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AYURVEDIC HERB SUPPLEMENTS

PUNARNAVA HERBAL POWDER (BOERHAAVIA DIFFUSA)

Rejuvenating heart tonic. Clears Kapha blood congestion and edema.

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How Can This Ayurvedic Herb Supplement Make You Feel Great?

AYURVEDIC ANALYSIS

Punarnava means new again. It is a key Kapha reducing herb that rejuvenates by eliminating excess water, reducing blood sugar, fat & cholesterol, and strengthening the heart. It has a mild taste.

By stimulating microcirculation it improves K arthritis.

Punarnava is a kidney, liver, and pancreas tonic as well as an adaptogen & immunomodulator. It is a balancing herb overall and will not significantly aggravate Vata.

SUGGESTED USE

1/8 - 1/4 tsp in warm water twice a day or as directed by your practitioner.

How should I take my herbs?
Follow these guidelines

AYURVEDIC MEDICINAL BIOCHARACTERISTICS

What is the biocharacteristic theory of medicine?

INCREASES

Increases These Biocharacteristics (Gunas)

Functional Ayurveda helps you assess imbalances through 20 main biocharacteristics (gunas). Aggravating these characteristics weakens your body and causes imbalance. By knowing which characteristics are habitually imbalanced in your body, you will be able to identify and correct imbalances before you get sick. Every characteristic has an opposite which balances it (i.e. hot balances cold). You restore balance by favoring diet and lifestyle choices that increase the opposite characteristic.

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CLEAR

ABOUT CLEAR BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Clear refers to anything that cleanses or flushes out wastes, or that digests ama.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CLEAR

COLD

ABOUT COLD BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Cold refers to anything that reduces body temperature, metabolism, and blood flow.

LEARN MORE ABOUT COLD

DRY

ABOUT DRY BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Dry is identified by lack of moisture, lack of fat, or anything that causes diuresis.

LEARN MORE ABOUT DRY

LIGHT

ABOUT LIGHT BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Lightness is identified by reduced weight.

LEARN MORE ABOUT LIGHT

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

According to the biocharacteristic theory of medicine, people tend to get sick, over and over again, due to habitual causes and imbalances that are unique to the person. Your body type summarizes this tendency, showing you the 'type' of conditions and imbalances that frequently challenge your health & wellness. Using body type, you can also identify remedies likely to improve your strength and resiliency. Your body type identifies physical and mental characteristics as well as your personal strengths and weaknesses. The calculation of your body type is based on your medical history.

The 3 functional body types (doshas), are Catabolic (Vata), Metabolic (Pitta), and Anabolic (Kapha). Catabolic individuals tend to break down body mass into energy. Metabolic individuals tend to burn or use energy. Anabolic individuals tend to store energy as body mass. Catabolic people tend to be easily stimulated, hyperactive, underweight and dry. Metabolic people tend to be rosy-cheeked, easily irritated, focused, driven, and easily inflamed. Anabolic people are heavy, stable and grounded, but if they store too much energy, they could gain weight easily and have congestion.

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PACIFIES

HAS THE FOLLOWING

Nutrient:
Iron
Tissue (dhatu):

Red Blood

RED-BLOOD

Red blood (Rakta Dhatu) includes red blood cells and blood vessels.

SEE ALL 'RED-BLOOD' FOODS / HERBS

Family:
Nyctaginaceae
Chinese Medicine Action:

Blood Mover

BLOOD-MOVER

Blood movers improve circulation through these mechanisms: Cardiac stimulation (usually pungents), vasodilation (usually aromatics), or blood thinning (usually bitters).

SEE ALL 'BLOOD-MOVER' FOODS / HERBS

Subdosha:
Pitta Ranjaka, Vayu Prana, Vayu Vyana

MEDICINAL PROPERTIES

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.

Here are the herbal actions of Punarnava:

Digestion:

Nauseating

NAUSEATING

Brings about feelings of unease and discomfort in the stomach, often accompanied with the involuntary urge to vomit.

