0
Much less tension
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more tension
Much more
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
How did Ajwain affect your anxiety?
15
12
9
6
3
0
4
9
13
2
0
Much less anxiety
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more anxiety
Much more
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
How did Ajwain affect your temperature?
20
16
12
8
4
0
0
2
5
16
5
Much colder
Slightly colder
Same
Slightly warmer
Much warmer
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
How did Ajwain affect your energy levels?
20
16
12
8
4
0
0
2
11
14
1
Much less energy
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more energy
Much more
Total Responses: 28 Study ID:4 (2020-10-13 - 2021-04-03)
Ajwain may be beneficial for these symptoms.
The suitability of any food for a condition is highly dependent on the individual.
Please see your doctor before using this food to treat a medical condition.
Eating Ayurvedically makes you feel nourished and energized. Food digests with ease when
right for your body type (dosha). Healthy digestion is seen as the cornerstone of well-being in
Ayurveda. Healthy digestion generally prevents illness. If you do get sick, a strong digestive fire
reduces the severity of illness and increases your resilience. It also improves your mood. Once
you begin eating Ayurvedically, you will feel refreshed, vital and strong.
John Immel, the founder of Joyful Belly, teaches people how to have a
healthy diet and lifestyle with Ayurveda.
His approach to Ayurveda is clinical, yet exudes an ease which many find enjoyable and insightful.
John also directs the Joyful Belly College of Ayurveda,
offering professional clinical training in Ayurveda for over 15 years.
John's hobbies & specialties include advanced digestive disorders, medieval Catholic philosophy,
& botany. He holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Harvard University.
His wife and family of 7 kids live in Asheville, NC.
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* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
The information and products on this website are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any
disease.