According to WHO health is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing. Susruta many eons ago gave a similar definition of health. He says other than having balanced doshas, digestive fire, etc the mind also has to be at peace to be a healthy individual.
Swami Rama said the human body has the potential to cure its own ailments provided the body and mind are properly taken care of.
When we address immunity both the body and the mind have to be looked into.
Surveys have shown that both the news about Corona and the lockdown have led to increased depression, anxiety and stress. These in turn have a negative impact on the health of the individual.
For the mind meditation for a few minutes regularly everyday helps to make it more peaceful. Pranayama is another very important tool to achieve a peaceful mind.
Vyadi kshmatva is the ability of the body to repair and maintain itself and be effective in disease prevention. Boosting our immunity is of great importance these days. As there has yet not been a cure for Corona we should be addressing preventative measures. This is where Ayurveda, with its emphasis on prevention rather than cure, can benefit the people.
Diet plays a major role in Ayurveda. Ayurveda emphasizes that all the six rasas (tastes) have to be included in the food we ingest. They are the sweet, salty, sour, pungent, bitter and astringent tastes. Food must be balanced and eaten moderately. The digestive fire or agni plays an important role. If the agni is functioning well, then a lot of diseases do not occur.
To improve your agni drink the following tea. Take a litre of water, add a teaspoon each of fennel, coriander and jeera powders. To that add freshly ground ginger. Boil this for about 10 minutes. Strain and drink this warm throughout the day.
Include spices in your cooking. Spices like turmeric, coriander, black pepper and jeera (all commonly used in Indian cooking) have been found to be oxidative and some have anti-inflammatory properties. Taking a glass of milk with a pinch of turmeric is very beneficial. Chavanaprash is another great immune booster.
Since Corona is a respiratory virus herbs which are effective on the respiratory system play a major role here. These include turmeric, tulsi, lemon, amla, giloy and neem.
A drink which could improve your respiratory system is:
4-5 tulsi leaves
½ teaspoon of dalchini (cinnamon) powder
¼ teaspoon of black pepper powder
1 inch of ginger
3-4 munakka (big raisins)
2 cups of water
Mix everything and boil for 15 minutes, strain and drink warm throughout the day.
Exercise and sleep also play a role in maintaining health. Data has shown that obese people are more susceptible to Corona. Maintain personal hygiene.
Mrs. Mira Swami, Department of Ayurveda