We are very happy to announce today that vaidyamishra.com (Vaidya Mishra’s knowledge website) and chandika.com (Vaidya Mishra’s product website) now accept credit cards in addition to PayPal.
We hope this will be a nice convenience for you.
We Now Accept Credit Cards Online
June 25th, 2010How to Deal With Grief and Loss
March 5th, 2010Grief is a common factor in most of our lives. When things don’t go according to our plans, when the ones we love reject us or leave us behind, when we fail in any way, the result can often be grief.
And that helpless, biting feeling of grieving can stay with us for years and years, gnawing away at our insides, causing a kind of dry rot that weakens everything we attempt to do.
Even just the faint remains of grief can keep our hearts slightly closed, and prevent us from living life more fully.
How to Deal with Grief and Loss
This article is not focused on the importance of friends, counselors, and spiritual practice, which are the most important things you can do for grief.
Our purpose here is simply to provide you with an extra tool for dealing with grief, from a purely physical point of view. There is a herb in the ancient medical science of Ayurveda called ashoka.
Ashoka is a tree that is famous for it’s spiritual quality in India, and it is the spiritual quality of this tree which gives it the property of removing grief. The name ashoka in Sanskrit literally means “no grief.”
In the epic story of the Ramayana, Sita, the wife of Ram, when she was captured by Ravana was placed in a garden of ashoka trees to help her with the overwhelming grief she felt in being separated from her husband.
The power of this tree to remove grief is very real. You can learn all about it from the ancient Sanskrit texts in a 26 minute audio lecture by Vaidya Mishra.
Take a few moments to educate yourself about this powerful Ayurvedic herb for the heart. Why not attack suffering from all sides, mental, emotional, spiritual and physical?
You can also enjoy our wildcrafted ashoka products that are produced without the use of chemical solvents or anything that detracts from the subtle potency of the plant.
If you click through to read the descriptions of each of these products you will learn about many benefits of ashoka for your health, besides its ability to remove grief.
Ashoka In Our Herbal Products
Ashoka is an ingredient in many of Vaidya Mishra’s herbal formulations. Here is a list of the main ashoka products.
- Delivers the divine properties of this herb even if the liver or digestive system are toxic (the crude herb would be corrupted in the process).
- Removes grief very quickly (doesn’t need to go through the digestive and metabolic systems which takes time).
- Is suspended in the nectar of sweet squashes to protect the divine intelligence of ashoka.
- Should be added to 1 to 2 liters of cool water and sipped throughout the day.
- Avoids the grahi (absorbing) quality of ashoka, allowing it to be used safely for people with constipation.
- Get transdermal absorption of ashoka while you bathe.
- Only the prabhavas (special qualities) of ashoka are delivered; the kshaya (astringent) and grahi (absorbing) quality is not there.
- Beautiful, heart-lotus-opening aroma.
- Start your day with extra herbal support to remove any traces of grief in your heart.
- Deliver the ashoka prabhava (grief removing property) directly to the sattwa (light of the soul) transdermally.
- Bypass the liver and digestive system (if these are weak, or toxic, they can corrupt the prabhava (divine quality) of the herb or prevent it from being fully utilized).
- Enjoy continuous absorption through the skin for several hours (such as when you sleep or meditate).
- Very high quality, wildcrafted herbal supplement
- Gives the physical properties of the herb, which are sometimes necessary.
- Helpful for rehydration, and helps to create an environment in the colon that does not support the growth of pathogenic bacteria.
Disclaimer
This product and statements have not been evaluated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. All of the information above is intended for educational purposes only and may not be used to replace or complement medical advice.
Charak Pitta Dosha Audio File Is Ready
March 4th, 2010If you missed Vaidya Mishra’s free lecture on pitta dosha from the verses of Charak Samhita, the oldest Ayurvedic textbook, you can now listen to the recording for free.
