College of Ayurvedic Diet & Digestion

College of Ayurvedic Diet & Digestion

 

AYURVEDIC HERB SUPPLEMENTS

Vata Shirodhara Oil Herbal Oil

Vata Shiro Oil eases stress and promotes sound sleep.

How Does This Ayurvedic Herb Supplement Improve Wellness?

CLINICAL AYURVEDIC REVIEW

Shirodhara oils have been used for thousands of years. Shiro dhara is a slow, steady flow of warm oil on the forehead. It eases stress and promotes sound sleep.

Ingredients: Ashwagandha, Bala, Dashamool, Tulsi, Brahmi, in unrefined, Sesame/sunflower, Pepprmint oil.

Metabolic Nature of Vata Shirodhara 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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GOOEY

ABOUT GOOEY BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Gooey is identified by anything gelatinous (such as oatmeal), or by mucus congestion.

LEARN MORE ABOUT GOOEY

HEAVY

ABOUT HEAVY BIOCHARACTERISTIC

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

LEARN MORE ABOUT HEAVY

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

SWEET

ABOUT SWEET BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Sweet refers to anything builds tissue, including macronutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SWEET

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
Vata pacifying
AGGRAVATES
Kapha aggravating 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

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

PHLEGMATIC

ABOUT PHLEGMATIC BIOCHARACTERISTIC

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

LEARN MORE ABOUT PHLEGMATIC

SANGUINE

ABOUT SANGUINE BIOCHARACTERISTIC

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

LEARN MORE ABOUT SANGUINE

Other

Downward

DOWNWARD

Downward-moving (Adho Gati Marga) substances move food downward in the GI tract, settle the nervous system, and relax muscles.

SEE ALL 'DOWNWARD' FOODS / HERBS

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Inward

INWARD

Inward moving substances promote introspection, self reflection, stillness, or slow the system down.

SEE ALL 'INWARD' FOODS / HERBS

Nerves

NERVES

Marrow tissue (Majja Dhatu) includes bone marrow and nervous tissue.

SEE ALL 'NERVES' FOODS / HERBS

Medicinal Benefits, Uses & Herbal Actions of Vata Shirodhara 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)
Nerve Relaxant Grounding

NERVE-RELAXANT-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. Reduces agitation, irritation, stress and racing thoughts.

SEE ALL 'NERVE-RELAXANT-GROUNDING' FOODS / HERBS

,
Relaxes Eyes

RELAXES-EYES

Eases tension in eye muscles, so the eyes feel less strained, often by supporting the liver.

SEE ALL 'RELAXES-EYES' FOODS / HERBS

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Strengthens Resolve

STRENGTHENS-RESOLVE

Increases determination and courage by reducing stress and building strength.

SEE ALL 'STRENGTHENS-RESOLVE' FOODS / HERBS

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Analgesic

ANALGESIC

Pain reliever, reduces pain without eliminating sensation. Also known as anodyne.

SEE ALL 'ANALGESIC' FOODS / HERBS

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Antidepressant

ANTIDEPRESSANT

Herbs that lift feelings of depression, benefit the mind and improve mental function.

SEE ALL 'ANTIDEPRESSANT' FOODS / HERBS

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Brain Tonic

BRAIN-TONIC

An herb that strengthens the brain and thereby enhances memory or other cognitive functions and improves mental stamina or stability.

SEE ALL 'BRAIN-TONIC' FOODS / HERBS

,
Nervine

NERVINE

Balances the nervous system. They can help with stress, memory, early alzheimer's, and even chronic pain. Often they are aromatic in nature.

SEE ALL 'NERVINE' FOODS / HERBS

Nutritive

NUTRITIVE

An herb that is strengthening and nourishing.

SEE ALL 'NUTRITIVE' FOODS / HERBS

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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

Demulcent

DEMULCENT

Herbs that coat or form a soothing film over a mucous membrane, relieving minor pain and inflammation of the membrane.

SEE ALL 'DEMULCENT' FOODS / HERBS

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Emollient

EMOLLIENT

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

SEE ALL 'EMOLLIENT' FOODS / HERBS

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Skin Tonic

SKIN-TONIC

An herb that strengthens and nourishes skin, improving tone, color, moisture and complexion.

SEE ALL 'SKIN-TONIC' FOODS / HERBS

Calms Heart

CALMS-HEART

An herb that literally calms the heart. These herbs are helpful in the treatment of anxiety, sadness, depression, or other emotional imbalances in the heart. Related to the Chinese Herbal Category 'calms spirit.'

SEE ALL 'CALMS-HEART' FOODS / HERBS

Warms Kidney

WARMS-KIDNEY

Warms the kidneys by increasing blood flow to the organ.

SEE ALL 'WARMS-KIDNEY' FOODS / HERBS

Relieves Tension

RELIEVES-TENSION

An herb that releases tightness, constriction, and rigidity in a muscle.

