Alcohol is also a medicine when used in the right dose. Alcohol is recommended in Ayurveda during winter months as a remedy to blood stagnation. Two (2) tablespoons of wine represent a daily medicinal dose of alcohol during the month of January and February.

Alcohol can be grouped into several categories including beer which is heavy, wine which is light, and hard liquor which is highly concentrated.

Alcohol's Effects on the Body

However, Alcohol is a toxin and one should avoid consuming more than one glass of alcohol on an evening, and more than two glasses per week. It is hot, sharp, and penetrating. It irritates the lining of the digestive tract. Alcohol stimulates the liver and causes it to release bile, exacerbating any condition of liver deficiency. Since the liver is responsible for detoxification of all blood, it may become overwhelmed trying to metabolize more than a little alcohol. This overtaxing of the liver can result in bloodshot eyes, yellow-tinged sclera, red skin, body odor, and angry outbursts.

A person with hepatitis (inflammation of the liver) may crave alcohol to stimulate their liver. For this reason, hepatitis actually increases the risk of alcoholism. Ayurveda has many herbs which can safely help the liver without the user of alcohol.

Alcohol's heating effect is why the proverbial St. Bernard dogs would carry a bit of whiskey to revive a lost hiker in Alps. Initially, the heat of alcohol dilate blood vessels and help circulation. The hot blood circulates to the surface of your skin, possibly aggravating hives or heat related conditions, giving one a red neck.

The hot blood also explains alcohol's extroverted nature. The increase of heat in the blood makes one exuberant and stimulates the heart. The heart, which is a naturally affectionate and social organ, predisposes one to fun. When imbalanced, the exuberance can lead to risky social activities under the influence of alcohol.

Alcohol is a hot & sugary depressant. A person may become addicted to the relaxing effects, as well as the spike in blood sugar. For this reason, recovering alcoholics often crave sweets and candy. Professionals often drink coffee in the morning to wake up, and alcohol in the evening to wind down, putting their body on a dangerous roller coaster ride.

Remedies & Alternatives

There are many alternatives to drinking alcohol in social situations. To reduce consumption, drink slowly and on a full stomach. Stay hydrated. Avoid mixing different types of alcohols in a single evening.

To dilute the alcohol concentration, mix your drink with fun fruit juices such as granita, cranberry juice, lemon juice, or seltzer water. Bitters and sours added to alcoholic drinks can help your liver process the alcohol.

Food such as strawberries that are both sour, sweet, high in beta carotene and antioxidants can help your body deal with alcohol toxicity and reduce the effects of a hangover. Coconut water and other cool, soothing ingredients can help restore an inflamed gut. Coconut oil can help feed your liver, which may be exhausted.

Augment your diet with these specially chosen ingredients below which may be useful for 'Alcohol 2+ times / week'. Individual results vary depending the cause of your imbalance and by constitution. Please research the ingredients below to find which are most helpful for you, and check with your doctor before making any changes to your health and wellness routine. Please check with your medical doctor before making any changes to your health & wellness routine, and for the proper use of these products.

DIET TIPS

DISCLAIMER: The pathogenesis of each person's condition is unique, and so the diet must be fit to the individual and the unique root causes of the condition in your body. The information on this page is for educational purposes only and should not be used to treat a medical condition. It is not a substitute for medical care. Please check with your doctor before making any changes to your health and wellness routine.

Everything you eat has an effect on your body, which Ayurveda categorizes in a simple and easy way, using biocharacteristics (gunas). Biocharacteristics are qualities (like cold and hot) that describe the effect a food or herb has on your body. Cooling foods like cucumber, decrease metabolism. Heating foods like chili pepper, stimulate your body and increase metabolism. For 'Alcohol 2+ times / week', you should select foods with the following biocharacteristics. Individual results will vary, based on your body type and the root cause of your imbalance.

