Vata Shirodhara Oil Benefits, Uses, Side Effects According to Ayurveda

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.

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HEAVY

ABOUT HEAVY BIOCHARACTERISTIC

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

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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.

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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.

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SWEET

ABOUT SWEET BIOCHARACTERISTIC

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

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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

AGGRAVATES

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.

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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.

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PHLEGMATIC

ABOUT PHLEGMATIC BIOCHARACTERISTIC

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

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SANGUINE

ABOUT SANGUINE BIOCHARACTERISTIC

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

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Other

Moves Energy:

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

Inward

INWARD

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

SEE ALL 'INWARD' FOODS / HERBS

Tissue (dhatu):

Nerves

NERVES

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

SEE ALL 'NERVES' FOODS / HERBS

Affinity:

Mind Stress Sleep

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.

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Mind, Stress & Sleep:

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

Strengthens Resolve

STRENGTHENS-RESOLVE

Increases determination and courage by reducing stress and building strength.

SEE ALL 'STRENGTHENS-RESOLVE' FOODS / HERBS

Analgesic

ANALGESIC

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

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Antidepressant

ANTIDEPRESSANT

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

SEE ALL 'ANTIDEPRESSANT' FOODS / HERBS

Brain Tonic

BRAIN-TONIC

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

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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.

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Energy Vitality:

Nutritive

NUTRITIVE

An herb that is strengthening and nourishing.

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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

Skin Care & Beauty:

Demulcent

DEMULCENT

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

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Emollient

EMOLLIENT

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

SEE ALL 'EMOLLIENT' FOODS / HERBS

Skin Tonic

SKIN-TONIC

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

SEE ALL 'SKIN-TONIC' FOODS / HERBS

Heart & Circulation:

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

Kidney & Urinary:

Warms Kidney

WARMS-KIDNEY

Warms the kidneys by increasing blood flow to the organ.

SEE ALL 'WARMS-KIDNEY' FOODS / HERBS

Strength, Muscle Health:

Relieves Tension

RELIEVES-TENSION

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

SEE ALL 'RELIEVES-TENSION' FOODS / HERBS

Constituents:

Fats

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
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Almonds

Almonds has these Actions in Common
Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Skin-tonic, Nervine, Tonic, Brain-tonic, Nutritive
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Sorghum Flour

Sorghum Flour has these Actions in Common
Brain-tonic, Nutritive, Demulcent, Relaxes-eyes, Antidepressant, Nerve-relaxant-grounding
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Hemp Seed

Hemp Seed has these Actions in Common
Analgesic, Relaxes-eyes, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Tonic, Nutritive
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Coconut Oil

Coconut Oil has these Actions in Common
Brain-tonic, Skin-tonic, Emollient, Tonic, Nutritive
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Amaranth

Amaranth has these Actions in Common
Nutritive, Demulcent, Relaxes-eyes, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Relieves-tension
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Popped Amaranth

Popped Amaranth has these Actions in Common
Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Relieves-tension, Nutritive, Demulcent, Relaxes-eyes
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Poppy Seed

Poppy Seed has these Actions in Common
Calms-heart, Relieves-tension, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Analgesic, Relaxes-eyes
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Acai

Acai has these Actions in Common
Brain-tonic, Relaxes-eyes, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Antidepressant, Nutritive
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Coconut Milk

Coconut Milk has these Actions in Common
Brain-tonic, Relaxes-eyes, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Nutritive
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Spelt Flour

Spelt Flour has these Actions in Common
Demulcent, Nutritive, Calms-heart, Tonic
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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
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Pitta Shirodhara Oil

Pitta Shirodhara Oil has these Actions in Common
Relaxes-eyes, Relieves-tension, Analgesic, Antidepressant, Calms-heart, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Nervine, Nutritive
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Gokshura

Gokshura has these Actions in Common
Demulcent, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Nervine, Nutritive, Relieves-tension, Skin-tonic, Tonic, Analgesic
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Skullcap

Skullcap has these Actions in Common
Brain-tonic, Calms-heart, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Nervine, Tonic, Analgesic, Antidepressant
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California Poppy

