Marina Baroni, Dipl. Ayu.

Posts Tagged ‘Ayurvedic Medicine’

Kitchari is a mixture of basmati rice and mung beans.  It is very nourishing and easy to digest.  The combination of rice and beans creates a complete source of proteins which strengthen all the tissues and support the digestive fire.

A five-day long mono-diet of Kitchari is the perfect way to get rid of toxic build-up and stagnation left over from the cold winter season.

Kitchari Recipe

Serves 2

1 cup white basmati rice

½ cup split yellow mung beans

2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter) or sunflower oil

½ teaspoon mustard seeds

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

½ teaspoon of salt

1 pinch turmeric

1 pinch asafoetida (hing)

3 cups of boiling water

Organic ghee and yellow mung beans can be purchased at your local health food store or Indian grocery store.

Wash rice and mung beans and drain. In a pot, heat the ghee or oil and add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and hing, stir till the seeds pop.  Add rice, mung beans, turmeric and salt and sauté for 2 or 3 minutes.  Add boiling water and simmer over low heat for about 25-30 minutes.  You may add vegetables such as carrots, zucchini or green beans.

Garnish with fresh cilantro and lime.

Note:  For better digestibility soak the mung beans for 3 hours before cooking. Even better: pre-cook the mung beans for 15 minutes and then add to the rice and spices.

Enjoy!

 According to Yoga and Ayurveda the human Mind is organized into 3 qualities or gunas: Sattva, Rajas and Tamas.  Sattva is clarity, intelligence, harmony and stability; Rajas is activity, change, stimulus and disturbance; Tamas is inertia, obstruction, heaviness, delusion and lack of awareness.

All 3 gunas are necessary for life and any mental process. For example, an idea can be seen as an expression of Sattva, when it’s brought into action Rajas will be the dominant energy and the completion of that action happens thanks to Tamas.

When Sattva is predominant in our nature we strive towards peace and harmony and our lifestyle choices reflect that. When Rajas is the main energy in our system there is excessive activity, an exaggerated goal oriented attitude, the mind is agitated and it can lead to chronic dissatisfaction. A Tamas predominant nature expresses itself as stagnation, blockage, a tendency towards depression and lack of initiative.

A balanced lifestyle supports Sattva guna and our health. Excessive activity (Rajas) will deplete our system and lead to exhaustion. Too much sleep and inactivity (Tamas) dulls the Mind and can lead to depression.

Keep your gunas in check!

Ginger, Zingiber officinale

In Ayurveda ginger is referred to as vishwabheshaja, “universal medicine”, the remedy for almost all diseases, especially for Vata and Kapha disorders.

Dry and fresh ginger have slightly different properties. Dry ginger is drier and hotter.  It needs to be used with caution by individuals with high Pitta who suffer from heartburn, gastritis and ulcers.

Both fresh and dry ginger are great home remedies for a cough or cold. Ginger has antispasmodic and expectorant properties, helping with asthmatic conditions and respiratory disorders, clearing phlegm from the lungs.

Ginger stimulates the digestive fire and the secretion of digestive enzymes. It helps in case of indigestion, nausea (including morning and travel sickness), loss of appetite, vomiting, gas and abdominal pain.

Ginger is also used to relieve menstrual cramps, arthritis and improve circulation.

Preparation and Dosage:

Fresh Ginger Tea: 1 inch fresh peeled, grated or sliced ginger, steep in one cup of hot water for 10 minutes

Dry Ginger Tea: ½ teaspoon of ginger powder, steep in one cup of hot water for 10 minutes.

Externally dry ginger powder can be used as a paste or mixed with massage oil to reduce chills, swelling, hypothermia and rheumatoid arthritis.

Contraindications: Do not use in high Pitta conditions such as heartburn, gastritis, ulcers, inflammatory skin conditions. Do not take ginger with blood thinning medications. Avoid large doses during pregnancy.

Marina Baroni is happy to welcome you to her first website that features her Ayurvedic Medicine Practice, The Alexander Technique and Vedic Astrology’s understandings and readings.

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Marina Baroni is a member of NAMA – National Ayurvedic Medical Association. She received her Diploma in Ayurvedic Sciences from the Ayurveda Institute of America. She specializes in Ayurvedic diet and lifestyle, Ayurvedic herbal remedies and women’s health.

Marina provides Ayurvedic holistic healing services  to individuals seeking treatment in the greater Los Angeles area including Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Hollywood and Culver City California.

Schedule your 1st Ayurvedic Consultation today and start realizing your innate vibrant health and well-being.  Click here for her Ayurvedic Healing  testimonials, here to review her Ayurvedic Services & Fee Schedules or here to schedule your Vedic Astrology Readings.