In this two hour lecture, Vaidya goes deeply into the Sanskrit sutras about pitta, the warming, transforming factor inside the body. He also compliments the knowledge of Charak with a sutra from Susrut Samhita that describes the five subdoshas of pitta.
If you have a lot of pitta in your body, or if you know someone who has problems with this commonly imbalanced dosha, here is a chance to gain deep insight into this important factor of health.
You can dowload a PDF of the course notes with Sanskrit verses and an MP3 file of the lecture here.
Disclaimer
This product and statements have not been evaluated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. All of the information above is intended for educational purposes only and may not be used to replace or complement medical advice.
Arjuna Product Descriptions Finished
February 17th, 2010If you’ve been wanting to know more about the famous herb Arjuna, a herb that Vaidya Mishra uses in many formulations, now is your time to learn to your heart’s content.
We have completed product descriptions for the following Arjuna products:
Arjuna Herbal Memory Nectar
Arjuna Transdermal Cream
Total Arjuna Tablets
Arjuna Chaal (bark powder)
For a limited time only, we are also making Vaidya’s 21 minute audio lecture on Arjuna available to you for instant download for only 99 cents.
Pull up a cup of herbal tea, read the product descriptions and listen to the audio recording as Vaidya Mishra explains what Charak Samhita calls the best herb for the heart.
Disclaimer
This product and statements have not been evaluated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. All of the information above is intended for educational purposes only and may not be used to replace or complement medical advice.
New Herb, Jyotishmati, Now In Stock
January 26th, 2010Vaidya has been searching for the herb, jyotishmati, for several years. It is somewhat rare, and finding a reliable source which is up to Vaidya’s strict quality standards has been difficult. We are very pleased now to have received our first delivery of this divine herb and look forward to offering you several new products (transdermal cream, herbal memory nectar, and herbalized ghee) in the near future.
Connecting the Mind with the Light of the Soul
Jyotishmati, celastrus paniculatus, is a seed which, like name suggests, helps to connect the light of the gem, or soul, with the mind. Jyotishmati literally means full of light. Patanjali, in his Yoga Sutras, writes, “jyotishmati tatra pragya,” as a means of describing the intellect which is so fully illuminated that it simply knows the truth without having to resort to logic. This is the full potential of the mind.
Even if the light of the soul is clean and pure, and the heart lotus is open, it is no guarantee that the mind will be able to make use of this light in daily life. It can be very difficult for the mind to hold the light of the gem if the brain is not well nourished, just as it is difficult for a dirty mirror to reflect the sun.
Ten Times More Potent Than Brahmi
Unlike Brahmi, jyotishmati, is primarily a lipid-soluble herb. The brain also is mainly lipid, and jyotishmati is able to deliver the subtle, lipid-soluble nutrients that the brain needs to maintain higher states of consciousness.
Many imbalances happen in the brain because of improper quality or quantity of lipid-soluble nutrients. This herb provides a means to nourish and strengthen the physical brain so that we can make full use of own radiant, inner intelligence.
We are very excited about this new arrival, and we look forward to offering jyotishmati in our products very soon.
Update: We now have our first products with jyostishmati in stock: Maha Saraswati Ghee and Bal Saraswati Ghee.
Disclaimer
This product and statements have not been evaluated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. All of the information above is intended for educational purposes only and may not be used to replace or complement medical advice.
Pitta Is The Most Challenging Dosha To Treat
December 21st, 2009Do you experience a lot of heat in your body? Does your skin feel like it’s burning sometimes? Do you eat constantly but never gain a pound? You might be suffering from high pitta/ high agni.
Pitta Aggravation
Pitta body-types receive more agni by nature. It’s just the way they’re born. A chili plant receives more agni than a zucchini plant by nature. That can’t be changed, but when pitta body-types gets pitta aggravation, the joy of being pitta goes away.
The pitta body-type itself is very sensitive to manage. There is no buffer in the pitta physiology. If toxins must be removed, they can easily heat the body, or damage it when they come out. It takes real skill to handle pitta body types.
