Summer Swelling

Watermelon, the festive and refreshing fruit of summer, offers a cooling reprieve for tissues irritated by the heat. The heart, which beats an extra ten times per minute with every one degree rise in body temperature, circulates the overheated blood. By June, overheated circulation causes swelling in the hands and feet, and irritates tissues, which may become inflamed. Watermelon, with it's cooling nature, restores and calms these overheated tissues. Lime helps open up the pores of the skin and aids sweating, also helps cool the body down.

Watermelon is also a strong diuretic, flushing stagnant fluids from the feet and hands, which directly reduces swelling. It flushes the kidneys and bladder as well, and is often used as a folk remedy for bladder infection. Watermelons are thus perfect for waterlogged Kapha or overheated Pitta. However, since summer sweating depletes electrolytes and the adrenals, Vata individuals may find the additional diuretic effects of watermelon too drying.

Liver Heat Exhaustion

The heart is also an extroverted organ, especially when overstimulated by the heat. Summer festivals and late night gatherings with friends can seem all the more attractive in summer months. However, the long days of intense summer heat and late night overexertion eventually exhaust the liver. The signs of liver heat exhaustion are irritability, fatigue, and even anger. Burning the midnight oil and extended sunlight hours can cause your eyes to sting and burn. Beta-carotene, which gives watermelon its red color, cools the liver and soothes the eyes.

Summer Digestion

With all of our blood in the skin, there is precious little blood left for digestion. The appetite wanes during the high noon hours. Digestive organs are weak in the summer. Cardamom helps stimulate digestion without adding excess heat, giving a boost to the sluggish summer stomach.