I recommend my students to consider adding herbs to their diet as part of the practice of yoga as it can improve mental clarity, strengthen the body and reduce recovery time. Herbs also have a discreet way of assisting us in subtle ways. According to Ayurveda, these herbs I have listed below help build up our stores of a subtle energy called ‘Ojas’. This is the subtle essence in the body that builds up after a long refinement of the intake of our nutrition and is related to our capacity for immunity as well as a feeling of well-being and love.
There must be a reason for the use of these plants for thousands of years right? The ancient Indian Vedas advise that food can be divided into three levels- the gross level becoming waste, the middle level becoming the body, and the subtle level of what we consume becoming the mind. What you consume profoundly shapes your experience of being alive and living, and going beyond repair, herbs can add an interesting dimension to vitality for you. Here are three of my favourite herbs that I take on a regular basis:
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) – A quick look through any ayurvedic literature and you will see ashwagandha highly regarded and praised for it’s ability to heal the body in a number of different ways. It is considered as an Indian ginseng, with a similar class of effects, yet much cheaper. Both of these herbs are classified as ‘adaptogens’. Adaptogenic herbs “adapt” to each person’s body in just the ways that that the individual needs, building up vitality and energy and work to normalize the body from the effects of stress.
It’s effects are anti-aging, improves memory and cognition, enhancing libido, and building ojas. It also reduces anxiety, similar to the activity to GABA.Ashwagandha means ‘smell of a horse’ (yogis will recognize the word ‘ashwa’ in ‘ashwini mudra’ as well) as it gives the ‘strength of a horse’.
Researchers have found that many of the elements of ashwagandha are of three different potent anti-oxidants.
In my ayurvedic study I have heard of this herb praised for many years, but only recently started taking it regularly. On the first day I took two 450mg capsules in the day but was way too calm, almost like being on narcotics. So instead I switched to emptying the contents of the capsules into it’s powder form, mixing it with warm milk and brown sugar and taking it at night before I go to sleep a few nights a week. According to Ayurveda, the milk and sugar acts as a carrier for the herb taking t deeper into the cells of the body. Also, interacting with the herb via it’s smell and taste is part of the ‘herbal communication’.
What I have noticed are incredible quality of sleep and vivid dreams and the next day my memory and concentration being sharper. It seems to support my meditation practice by giving me more clarity and focus, which is one of the traditional uses of this herb. Physically, my practice of yoga asanas is stronger on the nights where I take ashwagandha. This herb is highly praised in yogic medicine for thousands of years.
Rhodiola (Rhodiola Rosea) - Rhodiola has been used for centuries in Siberia as well as Tibet and first made it’s way into Chinese medicine because Chinese soldiers traveling through the high mountains of Tibet. The story goes that many centuries prior, a Tibetan doctor gave these altitude sick soldiers this precious herb and felt immediate improvement from their symptoms. They returned with this herb and presented it to the emperor who loved rhodiola so much that he banned it for anyone but himself and the royal court. Recently however it has started to make a resurgence.
Rhodiola is an antioxidant and also an adaptogen like Ashwagandha and ginseng- herbs that act as a restorative and increasing resistance to stress and trauma. Rhodiola specifically boosts mood, mental performance and energy. Clinical trials show a significant effect on relieving depression, reducing fatigue and improving concentration and attention.
I take one 500 mg capsule of this herb in the morning, on an empty stomach. Some suggest with food, but I don’t feel so much this way. I experimented with another dose in the afternoon as well but found that it’s energizing effects lasted so long that I was having trouble sleeping. It might be different for you- because I’m pretty sensitive and cannot have a cup of coffee past 11AM or I’m not sleeping 12 hours later. Rhodiola really puts me in a great state of mind, alert and with a nice mood. I also notice it helps open my breathing so I recommend this herb for people who have a pranayama practice. You may want to experiment, taking about 750 mg for 2-3 months everyday, letting the body build up the effects of this and then taking a pause for a week or two and then resuming. I love this herb, and it is part of my standard regimen.
Turmeric (curcuma longa) – For about 2,500 years this herb has been used as a spice, a dye for clothing, and a beauty treatment for skin. Modern research shows how much further the benefits of this herb really extends.
One of turmeric’s main benefits is that it acts as a potent natural anti-inflammatory agent. According to Dr. Andrew Weil, almost all problems associated with aging are inflammatory in nature, so taking Turmeric is going to give you anti-aging benefits. When you get an injury from stretching too far or pushing yourself too much, turmeric will help the swelling to reduce, speeds up healing, and even acts as a natural painkiller. It detoxifies the liver, slows the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, and has a potent anti-cancer effect.
Personally I love the taste, which varies according to the season when turmeric is picked as well as it gives me a calming effect. While you can get turmeric in pills, remember that part of the communication a herb has is through it’s taste. The way I have turmeric is through tea bags, which I buy in Japan or have friends fetch it for me. They call it UKON and is a common drink in Hokkaido, which incidentally has one of the highest longevity rates in the world.
Turmeric is classified as either ‘spring’ (wild) or ‘autumn’ (common), both with slightly different effects. Spring turmeric is more bitter and has more antioxidant effect while autumn turmeric has a softer taste and higher amounts of curcmin.
According to Ayurvedic doctor Vasant Lad, “Turmeric gives the energy of the Divine Mother and grants prosperity. It is effective for cleansing the chakras, and purifying the channels of the subtle body.” Of course the hard science may be more compelling for some, for yoga practitioners we can enjoy it on both levels!
To your health and wellbeing!
Yoga Elements Studio
About the Author
Adrian Cox (E-RYT) is an acclaimed yoga teacher and licensed NLP trainer with both with Dr. John Grinder (co-developer of NLP) and Dr. Christina Hall (Society of NLP). He has trained extensively with the brightest and best in NLP, yoga, meditation, and Ayurvedic medicine. Adrian works with the way people and groups use their bodies, minds, and how they communicate with themselves and with others – to assist in creating change in behaviour, thinking, and performance. Adrian is the founder and director of Yoga Elements Studio in Bangkok, one of the first yoga centres in Thailand which many people praise as “Easily Bangkok’s best studio” (Travel and Leisure) “Bangkok’s most inspiring place to study yoga” (Bangkok Post), ”the most respected yoga studio in the city” (Lonely Planet Thailand), “the undisputed king of Bangkok yoga studios” (Bangkok Air inflight magazine) and “Bangkok’s top yoga studio” (Thai Airways inflight magazine) In demand globally, he trains people and companies worldwide and is featured at the Yoga Journal conferences in Moscow and Bangkok in 2008, 2009, and 2010. His clients include business people throughout Europe, Olympic athletes, Dusit Thani, Shangrila, and Six Senses hotel groups, Boston Consulting Group, and people from all walks of life.