PITTA SEASON

We are now in the peak of summer, Pitta season is in its fullest expression, and its quite a hot one, the hottest summer people have seen in many years, so one should know how to treat pitta. Pitta people, or any one with excess pitta are prone to get rashes, inflammation internally or externally, any kind of itchy skin eruption, looses stools, bleeding, hot flashes, fainting, ulcer, acidity, dyspepsia, anger, irritability, quick temper, skin sensitivity, photo sensitivity, and liver problems. If any of those disorders affects you, then you may be experiencing excess pitta, which is fairly common in this hot season. What to do? a pitta diet is not difficult to follow, just  focus more on your spiritual practice and eat like you are in an ashram, simple, sattvic food. avoid hot spicy, oily, fried, fermented, or overly rich foods, instead eat plain, steamed vegetables, mild kichari, dhal, rice, salads during the day, fruits in the morning, but less of the sour fruits, the diet should be mainly sweet, astringent and bitter in tastes. Everything green is good, except for green chili! green leafy vegetables will satisfy the bitter taste, dhals the astringent taste, and rice, wheat, yams or pasta the sweet taste. My teacher had one recipe where you soak a pearl in milk and drink it in the moonlight, how romantic!. Sweet, bitter and astringent herbs which great for this season include: Shatavari, aloe gel, brahmi (gota kola) turmeric, amalaki, hibiscus, ashoke, drum stick, neem (in moderation), anantamul, coriander, cilantro, mint, dandelion, nettles, most western herbs found in your yard or field which are commonly used are bitter and astringent and therefore cooling in nature.

Once I treated a woman, she was a tall red haired woman from Holland, she was a "book picture" pitta type, with clear green eyes, red hair, bright pink skin, medium-muscular build. She was suffering from a Staph Infection (Staphylococcus Aureus), we were in Bali Indonesia so it was a very "pittogenic" climate. I asked her if she ate the fried food that the street vendors were selling and she said yes. so I know that she had excess pitta internally as well, manifesting as acidity, and toxemia, which were making a very congenial environment for the staph bacteria. I knew that this was a very serious situation because she said that her father died of this disease in a tropical country (obviously he was pitta as well).

I told her to follow a pitta reducing diet, of plain food and with plenty of green leafy vegetables. I had her take 2 capsules of neem in the morning, 2 of brahmi in the afternoon, and 2 of turmeric in the evening. I told her to avoid any hot spicy, sour, or fried food. Within one week she was completely cured.

Poison ivy can be treated in a similar way, but topically a paste of neem, sandalwood and turmeric with a little water and neem or sandalwood oil can be applied, or any combination of these herbs. Extra bitter herbs will have to be taken internally if it is a bad case, and avoid pitta increasing foods as well as alcohol, vinegar and other fermented foods. Save those for the winter when internal heat is needed.

 Kapha Season

Late winter and early spring is Kapha season, all types of people will be effected by this cold and damp weather but especially people with Kapha and Kapha-Pitta constitutions. Signs and symptoms of excess Kapha will manifest as mucus, phlegm, laziness, and a craving for sweets and cold foods and drinks. Overtime excess Kapha can create obesity, swelling, and diabetes. but can immediately manifest as colds, flu, allergies, and damp spleen. Cancer and tumors are manifestations of many years of excess Kapha dosha.

Spring tonics with bitter, astringent, and pungent tastes are the best medicine for Kapha season, food is medicine and medicine is food. Some great medicinal food items for this season are: Daikon radish, burdock root, bean sprouts, ginger, all kinds of green leafy vegetables, and turmeric.
Eat a lot of soups with green vegetables, have some mung bean sprouts with breakfast, have tea with chai spices like: ginger, cardamon, clove, cinnamon etc.
Finally, have a good exorcise routine on a regular basis, of course this has to fit into  our busy lives and be practical, but some discipline is required.