Herbal How To: Choose the Right Beverage for your Dosha

Now don’t get me wrong – there really is no WRONG beverage choice. However, if you know your Ayurvedic Dosha (or the energetic constitution that governs your vitality throughout your life), you can craft beverages that are not only delicious, but help balance you and keep you looking and feeling your best! The three Doshas are Vata – which is ruled by Air and Space , Pitta – which is ruled by Fire, and Kapha – which is ruled by Water and Earth. If you are Vata, you tend to be long and lean, with crooked front teeth, a forgetful mind which wanders easily and cold, dry skin. If you are Pitta, you blush or sunburn easily, have many freckles and sometimes acne, grey early in life, and are ambitious, competitive and very active, with a strong, muscular frame. If you are Kapha, you are usually patient and laid back, your hair is thick and shiny, you have large eyes and beautiful skin and you tend to sleep in a lot, often skip breakfast and lunch only to eat way too much at night. Any of these characteristics sounds familiar to you? Ready to discover your perfect beverage? Read on! Vata runs cold and tends to be aggravated during winter. A wonderful winter beverage for them is mulled wine. Combine 4 cups apple cider vinegar with 1 bottle of red wine, ½ a cup of honey, 2 cinnamon sticks, 1 orange-zested and juiced, 4 whole cloves, and some star anise. Bring all of this to a boil in a saucepan and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes and voila! This beverage will keep Vata warm on the coldest and dreariest winter night! Pitta runs hot and is quite irritable in the summer months. The perfect beverage for them is iced hibiscus tea. Aqua de Jamaica, a popular beverage in Latin America, combines 4 cups of water with 1 cup of sugar, a cinnamon stick, a few slices of ginger and a few allspice berries in a medium saucepan. Heat all of these ingredients until boiling and the sugar has dissolved. Then remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of dried hibiscus flowers. Cover and let sit for 20 minutes. Strain into a pitcher, discarding all of the ingredients and add 4 more cups of chilled water. Alternatively you can add ice and chilled soda water for a bubbly version or a little lime juice for a more punch-like flavor. This beverage keeps Pitta cool headed on even the hottest day! Kapha runs cool (not as cold as Vata) and is most aggravated by spring’s allergy season. They tend to have a lot of mucus congestion and respiratory ailments, especially once winter begins to thaw. At this time of year, they benefit from a detoxing regimen more than anyone else! Incorporating apple cider vinegar with lemon juice and spices will help clear them out and get their blood moving again! Add a slice of ginger and a cinnamon stick to a mug of hot water (about 14 ounces) and let them steep for 10 minutes. Then discard both ingredients and add 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoon lemon juice, a dash of cayenne pepper and 1 teaspoon of raw, local honey. Salud! Claire Herb Shoppe Events and Internship Coordinator