The powerful benefits of Ayurvedic greens
One of the keys to enjoying a balanced, digestible and nutritious meal is to incorporate all six tastes; sweet, salty, sour, spicy, bitter and astringent. By focusing on a balance of flavours, we naturally tap into nature’s apothecary of energy, fat, vitamins and minerals in the laboratory of life called nature. The last two tastes (bitter and astringent) are often missing from the modern diet, where there is too much emphasis on processed grains, starchy food and an excess of salt and sugar. The results are typically weight gain, acne, dermatitis, migraines, high cholesterol and blood pressure, diabetes and other conditions linked to an excess of Pitta (particularly the fire element) and Kapha (particularly the earth element).
Green vegetables often house the much needed bitter and astringent tastes, and two Ayurvedic kitchen greens that are particularly potent are Gotu Kula and Moringa. While these ingredients are often found in capsules and powders at health food stores and pharmacies, you can also find them whole (fresh or frozen) at Asian grocers and some markets.
Gotu Kula is a perennial herb known as the Herb of Longevity in Ayurveda that balances all three doshas. Also used in Chinese and Indonesian medicine, this brain food can be eaten, used as a tea, absorbed as a massage powder or nasya (nasal) oil to enhance mental clarity, improve skin health from dermatitis and acne, boost circulation and support general youthfulness.
Fun fact: Gotu kula (also known as Brahmi) was used as a tonic by yogis and rishis to support meditation practices that opened up the 7th chakra or the connection between the universe and the self.
When I come across this delicate and bitter-sweet herb, I add it to my dhal or make a simple clear soup to enjoy its subtle flavour.
The oil is also useful for calming Pitta dosha.
I grew up calling these odd-looking vegetables ‘drumsticks’. We had a Moringa tree in our house and had to compete with the wild monkeys to eat them. The leaves, flowers and fruit can all be eaten, and the tough drumsticks in this picture need to be skinned and cooked down well in order to sample the tender flesh inside which has calcium, protein, iron and Vitamins A and C.
Moringa is a fantastic detoxifying agent for the kidney, liver, pancreas and heart, especially where there is an excess of Kapha dosha resulting in sluggishness.
If finding fresh Moringa is challenging,
try purchasing a good quality powder that you can add to a herbal tea, flatbreads or curries for an added nutritional boost.
