College of Ayurvedic Diet & Digestion

College of Ayurvedic Diet & Digestion

 

AYURVEDIC FOODS

Mustard Oil Benefits (According to Ayurveda)


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Is Mustard Oil Good for My Ayurvedic Diet?

Find out by taking this free, easy quiz. You'll learn your body type, and whether 'Mustard Oil' 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.

Metabolic Nature of Mustard Oil

See a complete list of all biocharacteristics.

METABOLIC NATURE

Metabolic Nature

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.

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HEAVY

ABOUT HEAVY BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Heavy is identified by sedation, sluggishness, or increased weight.

LEARN MORE ABOUT HEAVY

HOT

ABOUT HOT BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Hot is identified by increased body temperature, metabolism, or inflammation.

LEARN MORE ABOUT HOT

OILY

ABOUT OILY BIOCHARACTERISTIC

In Ayurveda, oily refers to anything moistening. More specifically, oily refers to building substances that increases fat, or are themselves fatty. For example, sugar is Oily.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OILY

TASTES

The 6 Tastes

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?

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PUNGENT

ABOUT PUNGENT BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Pungency is characterized by irritation, or sharp, spicy foods that irritate the mouth such as black pepper.

LEARN MORE ABOUT PUNGENT

DOSHAS

The Three Doshas / Body Types

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.

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PACIFIES
Kapha pacifying Vata pacifying
AGGRAVATES
Pitta aggravating

GREEK MEDICINE / TEMPERAMENTS

The Four Temperaments / Humors

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.

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PACIFIES
MELANCHOLIC

ABOUT MELANCHOLIC BIOCHARACTERISTIC

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.

LEARN MORE ABOUT MELANCHOLIC

PHLEGMATIC

ABOUT PHLEGMATIC BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Wet & cold. When out of balance becomes congested, stagnant, and overweight. Loving, trusting, and patient.

LEARN MORE ABOUT PHLEGMATIC

AGGRAVATES
CHOLERIC

ABOUT CHOLERIC BIOCHARACTERISTIC

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.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CHOLERIC

SANGUINE

ABOUT SANGUINE BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Hot & moist. Full-blooded, vigorous. Vivacious, social, and epicurean. Bullish.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SANGUINE

Other

Fat

MILD FAT

Fat tissue (Meda Dhatu) includes adipose tissue and sebum (skin oil).

SEE ALL 'FAT' FOODS / HERBS

Medicinal Benefits, Uses & Herbal Actions of Mustard Oil
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.

(see all)
Wakes You Up

WAKES-YOU-UP

Invigorates the body and nervous system, increases energy.

SEE ALL 'WAKES-YOU-UP' FOODS / HERBS

Nutritive

NUTRITIVE

An herb that is strengthening and nourishing.

SEE ALL 'NUTRITIVE' FOODS / HERBS

,
Tonic

TONIC

A tonic herb restores function through strengthening tissue. This can happen through a combination of nourishing the tissue, and invigorating tissue metabolism. The tonic should not be withering, as in caffeine.

SEE ALL 'TONIC' FOODS / HERBS

Emollient

EMOLLIENT

Soothes & softens the skin. Often a topical demulcent or oil.

SEE ALL 'EMOLLIENT' FOODS / HERBS

,
Rubefacient

RUBEFACIENT

An herb used topically that causes dilation of the capillaries and an increase in blood circulation. The skin will appear red or flushed.

SEE ALL 'RUBEFACIENT' FOODS / HERBS

Warms Ears

WARMS-EARS

Stimulates peripheral circulation to warm extremities, including the ears.

SEE ALL 'WARMS-EARS' FOODS / HERBS

,
Vasodilator

VASODILATOR

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.

SEE ALL 'VASODILATOR' FOODS / HERBS

Constituents:

Foods with a Similar Nature to Mustard Oil

  • Sesame Oil

    Sesame Oil has these Actions in Common

    Nutritive, Rubefacient, Emollient, Tonic

    LEARN MORE

  • Mustard

    Mustard has these Actions in Common

    Wakes-you-up, Rubefacient, Warms-ears, Vasodilator

    LEARN MORE

  • Mustard Powder

    Mustard Powder has these Actions in Common

    Wakes-you-up, Rubefacient, Warms-ears, Vasodilator

    LEARN MORE

  • Mustard Seed

    Mustard Seed has these Actions in Common

    Vasodilator, Wakes-you-up, Rubefacient, Warms-ears

    LEARN MORE

  • Sunflower Oil

    Sunflower Oil has these Actions in Common

    Tonic, Emollient, Nutritive

    LEARN MORE

  • Safflower Oil

    Safflower Oil has these Actions in Common

    Nutritive, Tonic, Emollient

    LEARN MORE

  • Flax Oil

    Flax Oil has these Actions in Common

    Nutritive, Tonic, Emollient

    LEARN MORE

  • Canola Oil

    Canola Oil has these Actions in Common

    Emollient, Nutritive, Tonic

    LEARN MORE

  • Grape Seed Oil

    Grape Seed Oil has these Actions in Common

    Emollient, Nutritive, Tonic

    LEARN MORE

  • Corn Oil

    Corn Oil has these Actions in Common

    Tonic, Emollient, Nutritive

    LEARN MORE

Herbs & Supplements with a Similar Nature to Mustard Oil

  • Vata Massage Oil

    Vata Massage Oil has these Actions in Common

    Emollient, Nutritive, Tonic, Vasodilator

    LEARN MORE

  • Kapha Massage Oil

    Kapha Massage Oil has these Actions in Common

    Emollient, Rubefacient, Vasodilator

    LEARN MORE

  • Joint Balm

    Joint Balm has these Actions in Common

    Emollient, Nutritive, Vasodilator

    LEARN MORE

  • Mahanarayan Oil

    Mahanarayan Oil has these Actions in Common

    Emollient, Rubefacient, Vasodilator

    LEARN MORE

  • Almond Oil

    Almond Oil has these Actions in Common

    Emollient, Nutritive, Tonic

    LEARN MORE

  • Vata Shirodhara Oil

    Vata Shirodhara Oil has these Actions in Common

    Emollient, Nutritive, Tonic

    LEARN MORE

  • Wild Ginger

    Wild Ginger has these Actions in Common

    Rubefacient, Vasodilator, Warms-ears

    LEARN MORE

  • Deodar (Himalayan Cedar, Devadaru)

    Deodar (Himalayan Cedar, Devadaru) has these Actions in Common

    Vasodilator, Wakes-you-up, Warms-ears

    LEARN MORE

  • Amalaki

    Amalaki has these Actions in Common

    Wakes-you-up, Nutritive, Tonic

    LEARN MORE

  • Sukumaram Ghrita

    Sukumaram Ghrita has these Actions in Common

    Nutritive, Tonic

    LEARN MORE

  • Kshirabala Taila

    Kshirabala Taila has these Actions in Common

    Nutritive, Tonic

    LEARN MORE


Joyful Belly is a recognized college of biocharacteristics medicine.

TRADITIONALLY INDICATED FOR
THESE SYMPTOMS

Mustard Oil 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.

View other ingredients
for Autumn-Winter

Mustard Oil is recommended for Autumn-Winter. Check out these other Autumn-Winter foods here.
VIEW ALL AUTUMN-WINTER FOODS MORE FOODS FOR VATA / KAPHA MAIN INGREDIENT PAGE

HOW DOES EATING AYURVEDICALLY MAKE YOU FEEL?

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.
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Clinical Tools & Resources

Give smart recommendations to your clients, and improve efficiency in your clinic with these tools.

About the Author

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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