AJWAIN

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 488 likes

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Ajwain is native to the Middle East and is still common in Egypt as well as Indian cooking. Like turmeric, ajwain is a spice used to enhance digestibility rather than flavor.

ALFALFA SPROUTS

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Promotes strength and solidity. Anabolic, but without creating stagnation. Regulates estrogen (phytoestrogens can increase or decrease estrogen as needed). Liver, Spleen Yin Tonic. Alfalfa is a urinary & GI membrane restorative. (Source: Holmes)

ALLSPICE

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 2 ratings, 443 likes

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Highly aromatic & spicy, Allspice is an ideal appetizer that refreshes the mouth. It is a delicious addition to meats and desserts, where it doubles as a digestive aid. It's taste and astringency closely resembles cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and it...

ALOE VERA JUICE / GEL

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 2 ratings, 794 likes

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Aloe includes more than 250 species of flowering succulents and is native to Africa, Madagascar and Jordan. It is closely related to cactus, yucca and onion. For thousands of years and across many cultures, aloe has been used to heal a variety of...

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 7 ratings, 630 likes

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Often used for weight loss, vinegar strongly increases the flow of bile. Bile is a fatty, oily substance made by the liver, and stored in the gall bladder. It helps you digest fats. Since bile is also a fatty oily substance, draining bile from the...

ARTICHOKE

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Artichokes are a traditional liver remedy. As a member of the thistle family, they are

ARTICHOKE HEARTS

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See the Ayurvedic Analysis of Artichokes page.

ARUGULA

(4.50 out of 5 stars) 2 ratings, 534 likes

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Its sharp peppery flavor is a sign that arugula is light and easy to digest for those with slow, cold digestion, or to help take a heavy meal and "lighten" it, so your body can assimilate the nutrients of the entire dish.

BALSAMIC VINEGAR

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Vinegar heats up digestion, but aids fat metabolism. Balsamic vinegar is made with red wine, which is hotter than other vinegars.

BASIL

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Basil's warm and spicy aroma adds a passionate flare to any dish, bringing the heat of the Mediterranean sun to your table. Its bright green color and vigorous flavor is unmistakable in pesto. It adds verve to a home-made tomato sauce, and is a perky...

BEET GREENS

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 190 likes

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The astringency of the beet can cause a fuzzy feeling on the teeth.

BITTER MELON

(4.00 out of 5 stars) 3 ratings, 204 likes

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The bitterest member of the gourd family, bitter melon is a popular vegetable in south asia from India northward to China.

BLACK TEA

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 338 likes

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Caffeine shifts awareness from the heart chakra to the third eye. New trades routes brought caffeinated beverages to Europe creating an 'Age of Enlightenment' and ending the middle ages. Ayurveda comes from an older time where the mind was not separate...

BURDOCK ROOT (GOBO)

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 166 likes

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Bitter detoxicant, Cold vasodilator, depurative, alterative, astringent diuretic. Stimulates kidneys to eliminate uric acid. like dandelion rt but not a potassium diuretic

CARDAMOM

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 8 ratings, 841 likes

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Love for cardamom resonates through history - for instance, ancient Egyptians chewed cardamom to whiten their teeth and sweeten their breath. Cardamom helps take the edge off of caffeine in the famous drink Turkish coffee. Cardamom is a member of the...

CAYENNE PEPPER

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The entire nightshade family (solanaceae) aggravates Vata and Pitta, due to the weak liver of these two body types. All peppers aggravate Pitta due to heat. Note that black pepper...

CELERY ROOT

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 109 likes

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This bright food is one of the lightest of root vegetables. It's the only root vegetable with as much flavor and freshness as leafy greens - something you can't get from a turnip or carrot. Imagine a root vegetable that's perfect for spring, and that...

CELERY STALK

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The word for celery comes from the Greek word selinon which translates to 'parsley,' a close relative of celery. Celery's powers have been known since antiquity. Leaves of it were found in the garlands surrounding King Tut's tomb, and Homer makes...

CHICKWEED

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Cooling, lymphatic decongestant, alterative, anti-inflammatory diuretic, astringent, bitter. Mild demulcent. like Cleavers but stronger decongestant.