SEE ALL 'NAUSEATING' FOODS / HERBS

Digestive

DIGESTIVE

Herbs that encourage healthy digestion.

SEE ALL 'DIGESTIVE' FOODS / HERBS

Emetic

EMETIC

An herb that causes vomiting.

SEE ALL 'EMETIC' FOODS / HERBS

Mind, Stress & Sleep:

Grounding

GROUNDING

Encourages feelings of stability and heaviness. Makes you feel settled, mentally relaxed. Mildly sedates the nervous system to ease stress. Can bring a spacey or anxious person back to earth.

SEE ALL 'GROUNDING' FOODS / HERBS

Stimulates front of brain

STIMULATES-FRONT-OF-BRAIN

Creates a feeling of awareness or tension in the area in the forehead. Activates the frontal lobe - the area responsible for motor function, emotional expression, thinking, and decision making.

SEE ALL 'STIMULATES-FRONT-OF-BRAIN' FOODS / HERBS

Energy Vitality:

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

Respiratory-Health:

Antitussive

ANTITUSSIVE

Cough suppressant, particularly for dry coughs or a tickle in your throat.

SEE ALL 'ANTITUSSIVE' FOODS / HERBS

Bronchodilator

BRONCHODILATOR

An herb that encourages the widening or opening of the lung airways. Helpful in cough and asthma.

SEE ALL 'BRONCHODILATOR' FOODS / HERBS

Lung Tonic

LUNG-TONIC

Strengthens the lungs. These herbs are helpful when recovering from either acute or chronic lung issues like bronchitis or pneumonia.

SEE ALL 'LUNG-TONIC' FOODS / HERBS

Immune System:

Anti Inflammatory

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY

Reduces inflammation in the body. Different herbs and carriers target different body systems.

SEE ALL 'ANTI-INFLAMMATORY' FOODS / HERBS

Antimicrobial

ANTIMICROBIAL

An agent that kills microorganisms or inhibits their growth. Antimicrobial is an umbrella term that can be broken down into specific categories of target microorganism, such as anti-bacterials, fungals, and virals.

SEE ALL 'ANTIMICROBIAL' FOODS / HERBS

Antipoisonous

ANTIPOISONOUS

An antidote for a poison. Many anti-poisonous herbs draw out a poison and are good for insect bites. Others help burn it up.

SEE ALL 'ANTIPOISONOUS' FOODS / HERBS

Heart & Circulation:

Cardiac stimulant

CARDIAC-STIMULANT

Herbs that increase the heart rate. Useful in cardiovascular health, blood stagnation, and subjective feeling of heaviness in the chest area.

SEE ALL 'CARDIAC-STIMULANT' FOODS / HERBS

Alterative

ALTERATIVE

Literally, an herb that restores the proper function of the body. In practice, alteratives are usually blood cleansers and blood chemistry balancers. They were traditionally used to revitalize and detoxify after a long winter.

SEE ALL 'ALTERATIVE' FOODS / HERBS

Antioxidant

ANTIOXIDANT

An antioxidant is a molecule that inhibits oxidation. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that can produce free radicals that lead to a chain reaction causing damage or death to cells. Antioxidants terminate these oxidation reactions.

SEE ALL 'ANTIOXIDANT' FOODS / HERBS

Blood Tonic

BLOOD-TONIC

An herb that produces more blood cells in the body, or otherwise improves blood cell quality or hemoglobin content. Helpful for anemia and other types of deficiency.

SEE ALL 'BLOOD-TONIC' FOODS / HERBS

Hypertensive

HYPERTENSIVE

An herb that increases blood pressure.

SEE ALL 'HYPERTENSIVE' FOODS / HERBS

Cardiac Tonic

CARDIAC-TONIC

Strengthens and tones the heart (heart-tonic). Cardiac tonics are used to treat a wide range of heart issues.

SEE ALL 'CARDIAC-TONIC' FOODS / HERBS

Hypotensive

HYPOTENSIVE

An herb that lowers blood pressure.