When you add a pitta aggravation to the mix, the challenge becomes that much more difficult. If the liver is toxic, and the blood is full of amavisha (toxicity), you have to take baby steps to get the body clean. It can take years to detox because each bit of toxin that gets removed must be neutralized immediately to prevent a reaction.
To further complicate the situation, as the body gets detoxified, the channels become more open and clean and the agnis of the body begin to burn more brightly. This is a good thing because it means that the body does not make ama (partially digested food) so easily anymore. But as agni increases, body heat can increase too. In a body that already has a lot of heat, increased agni can be a blessing in disguise.
In this situation, we need extra special treatment. Vaidya Mishra has developed a new Pitta Masala and Pitta Tea to bring the needed balance.
Are Pitta Pacifying Spices Bland?
You might be thinking that a spice mix without heating spices could be boring. Certainly, it won’t have the pop that Mom’s Masala or Shroto Shudhi Masala have. But pitta people generally dislike anything that makes them hotter, like those spice mixes do.
On the other hand, pitta people have an uncanny ability to discern subtle flavors and aromas. This spice mixture is full of subtlety. Like Vaidya Mishra’s other masalas, different foods will bring out different flavors in the mix. Any pitta palate will find satisfaction in the taste and coolness in the after effect.
Understanding Pitta and Agni More Deeply
According to Shaka Vansya Ayurveda, pitta can be thought of as fuel, like gasoline, which is comprised of lots of agni (fiery component of prana) and some soma (cool, nourishing component of prana). The soma aspect keeps pitta liquid so that it can flow in the body, and it keeps it cool so that it does not burn the channels when it flows. Pure agni (fire) would not be transportable in the body, but pitta, with its liquid form, flows easily to wherever it is needed.
Whenever an organ or cellular system needs real flame (agni) to digest, metabolize or transform something, the pitta fuel is ignited. This ignition takes place in the burners (sandhis, or gaps) and produces the needed flames (agnis) in the stomach (jataragni), in the liver (bhutagnis), between each dhatu as one tissue is transformed to another tissue (dhatvagnis) and on the cellular level (dehagnis).
The flame (agni) is what is cooking (or transforming), not the gasoline (pitta). It is challenging here because pitta must maintain some coolness otherwise spontaneous combustion can occur. And yet, pitta can’t be kept too cool, because it won’t flow through the channels if it congeals.
Another concern is the gap (sandhi), or burner, which must be kept clean and intelligent so that it can transform the pitta (gasoline) to flame (agni) in just the right amount whenever it is needed. The intelligence of the body controls the fire, just like a cooking stove must constantly be adjusted depending on what is being cooked.
Challenges for Pitta in this Day and Age
In today’s world, there is an over-abundance of agnea (hot) food, toxic food. Hot, acidic, chemical food is the norm these days. In addition, it is common to skip or delay meals, and to spend hours upon hours exposed to electromagnetic radiation from computers, cell phones, and many other sources. All of these things burn soma, which is the balancing factor for agni. Even the water we drink is acidic and full of chemicals. What’s a poor pitta person to do?
When the environment contains too much agni, there is no soma for the body to receive. It is really challenging for pitta people who’s pitta is out of balance to stay calm, stay effective, and stay healthy.
The Wrong Way to Pacify Pitta
One way to pacify pitta, which doesn’t work well, is to give lots of soma-predominant food and spices. These super cooling foods can freeze the pitta and block the channels, just like ghee becomes solid in cold weather. When the channels are blocked by the cold treatment, the pitta cannot move to where it is needed in the body where transformation needs to take place—in the stomach, liver, dhatus, and cellular systems. Then the flames (agnis) go out, or go low, and ama becomes an everyday phenomenon. This, of course, is a vicious cycle because ama further blocks the channels and contributes further to the demise of agni.
Also, the congealed pitta, from the freezing treatment, can get stuck inside the burners, which are essentially gaps. When the burners are clogged, no matter how much fuel is there, no flame can be ignited.
