Semillas en el Ayurveda.

Hinojo

Fennel

Fennel is a cooling spice, contributing mainly the sweet taste with an undertone of the bitter taste. Its taste is reminiscent of licorice. It has
a nutty flavor and a strong aroma when sauted in ghee.
According to Ayurveda, fennel is extremely good for digestion. It acts as a general toner for the digestive system, and is particularly good
for enhancing agni, the digestive fire, without aggravating Pitta. In India, eating a few toasted fennel seeds after a meal is a common
practice, both to aid digestion and to freshen the breath.
Fennel seeds can be used whole or ground. Whole fennel seeds, sauted in ghee, contribute aroma and flavor to dry vegetable dishes,
and ground fennel works very well in sauces. Fennel combines well with other ayurvedic spices such as cumin, coriander,
dried ginger and black pepper.
Saut turmeric, ground cumin, ground ginger and ground fennel in ghee, blend cashews in water to make a thin paste and add to the
spices to simmer cook into a rich sauce for vegetables. Fennel seeds can be baked into cookies and muffins and a small quantity of
ground fennel can be added to rice pudding for an exotic flavor.

Healing Waters: Ayurvedic Digestive Drinks

Well water, pond water, rain water there are many types of water described in ayurvedic texts, and each has a therapeutic value, just as
food does.
Water represents soma, the nourishing, cooling quality that is associated with lunar energy. It helps with digestion, cools and
balances Pitta dosha, supports Kapha, and counteracts the dryness of Vata. It nurtures, lubricates and also detoxifies when it flows out of
the body as urine.
Water, when properly absorbed by the body, has several healing qualities:

1. Helps to remove fatigue (Shramnashana)

2. Enhances glow of skin
3. Prevents constipation
4. Increases stamina
5. Provides satisfaction
6. Helps the heart by pacifying Sadhaka Pitta
7. Helps digestion
8. Cooling
9. Always helpful to the body
10. Easy to assimilate
11. Life-giving
12. Antioxidant

The Council of Maharishi Ayurveda Physicians explains how the healing effects of water can be enhanced using ayurvedic methods.

Water for Cleansing

Sometimes people have dry skin and unquenchable thirst even though they drink lots of water. The deeper physiology is not getting
enough moisture. This occurs when the person's agni is low and ama blocks the microchannels (shrotas) which carry water to the cells. In
order to cleanse the channels and enhance moisture absorption, ayurvedic texts recommend boiling the water for various lengths of time,
creating a therapeutic water called ushnodaka. Another method is to add spices or herbs to the water after boiling.

Why It Works
When the water boils, it gets charged with heat, becoming sharper in quality (sookshma). This sharpness allows it to cleanse the channels
and penetrate deeper levels of the physiology.
Spices create an added therapeutic effect by interacting with the water on the molecular level. Spices create different effects on the body
through aroma and taste.
It becomes easier for the body to flush out toxins and impurities because of the sharpness of the agni (heat) in the water and because of
the sharpness of the spices. Over time, it cleanses the channels so the water is unobstructed as it travels into the body to hydrate the
tissues, and travels out carrying waste.
Ancient texts talk about the difference in the rate of absorption of regular water vs. boiled water:

1. Regular water takes about 6 hours if every channel is clear

2. Boiled and cooled water takes about 3 hours to be absorbed, and helps open the channels
3. Hot herbalized water takes about 1 hours, due to sharpness of agni and herbs and spices
Water for Your Body Type
An ayurvedic expert can design a therapeutic water recipe to give a specific benefit. One water recipe might enhance immunity; another
might cleanse the skin; another might help with prostate imbalance.
You can also choose a spice-water recipe for your body type or imbalances.

Vata Balancing Water

Ingredients

2 quarts of water
3 leaves mint
t. fennel seed
t. marshmallow root

Directions

1. Boil water for 5 minutes. Take it off the heat and add spices.
2. Place the water in a thermos. Sip it throughout the day at a warm but not hot temperature.

Kapha Balancing Water

Ingredients

2 quarts of water
3 holy basil leaves
Two thin slices of fresh ginger
t. of cumin
t. of fennel

Directions

1. Boil water for 5 minutes. Take it off the heat and add spices.
2. Place the water and spices in a thermos, and sip the water at a hot or warm temperature throughout the day.

Pitta Balancing Water

Ingredients

2 quarts of water
t. fennel seed
2 rose buds
1 clove

Directions

1. Boil water for 2 minutes. Take it off the heat and add spices.
2. Store it hot inside a thermos, but before drinking pour it into a cup and let it cool to room temperature in summer. In winter, it can
be slightly warmer.