SEE ALL 'HYPOTENSIVE' 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

Kidney & Urinary:

Diuretic

DIURETIC

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.

SEE ALL 'DIURETIC' FOODS / HERBS

Antilithic

ANTILITHIC

An herb that dissolves / breaks up stones (gallstones or kidney stones) so that it can be passed.

SEE ALL 'ANTILITHIC' FOODS / HERBS

Kidney Tonic

KIDNEY-TONIC

An herb that strengthens the kidneys.

SEE ALL 'KIDNEY-TONIC' FOODS / HERBS

Warms Kidney

WARMS-KIDNEY

Warms the kidneys by increasing blood flow to the organ.

SEE ALL 'WARMS-KIDNEY' FOODS / HERBS

Liver & Gallbladder:

Cholagogue

CHOLAGOGUE

Cholagogues stimulate the release of bile from the gall bladder for improved digestion.

SEE ALL 'CHOLAGOGUE' FOODS / HERBS

Weight Loss:

Lowers Blood Sugar

LOWERS-BLOOD-SUGAR

An herb that lowers blood sugar.

SEE ALL 'LOWERS-BLOOD-SUGAR' FOODS / HERBS

Hypolipidemic

HYPOLIPIDEMIC

Scrapes fats / cleanses blood vessels.

SEE ALL 'HYPOLIPIDEMIC' FOODS / HERBS

Reproductive Health:

Builds Semen

BUILDS-SEMEN

Herbs that increase the production of semen, often by rebuilding fluids in general.

SEE ALL 'BUILDS-SEMEN' FOODS / HERBS

Male Tonic

MALE-TONIC

Generally increases male reproductive strength and stamina.

SEE ALL 'MALE-TONIC' FOODS / HERBS

Promotes Virility

PROMOTES-VIRILITY

Encourages virility and potency.

SEE ALL 'PROMOTES-VIRILITY' FOODS / HERBS

Strength, Muscle Health:

Antispasmodic

ANTISPASMODIC

Herbs that reduce or inhibit muscle spasms or cramping, such as in asthma, menstruation, hear palpitations, migraine, or IBS.

SEE ALL 'ANTISPASMODIC' FOODS / HERBS

Joyful Belly is a recognized school of biocharacteristics medicine.

Compare Punarnava with these Foods

Compare the following foods with Punarnava:

Mustard Seed

Mustard Seed has these Actions in Common

Antimicrobial, Cardiac-stimulant, Diuretic, Promotes-virility, Antispasmodic, Cardiac-tonic, Emetic, Stimulates-front-of-brain, Bronchodilator, Digestive, Nauseating, Vasodilator

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Turmeric

Turmeric has these Actions in Common

Antipoisonous, Digestive, Vasodilator, Antimicrobial, Blood-tonic, Hypolipidemic, Alterative, Antioxidant, Cholagogue, Lowers-blood-sugar, Anti-inflammatory

LEARN MORE

Turmeric Root (Fresh)

Turmeric Root (Fresh) has these Actions in Common

Antipoisonous, Digestive, Antimicrobial, Blood-tonic, Hypolipidemic, Alterative, Antioxidant, Cholagogue, Lowers-blood-sugar, Anti-inflammatory

LEARN MORE

Stinging Nettles

Stinging Nettles has these Actions in Common

Blood-tonic, Lung-tonic, Tonic, Anti-inflammatory, Diuretic, Male-tonic, Antilithic, Kidney-tonic, Promotes-virility

LEARN MORE

Carrot

Carrot has these Actions in Common

Alterative, Blood-tonic, Lung-tonic, Antilithic, Cholagogue, Tonic, Antioxidant, Diuretic

LEARN MORE

Caraway Seeds

Caraway Seeds has these Actions in Common

Antitussive, Digestive, Antimicrobial, Bronchodilator, Lung-tonic, Antispasmodic, Cardiac-stimulant, Vasodilator

