ayurveda It is a term that refers to a series of knowledge obtained during more than 5,000 years of observation and practice, which promotes longevity and a better quality of life from a holistic perspective that includes aspects such as the use of medicinal herbs, the practice of yoga and feeding.
The latter occupies an important part of Ayurvedic knowledge, where herbs, foods and drinks are classified according to five elementary characteristics: taste, properties, energy, effect (or taste) after digestion and special properties, each with its own therapeutic effect. .
Taste
“Rasa” is the Sanskrit word for “taste”, and it means delight or essence. In the context of Ayurvedic medicine, these two qualities are considered to promote the healing channels that run from the mouth to the head, carrying the essence directly to the brain. The essence stimulates the prana and this in turn agni or digestive «fire».
Properties
Six flavors for five elements: sweet, salty, sour, spicy, bitter and astringent. We all need a bit of each in our diet.
Energy
Food and beverages can cool or warm the body, depending on how they taste and their relationship to energy.
Post-digestive effect (vipak)
Once we eat a certain food, its taste changes when the digestive process ends. According to the principles of Ayurveda, this occurs because of the juices of the digestive «fire» (agni).
Special properties (vishisht prabhav)
Herbs in particular have unique properties that have been discovered as their effect has been experimented with, some therapeutic, other medicinal, and so on.
Likewise, it is recommended that when determining eating habits, quality, quantity, hunger, combinations, species, thoughts, time, seasons of the year, geography, age, gender, and age be taken into account. loves (a complex concept that alludes to the multitude of factors that condition good or bad digestion).
Lastly, in the Ashtanga Hridayamone of the canonical books of Ayurveda, this advice is read: «Eat up to a third of the capacity of your stomach, drink up to another third and leave a third to God.»
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