Vaidya’s Masala Recipe for Pitta
After years of experience taking care of high-pitta/low-agni individuals and high-agni/low-pitta individuals, Vaidya Mishra came up with this unique spice mix when dealing with a very high pitta body type with high pitta and high agni. This person was not even able to handle Mom’s Masala, and certainly not Shroto Shudhi Masala in his food.
This recipe calms the heat of pitta, opens the channels of the five sub-doshas of pitta (pachaka, stomach; ranjaka, liver; sadhaka, heart; alochaka; eyes; brajaka, skin), and opens and cleans the macro and micro burners of the body. The delicate balance of spices in this mix make it ideal for balancing pitta without causing further problems from the treatment.
Pitta Masala Ingredients
- Fennel balances the warming effect of turmeric
- Coriander binds toxins in the blood and cools the organs and cellular system
- Cumin opens the pitta channel of jataragni (stomach agni) and cleans the burner
- Turmeric increases the intelligence of the liver (used in very small quantity for pitta)
- Green cardamom is aromatic, enhances liver intelligence, supports protein metabolism
- Rose buds cools sadhaka pitta (in the heart); Kalunji, cools kayagni (body heat)
- Curry leaf removes toxins from liver without heating it
- Clove opens the channels and burners without heating
- Rose hips give flavor, open the heart lotus and pacify sadhaka pitta
Vaidya’s new Pitta Masala can now be purchased online.
Viadya’s Tea Recipe for Cooling Pitta
In addition to spices, Vaiyda has created a tea recipe that can help cool the body without freezing the pitta or putting out the agni. This delightful flavor has a great effect on the pitta constitution.
PItta Tea Ingredients
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Fennel gently stimulates agni without heating, and coordinates the effects of all the other herbs
Rose buds are particularly cooling for sadhaka pitta (the pitta governing the heart and emotions)
Rose hips add flavor, open the heart lotus and pacify sadhaka pitta
Rosemary opens the dehagni (cellular metabolism) and helps connect heart and mind
Indian Sarsaparilla cools and cleans meda (fat tissue) which holds heat in the body
Pushkarmool pacifies pitta and opens the lung channels
DGL (deglycerized licorice) pacifies pitta in all organs and cellular systems, especially the stomach
Tej patta (cinnamon leaf) increases the intelligence of the pancreas, liver and spleen, and is less heating than cinnamon bark
Parijat, Lord Shiva’s favorite flower, helps the pitta physiology by making it more intelligent, so the body does not receive too much agni from the environment
Vaidya’s new Pitta Tea can now be purchased online.
Invitation for Questions
Whether you are a practitioner treating pitta in your practice or an individual trying to balance your own physiology, we welcome your questions here about pitta and the new pitta products that Vaidya has created. Please leave a comment with your question or thoughts below.
Special Free Conference Call on Pitta Dosha
On February 20, 2010, from 9 AM to 11 AM, Vaidya Mishra will be giving a free lecture on Pitta Dosha and will be going into detail about this important factor for health. As always, Vaidya Mishra teaches directly from the Sanskrit texts, in this case Charak Samhita, the oldest text on Ayurveda. Get the conference call code by calling 888-324-2634 today. If you are reading this after the date, you can listen to the audio recording of the call here.
Disclaimer
These products and statements have not been evaluated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. All of the information above is intended for educational purposes only and may not be used to replace or complement medical advice.
Welcome to Vaidya Mishra’s Blog
September 28th, 2009Inaugurated today, September 28, 2009, on Vijaya Dashami (Victory Day), this blog will be the home our online community.
Anyone interested in Shaka Vansya Ayurveda, cooking tips or recipes, improving the body’s health from within, or just keeping up with Vaidya Mishra’s life will find lots to knowledge and fun here.
Please leave comments whenever you can because we love hearing your ideas and questions too.
Disclaimer
These products and statements have not been evaluated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. All of the information above is intended for educational purposes only and may not be used to replace or complement medical advice.