
Acai means fruit that cries. Acai is a sweet & juicy fruit with a satisfying purple pulp. It provides rich nutrition, high antioxidant value, and fiber.
Highly aromatic & spicy, Allspice is an ideal appetizer that refreshes the mouth. It is a delicious addition to meats and desserts, where it doubles as a digestive aid. It's taste and astringency closely resembles cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and it...
Aloe includes more than 250 species of flowering succulents and is native to Africa, Madagascar and Jordan. It is closely related to cactus, yucca and onion. For thousands of years and across many cultures, aloe has been used to heal a variety of...
Basil's warm and spicy aroma adds a passionate flare to any dish, bringing the heat of the Mediterranean sun to your table. Its bright green color and vigorous flavor is unmistakable in pesto. It adds verve to a home-made tomato sauce, and is a perky...
"A tale that begins with a beet will end with the devil", wrote Tom Robbins in Jitterbug Perfume. For good reason too - cooking with red beets leaves the hands looking blood-stained. A chef who slaughters beets cannot hide - only run from the scene of...
Pop a few blueberries in your mouth and you'll notice reduced agitation, a relaxing sensation in the eyes, and cool feeling in your skin. These visceral signs are your personal cue indicating blueberries' beneficial effect on your liver, and their...
Broccoli is packed with nutrients, high in fiber, and keeps the stomach satisfied for a long time. An entire bag of broccoli has about 100 calories, or the equivalent of two french fries at a fast food restaurant. Raw brassicas contain chemicals...
Bitter detoxicant, Cold vasodilator, depurative, alterative, astringent diuretic. Stimulates kidneys to eliminate uric acid. like dandelion root but not a potassium diuretic
Cabbage's cool, light nature makes it ideal for recovery from a few days of heavy foods. Cooked, it is soft yet bulky, providing ample fiber to clear and gently cleanse the GI. A hot steaming bowl of soft cabbage soup soothes as it satisfies. Though...
Raw brassicas contain chemicals that can block thyroid function called goitrogens. These chemicals are easily inactivated by steaming or cooking.
Cauliflower causes gas in Vata types.
The entire nightshade family (solanaceae) aggravates Vata and Pitta, due to the weak liver of these two body types. All peppers aggravate Pitta due to heat. Note that black pepper...
Celery seeds are actually a very small fruit, these "seeds" yield a valuable volatile oil.
Chamomile infuses your tea with a delicious floral aroma that is warm, light & airy. Its smell is reminiscent of apples, first noted by the Greeks, who named it 'ground-apple' (kamai=ground & melon=apple). Improve Sluggish...
Berries arrive just in time for late spring, early summer. Berries are lymphatic movers that complete the spring process of cleansing your liver. They are also liver tonics to protect your liver during summer. Berries are rich in anti-oxidants that...
Cooling, lymphatic decongestant, alterative, anti-inflammatory diuretic, astringent, bitter. Mild demulcent. like Cleavers but stronger decongestant.
Cilantro is the leaf of the coriander seed. Both the leaves and the seeds have citrus overtones. Cilantro, as a cooling herb, pairs well with hot spicy dishes.
Fronds of a coconut palm sway in a tropical breeze,...
Fronds of a coconut palm sway in a tropical breeze,...
Fronds of a coconut palm sway in a tropical breeze,...
Cranberries grow in acidic bogs. Early settlers in North American thought cranberry flowers looked like a crane, and named them 'craneberry'. They are a major commercial crop in North America.
Oft considered a vegetable, these elongated cylindrical delicacies are actually a fruit. They join watermelon and honey dew as succulent members of the summer friendly melon family. Originally from the Indian subcontinent, cucumbers are now grown...
Daikon is native to southeast and east Asia. From white to purple to green to pink, Daikon comes in several varieties. It's also known as white radish, winter radish, long white radish, oriental radish, and mooli. In Japan, many types of pickles are...
When most people think of dandelion, they think of pulling this pesky weed out of their manicured lawn. It's the poster child for weeds. This is especially ironic because colonists brought the dandelion to the Americas as an important medicinal plant....
Fenugreek is one of the oldest medicinal plants. It has been used since 4000BC. It's name means "ram's horn clover". It was found in the tomb of Tutankhamen.
If you are constipated, try soaking a teaspoon of flax seeds in warm water for 2 hours. Soaking releases the soluble fiber in flax, which forms a slimy gel that bulks up stools for easy elimination. Its high oil content can lubricate a dry intestinal...
IntroductionA steaming hot mug of ginger tea on a damp day warms up your bones and burns away thick, heavy congestion. When the weather is soggy, you feel tired and groggy. You naturally crave sunlight and heat. Pungent and light,...
Grapes are considered a superior fruit to all others in Ayurvedic. They are an important tonic (rasayana) for late summer. Grapes have been a sign of abundance since Greek times. The Greek God or agriculture, Dionysus, is often portrayed with a crown...
Plantains have a festive yellow color and as you might guess, they are members of the banana family. While any Caribbean island dweller relishes a sweet banana for dessert or snacks, plantains are the preferred savory option for a meal. Plantains...
Green Tea is a preparation using minimally processed leaves from the camellia sinensis plant. This is the same plant used in normal black tea. Black tea leaves, however, are more processed.
Hibiscus is from the same family as okra, cotton, and chocolate. More obscure members include durian, marshmallow root, & kola nut.
Jackfruit is grown in subtropical lowlands. They have the largest fruit of any tree. Like fig trees, jackfruit are in the moraceae family. Footnote: The information for this article was in part gathered from a 2019 study and survey of 28 students of...
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Founder of Joyful Belly Ayurveda, John Immel, answers the question ‘What is Ayurveda?’