Digestion:

Purgative

PURGATIVE

Where general laxatives target the colon, purgatives are strong laxatives that target complete elimination of the small intestine. Use only sporadically as it can be habit forming.

SEE ALL 'PURGATIVE' FOODS / HERBS

Cleanse & Detox:

Internal Detoxicant

INTERNAL-DETOXICANT

Liquefies, dissolves, decongests or dislodges internal stagnant toxins. Decongests the lymphatic system.

SEE ALL 'INTERNAL-DETOXICANT' FOODS / HERBS

Mind, Stress & Sleep:

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

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Sedative

SEDATIVE

Sedative herbs create a sense of calm in the mind and body by specifically calming or quieting the nervous system. Excellent for anxiety, stress and chronic pain.

SEE ALL 'SEDATIVE' 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

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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:

Refrigerant

REFRIGERANT

An herb or substance that strongly cools the body. Can be helpful in cases of heat conditions.

SEE ALL 'REFRIGERANT' FOODS / HERBS

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Vessel Tonic

VESSEL-TONIC

An herb that improves the tone and integrity of blood vessel walls. This is helpful in easy bruising.

SEE ALL 'VESSEL-TONIC' FOODS / HERBS

Liver & Gallbladder:

Hepatoprotective

HEPATOPROTECTIVE

An herb that is capable of preventing liver damage. Many hepatoprotectives work via antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

SEE ALL 'HEPATOPROTECTIVE' FOODS / HERBS

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Livotonic

LIVOTONIC

An herb that strengthens the liver. It is helpful for people with a history of substance abuse, chronic liver issues from hepatitis and hemolytic anemias. Generally, liver tonics are oily, cool, sweet, mildly sour, or contain beta-carotene.

SEE ALL 'LIVOTONIC' FOODS / HERBS

Other:

Sattvic

SATTVIC

Sattvic foods promote awareness and a refreshed mind by nourishing the body without taxing digestion. Sattvic foods do not stimulate desire or nervous energy. They create clarity instead of drowsiness or heaviness.

SEE ALL 'SATTVIC' FOODS / HERBS

Subtaste:

Bland

Joyful Belly is a recognized college of biocharacteristics medicine.

AVOID ACCUMULATION IN STAGE OF DISEASE 0

ALCOHOL 2+ TIMES / WEEK IS IN STAGE OF DISEASE 0 - POTENTIAL CAUSE

Potential causes increase and disturb your imbalanced doshas and biocharacteristics, causing them to accumulate and spiral out of control. For example, if you're overheated and eat a chili pepper, heat may become excessive and cause disease. As a dosha or biocharacteristic accumulates in your body according to your dietary and lifestyle habits, it is more and more likely to cause disease. You can reduce an imbalanced dosha or biocharacteristic in two ways, by removing, or lessening the frequency of aggravating causes from your diet and lifestyle, as well as by favoring balancing diet and lifestyle practices. For example, try eating something as cool as a cucumber when you're overheated, instead of a chili pepper. (See all disease stages on JB)

GET MY FREE AYURVEDA BODY MAP 'Alcohol 2+ times / week' is likely to aggravate the following doshas and biocharacteristics. If you have a systemic imbalance of one of these doshas or biocharacteristics, Ayurveda would generally recommend removing, substitute or lessen the frequency of 'Alcohol 2+ times / week'.

Are you prone to a problem with 'Alcohol 2+ times / week'? Find your imbalances and create a diet for your Diet by taking the free diet quiz:

TAKE THE DIET QUIZ

The following symptoms & habits may be related to 'Alcohol 2+ times / week'. See your quiz results for a computerized assessment of your body type. Please click on the symptoms below to learn more about them. On average the biocharacteristics of people reporting Alcohol 2+ times / week were less aggravated than 96% of other symptoms. From the 13,863 people who reported Alcohol 2+ times / week average deviation in biocharacteristic levels were the following:

Risk Factors of Alcohol 2+ times / week

Complications of Those Reporting Alcohol 2+ times / week

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