Ayurveda is truly for everyone, many of its practices are used in our everyday lives. If you’ve visited the day spa lately, you’ve probably heard me talk about my Dosha. I’ve been talking more about the Doshas, the Ayurvedic clock with eating times, and teas with herbs according to the Doshas.
Here are the best herbs for your Dosha, I’ve included some of the health benefits per herb. As you review the list, you may notice that you may actually have some in your kitchen.
Vata Dosha
If your Dosha is Vata, you’ll want to favor warm, oily, heavy foods and sweet, sour, and salty tastes. You’ll want to reduce light, dry, cold foods and pungent, bitter and astringent tastes.
When selecting Vata herbs, choose warm, grounding, nourishing herbs that calm anxious minds such as:
Ashwagandha (helps body cope with physical and emotional stress)
Chamomile (calms anxiety, settles upset stomach and heartburn)
Fennel (loaded with vitamins, great for bone health)
Ginger (improves digestion, intestinal issues, reduce muscle soreness)
Pitta Dosha
For Pitta you’ll want to favor cool, heavy, dry and sweet foods, and bitter and astringent tastes. You’ll want to avoid pungent, sour, salty tastes and warm, oily and light foods.
When selecting herbs, select cooling herbs that reduce inflammation and aid in detoxification like:
Cardamom + Cumin (antioxidant, cancer fighting, anti-inflammatory)
Cinnamon (antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, lowers blood sugar)
Coriander/Cilantro (anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-fungal)
Fennel (loaded with vitamins, great for bone health)
Mint (anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, helps with digestion)
Rose (loaded with antioxidants, increases mood)
Kapha Dosha
If your Dosha is Kapha, you’ll want to favor pungent, bitter, astringent tastes and light, dry and warm foods. You’ll want to reduce heavy, oily, cold foods and sweet, sour and salty tastes.
Kapha is the only Dosha that can gain benefits from almost any herb. When selecting herbs for Kapha, choose warming, aromatic herbs like
Black Pepper (good for digestion, constipation, helps prevent cancer)
Ginger (improves digestion, intestinal issues, reduce muscle soreness)
Ginseng (helps with brain function, boosts immune system, reduces inflammation, may fight cancer, helps with erectile disfunction)
Turmeric (fights depression, cancer, keeps blood pressure and cholesterol steady, anti-viral, helps with cramps, etc.)
I hope this was helpful for you when selecting the proper herbs and tastes for balancing your Dosha. If you’d like more information or would like to come in and take a Dosha test, please contact us.
If you have any questions about Ayurveda or skincare, please feel free to call us at
(615) 884 – 6744 or email us at estheticsbypbrown@yahoo.com.
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