California Poppy has these Actions in Common
Relieves-tension, Analgesic, Antidepressant, Calms-heart, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Nervine, Relaxes-eyes
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Oats, Fresh Milky Seed

Oats, Fresh Milky Seed has these Actions in Common
Nervine, Nutritive, Relieves-tension, Tonic, Antidepressant, Brain-tonic, Nerve-relaxant-grounding
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St. John's Wort

St. John's Wort has these Actions in Common
Analgesic, Antidepressant, Brain-tonic, Calms-heart, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Nervine, Tonic
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Shatavari

Shatavari has these Actions in Common
Relaxes-eyes, Relieves-tension, Tonic, Calms-heart, Demulcent, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Nutritive
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Saraswatarishta- Nerve Tonic

Saraswatarishta- Nerve Tonic has these Actions in Common
Antidepressant, Brain-tonic, Calms-heart, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Nervine, Tonic
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Kapha Shirodhara Oil

Kapha Shirodhara Oil has these Actions in Common
Skin-tonic, Tonic, Antidepressant, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Nervine, Relieves-tension
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Joyful Belly is a recognized college of biocharacteristics medicine.

College of Ayurvedic Diet & Digestion

AYURVEDIC HERB SUPPLEMENTS

Vata Shirodhara Oil Herbal Oil

Table of Contents

How Does This Ayurvedic Herb Supplement Improve Wellness?

CLINICAL AYURVEDIC REVIEW

Metabolic Nature of Vata Shirodhara Oil

Metabolic Nature

ABOUT GOOEY BIOCHARACTERISTIC

ABOUT HEAVY BIOCHARACTERISTIC

ABOUT OILY BIOCHARACTERISTIC

The 6 Tastes

ABOUT PUNGENT BIOCHARACTERISTIC

ABOUT SWEET BIOCHARACTERISTIC

The Three Doshas / Body Types

The Four Temperaments / Humors

ABOUT MELANCHOLIC BIOCHARACTERISTIC

ABOUT CHOLERIC BIOCHARACTERISTIC

ABOUT PHLEGMATIC BIOCHARACTERISTIC

ABOUT SANGUINE BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Other

DOWNWARD

INWARD

NERVES

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.

NERVE-RELAXANT-GROUNDING

RELAXES-EYES

STRENGTHENS-RESOLVE

ANALGESIC

ANTIDEPRESSANT

BRAIN-TONIC

NERVINE

NUTRITIVE

TONIC

DEMULCENT

EMOLLIENT

SKIN-TONIC

CALMS-HEART

WARMS-KIDNEY

RELIEVES-TENSION

Foods with a Similar Nature to Vata Shirodhara Oil

Avocado has these Actions in Common

Almonds has these Actions in Common

Sorghum Flour has these Actions in Common

Hemp Seed has these Actions in Common

Coconut Oil has these Actions in Common

Amaranth has these Actions in Common

Popped Amaranth has these Actions in Common

Poppy Seed has these Actions in Common

Acai has these Actions in Common

Coconut Milk has these Actions in Common

Spelt Flour has these Actions in Common

Herbs & Supplements with a Similar Nature to Vata Shirodhara Oil

Ashwagandha has these Actions in Common

Pitta Shirodhara Oil has these Actions in Common

Gokshura has these Actions in Common

Skullcap has these Actions in Common

California Poppy has these Actions in Common

Oats, Fresh Milky Seed has these Actions in Common

St. John's Wort has these Actions in Common

Shatavari has these Actions in Common

Saraswatarishta- Nerve Tonic has these Actions in Common

Kapha Shirodhara Oil has these Actions in Common

Guidelines - Preparation & Dose

TRADITIONALLY INDICATED FOR THESE SYMPTOMS

Mind, Stress & Sleep

Bones, Muscles & Tendons

Weight Loss

Reproductive Health

Lifestyle

Skin Care

Heart, Blood & Circulation

Respiratory, Lung, Throat & Sinus

CONTRAINDICATED FOR THESE SYMPTOMS

Herb Drug Interaction Risk

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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.

TRADITIONALLY INDICATED FOR
THESE SYMPTOMS

CONTRAINDICATED FOR
THESE SYMPTOMS