SEE ALL 'RELIEVES-TENSION' FOODS / HERBS

Constituents:

Foods with a Similar Nature to Vata Shirodhara Oil

  • Avocado

    Avocado has these Actions in Common

    Demulcent, Nutritive, Emollient, Skin-tonic, Antidepressant, Nerve-relaxant-grounding

    LEARN MORE

  • Almonds

    Almonds has these Actions in Common

    Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Skin-tonic, Nervine, Tonic, Brain-tonic, Nutritive

    LEARN MORE

  • Sorghum Flour

    Sorghum Flour has these Actions in Common

    Brain-tonic, Nutritive, Demulcent, Relaxes-eyes, Antidepressant, Nerve-relaxant-grounding

    LEARN MORE

  • Hemp Seed

    Hemp Seed has these Actions in Common

    Analgesic, Relaxes-eyes, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Tonic, Nutritive

    LEARN MORE

  • Coconut Oil

    Coconut Oil has these Actions in Common

    Brain-tonic, Skin-tonic, Emollient, Tonic, Nutritive

    LEARN MORE

  • Amaranth

    Amaranth has these Actions in Common

    Nutritive, Demulcent, Relaxes-eyes, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Relieves-tension

    LEARN MORE

  • Popped Amaranth

    Popped Amaranth has these Actions in Common

    Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Relieves-tension, Nutritive, Demulcent, Relaxes-eyes

    LEARN MORE

  • Poppy Seed

    Poppy Seed has these Actions in Common

    Calms-heart, Relieves-tension, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Analgesic, Relaxes-eyes

    LEARN MORE

  • Acai

    Acai has these Actions in Common

    Brain-tonic, Relaxes-eyes, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Antidepressant, Nutritive

    LEARN MORE

  • Coconut Milk

    Coconut Milk has these Actions in Common

    Brain-tonic, Relaxes-eyes, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Nutritive

    LEARN MORE

  • Spelt Flour

    Spelt Flour has these Actions in Common

    Demulcent, Nutritive, Calms-heart, Tonic

    LEARN MORE

Herbs & Supplements with a Similar Nature to Vata Shirodhara Oil

  • Ashwagandha

    Ashwagandha has these Actions in Common

    Nervine, Nutritive, Relieves-tension, Strengthens-resolve, Analgesic, Tonic, Antidepressant, Brain-tonic, Nerve-relaxant-grounding

    LEARN MORE

  • Pitta Shirodhara Oil

    Pitta Shirodhara Oil has these Actions in Common

    Relaxes-eyes, Relieves-tension, Analgesic, Antidepressant, Calms-heart, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Nervine, Nutritive

    LEARN MORE

  • Gokshura

    Gokshura has these Actions in Common

    Demulcent, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Nervine, Nutritive, Relieves-tension, Skin-tonic, Tonic, Analgesic

    LEARN MORE

  • Skullcap

    Skullcap has these Actions in Common

    Brain-tonic, Calms-heart, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Nervine, Tonic, Analgesic, Antidepressant

    LEARN MORE

  • California Poppy

    California Poppy has these Actions in Common

    Relieves-tension, Analgesic, Antidepressant, Calms-heart, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Nervine, Relaxes-eyes

    LEARN MORE

  • Oats, Fresh Milky Seed

    Oats, Fresh Milky Seed has these Actions in Common

    Nervine, Nutritive, Relieves-tension, Tonic, Antidepressant, Brain-tonic, Nerve-relaxant-grounding

    LEARN MORE

  • St. John's Wort

    St. John's Wort has these Actions in Common

    Analgesic, Antidepressant, Brain-tonic, Calms-heart, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Nervine, Tonic

    LEARN MORE

  • Shatavari

    Shatavari has these Actions in Common

    Relaxes-eyes, Relieves-tension, Tonic, Calms-heart, Demulcent, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Nutritive

    LEARN MORE

  • Saraswatarishta- Nerve Tonic

    Saraswatarishta- Nerve Tonic has these Actions in Common

    Antidepressant, Brain-tonic, Calms-heart, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Nervine, Tonic

    LEARN MORE

  • Kapha Shirodhara Oil

    Kapha Shirodhara Oil has these Actions in Common

    Skin-tonic, Tonic, Antidepressant, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Nervine, Relieves-tension

    LEARN MORE


Joyful Belly is a recognized college of biocharacteristics medicine.

Guidelines - Preparation & Dose

Apply warm before shower or as directed by your practitioner.
See guidelines for massage oils

TRADITIONALLY INDICATED FOR
THESE SYMPTOMS

Vata Shirodhara Oil 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.

CONTRAINDICATED FOR
THESE SYMPTOMS

Vata Shirodhara Oil may be harmful or contraindicated for these symptoms. Please see your doctor before using this herb supplement to treat a medical condition.

Herb Drug Interaction Risk

Here are some potential herb drug interactions with Vata Shirodhara Oil. Please see your health care provider for more information.

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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.