Healthy Summer Fruit Tart
Pie You Don’t Have to Feel Guilty Eating. Healthy Summer Fruit Tart are deserts full of ingredients with high nutritive value–fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, protein, etc, , with high amounts of life force from fresh well farmed ingredients, and with out what’s bad for you–white sugar, artificial stuff, preservatives, things with no life force, like frozen fruit and pie crusts off the shelf of Cost Co. Traveling in Europe one of the things you might notice is that the pastries are sweet, but not sickeningly so. In particular the fruit tarts are slightly...
Read MoreWinter Wisdom of Chinese Medicine
The Nei Jing/Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine, which presents the cutting edge medical wisdom of its time, is full of brilliant advice for both prevention and cure. Chapter 2 describe how to adjust our lifestyles to match the natural rhythm of the seasons. Winter is the season for “storage” in Chinese Medicine. It is the storage of winter that allows for the “bursting forth” of Spring. As in nature so in humankind. Storage of what? Storage of Qi, Blood, Yin, and Yang. How? To store means to hold on to what you have while accumulating...
Read MoreDr. Wickermasinghe’s Ayurvedic Detox Tea for Colds and Flu
Drink a quart or more a day of this delicious detox tea if you are fighting off a cold or flu. You can also take this if you are already sick, to get better more quickly, and to prevent secondary infection in throat, sinus, or lungs. Do not use if you have a raging sore throat or high fever. Do use especially if you feel cold and have clear mucus or phlegm. This is a delicious tea made from ordinary kitchen spices that is a powerful remedy for common colds and flu. I learned it in Sri Lanka, from my Ayurveda teacher Vaidhya Wickeramasinghe. Drink from one to 5 cups a day if you...
Read MoreMoxabustion to Strengthen the Immune System
In Chinese medicine moxa-bustion is done in summer and autumn to prepare for winter. Moxabustion warms the channels and stregnthens the organ complexes, especially the Adrenal-Digestive axis. Directions for Home Moxabustion. Please do moxa safely and at your own risk. If you don’t feel competent please don’t do it. This is one of those American legal warnings: USE MOXA AT YOUR OWN RISK. BY PEFORMING MOXA AT HOME YOU ARE TAKING FULL RESPONSIBLILITY FOR ITS SAFE USE. THANK YOU. Light a moxabustion stick and hold it close enough to your skin so as to feel heat gently and without...
Read More7 Steps for a Healthy Winter from the Yellow Emperor
Practical Advice for Winter from the Yellow Emperor’s Classic 1)In winter, get plenty of rest, more than your normal amount. Cast away Puritan guilt and Cowboy pride about getting by on lack of sleep. Leave martyrdom to the religious fanatics. 2)In Winter cultivate meditative lifestyles, do Tai Qi or Yoga in a warm sunny room, meditate every morning for 15 minutes or more, be kind to your friends and loving to your family. Winter is dominated by the water element, and water is soft. 3)Conserve your sexual energy a little more in winter, depending on your age and constitution. Sexual...
Read MoreAyuvedic Guidlines for Avoiding Colds and Flu in Winter
Ayurvedic Guidelines to Prevent Colds Cold Foods/Warm Foods. Avoid cold foods like ice cream and yogurt. Some yogurt is fine at noon, but not at night. Follow the general Ayurvedic advice to drink liquids room temperature or warm/hot. If you drink milk, drink it hot, simmered with ginger root, cardamom, or clove. Mediterranean Sage Tea is excellent for warming up after being out in the cold. Get it at Greek, Persian, or Arab markets. Fruit: Stick to apples, pears, and other seasonal or dried fruits like dates. Stewed fruits like cranberry sauce and apple sauce are good. Again, try using...
Read MoreCommon Cold in Ayurveda
Common Colds in AyurvedaElevated KaphaIn Ayurveda the common cold is called Pratishyaya and is seen in most cases as an aggravation of the Kapha dosha. Colds infect the respiratory tract; the sinuses and throat are governed by the Lungs, and the Lungs are the seat of Kapha. The first thing that happens with colds is increased secretion of mucus and phlegm, which are both the result of elevated Kapha. That is why people who are Kapha dominant, and in an unbalanced state due to diet or lifestyle errors, are more prone to colds and sinus infections. But when Kaphas are healthy and balanced,...
Read MoreSource Natural’s Brand "Wellness Formula" The Right and Wrong Way to Use
One of my favorite over-the-counter herbal medicines is Source Natural’s Brand Wellness Formula. It is an excellent medicine when used correctly. It contains a fine mixture of Bitter Cold anti-viral and anti-bacterial herbs, along with some important strengthening or tonic herbs, as well as some valuable vitamins, minerals, and other neutraceuticals, like propolis. This makes it very appropriate and useful to take at the very first sign of a cold or flu, especially if there are symptoms of fatigue and feeling run down. This is because most often, we are susceptible to colds and flus...
Read MoreVegan Chick Pea Miso Soup or Its Seafoody Cousin
Of the general food remedies for winter, nothing approaches soup. Soup is warming and makes vegetables and protiens delicious and digestible. At the same time pushing hot fluids in winter keeps mucus membranes and bronchial passages hydrated, while loosening phlegm . A favorite of mine is Miso Soup, which is made from a base called Miso Paste Good Miso paste is like fine wine. It is a fermented product with lots of health attributes that originated in Japan, the land of longevity, and is made from rice or other grains or beans to which a starter culture has been added. Miso paste is only as...
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