LEARN MORE

Basil

Basil has these Actions in Common

Antispasmodic, Digestive, Lung-tonic, Bronchodilator, Diuretic, Anti-inflammatory, Cardiac-stimulant, Hypertensive

LEARN MORE

Sorghum Flour

Sorghum Flour has these Actions in Common

Anti-inflammatory, Bronchodilator, Hypotensive, Antitussive, Diuretic, Lung-tonic, Blood-tonic, Grounding

LEARN MORE

Stevia

Stevia has these Actions in Common

Cardiac-stimulant, Lowers-blood-sugar, Hypolipidemic, Nauseating, Antioxidant, Hypotensive, Stimulates-front-of-brain

LEARN MORE

Tarragon

Tarragon has these Actions in Common

Antipoisonous, Diuretic, Alterative, Cardiac-tonic, Vasodilator, Antimicrobial, Digestive

LEARN MORE

Dandelion Leaves

Dandelion Leaves has these Actions in Common

Anti-inflammatory, Digestive, Lowers-blood-sugar, Antioxidant, Diuretic, Cholagogue, Hypolipidemic

LEARN MORE

Compare Punarnava with these Herb Supplements

Compare the following herb supplements with Punarnava:

Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi)

Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi) has these Actions in Common

Anti-inflammatory, Hypolipidemic, Antimicrobial, Lung-tonic, Antispasmodic, Stimulates-front-of-brain, Blood-tonic, Vasodilator, Bronchodilator, Warms-kidney, Cardiac-stimulant, Diuretic, Grounding

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Gokshura

Gokshura has these Actions in Common

Grounding, Hypotensive, Alterative, Male-tonic, Antilithic, Tonic, Antispasmodic, Antitussive, Builds-semen, Diuretic

LEARN MORE

Amalaki

Amalaki has these Actions in Common

Antioxidant, Blood-tonic, Builds-semen, Cardiac-tonic, Digestive, Lowers-blood-sugar, Alterative, Promotes-virility, Anti-inflammatory, Tonic

LEARN MORE

Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha has these Actions in Common

Builds-semen, Diuretic, Grounding, Male-tonic, Alterative, Promotes-virility, Anti-inflammatory, Tonic, Antioxidant, Antispasmodic

LEARN MORE

Arjuna

Arjuna has these Actions in Common

Emetic, Hypolipidemic, Hypotensive, Alterative, Nauseating, Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant, Cardiac-tonic, Diuretic

LEARN MORE

Eleuthero Ginseng

Eleuthero Ginseng has these Actions in Common

Anti-inflammatory, Tonic, Antispasmodic, Blood-tonic, Digestive, Grounding, Hypolipidemic, Hypotensive, Lowers-blood-sugar

LEARN MORE

Vidari

Vidari has these Actions in Common

Alterative, Builds-semen, Diuretic, Grounding, Hypolipidemic, Hypotensive, Lowers-blood-sugar, Tonic

LEARN MORE

Sage, Red

Sage, Red has these Actions in Common

Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant, Hypolipidemic, Hypotensive, Kidney-tonic, Vasodilator, Alterative

LEARN MORE

Elecampane

Elecampane has these Actions in Common

Alterative, Antipoisonous, Antitussive, Cardiac-stimulant, Digestive, Diuretic, Lung-tonic

LEARN MORE

Manjistha

Manjistha has these Actions in Common

Vasodilator, Alterative, Anti-inflammatory, Antilithic, Blood-tonic, Diuretic, Hypolipidemic

LEARN MORE

TRADITIONALLY INDICATED FOR THESE SYMPTOMS

Punarnava may be beneficial for these symptoms. The suitability of any herb supplement for a condition is highly dependent on the individual. Please see your doctor before using this herb supplement to treat a medical condition.

Punarnava Research & Clinical Trials

In each clinical research trial below, students from the Joyful Belly School of Ayurveda ate the selected food for 3 days and reported the pharmacological effects. See other clinical research trials for diet & herbs at Joyful Belly.