CHIPOTLE CHILI

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Smokey and sharp, tastes like a campfire.

CHOCOLATE (CACAO)

(4.12 out of 5 stars) 8 ratings, 326 likes

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Romance may be sealed with a box of chocolates, but passion for chocolate is as eternal as true love. Long before John Cadbury invented the chocolate bar, native meso-american peoples brewed chocolate with medicinal herbs. Chocolate has been used as...

COFFEE

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 245 likes

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Coffee as a SacramentWhat are your rituals around coffee? Coffee has become a sacrament in our culture. A client reports, "The only time my husband and I relax together is over coffee." My response, "If your marriage is dependent...

CRYSTALLIZED GINGER

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Hot, pungent, antiemetic, appetizer, digestive, spleen tonic; stimulates saliva.

DAIKON RADISH

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 124 likes

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Daikon is native to southeast and east Asia. From white to purple to green to pink, Daikon comes in several varieties. It's also known as white radish, winter radish, long white radish, oriental radish, and mooli. In Japan, many types of pickles are...

DANDELION LEAVES

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 333 likes

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When most people think of dandelion, they think of pulling this pesky weed out of their manicured lawn. It's the poster child for weeds. This is especially ironic because colonists brought the dandelion to the Americas as an important medicinal plant....

DILL

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Dill seems to lighten the palate. As one client reports, "Dill embodies the taste of freshness with a little kick." It is called shatapushpa in Ayurveda. Dill is a member of the carrot family (apiaceae) along with parsley, celery, cumin,...

ENDIVE

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Endives are more bitter and cooling than other greens.

FENUGREEK

(4.50 out of 5 stars) 2 ratings, 281 likes

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Fenugreek is one of the oldest medicinal plants. It has been used since 4000BC. It's name means "ram's horn clover". It was found in the tomb of Tutankhamen.

GARLIC (RAW)

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Raw garlic’s benefits are many. A spicy root, garlic is known for clearing, which flushes everything out of your body. One student writes, "At first taste it was like a bee stinging my tongue.... my whole body got very warm."Clears...

GINGER (DRIED)

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 333 likes

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Ever reach for dried ginger as a quick replacement for the fresh root and assume it's an apt substitute? Ginger is ginger, right? Actually, not at all. Dried ginger packs a...

GINGER (FRESH)

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 5 ratings, 901 likes

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IntroductionA steaming hot mug of ginger tea on a damp day warms up your bones and burns away thick, heavy congestion. When the weather is soggy, you feel tired and groggy. You naturally crave sunlight and heat. Pungent and light,...

GOJI BERRY

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 2 ratings, 404 likes

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Goji berry is called wolfberry in Chinese medicine because it is a member of the nightshade family.

GRAPEFRUIT

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 265 likes

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Grapefruit is a relatively new addition to the citrus family. It is a hybrid first discovered in the 18th century. Described as tart, tangy, or sweet, the grapefruit is said to be one of the "Seven Wonders of Barbados, because legend says the fruit was...

GREEN CHILIS

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The entire nightshade family (solanaceae) aggravates Vata and Pitta, due to the weak liver of these two body types. All peppers aggravate Pitta due to heat. Note that black pepper...

GREEN TEA

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 354 likes

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Green Tea is a preparation using minimally processed leaves from the camellia sinensis plant. This is the same plant used in normal black tea. Black tea leaves, however, are more processed.

HING (ASAFOETIDA)

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Also known as devil's dung, stinking gum, food of the gods, and giant fennel, hing has a varied and suprising diversity of uses. Along the Tex-Mex border hing was used for wolf bait. The odor attracts wolves. In Jamaica, hing is used to protect the...

HONEY

(5.00 out of 5 stars) 1 rating, 279 likes

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Honey - The Nectar of the Gods This pure and natural heavenly gift from nature was the first sweetener known to man. Honey's sweet goodness has been an icon of abundance for centuries. It's golden syrup seems to capture the very...

HORSERADISH

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Horseradish is a sharp, acrid spice that kindles agni. It is even used in steakhouses to help digest a heavy meal. It is a strong vasodilator, bronchodilator, and diaphoretic (encourages sweating) that invigorates the whole body.