According to ayurveda monsoon or varsha rutu reduces body immunity and makes us susceptible to many viral infections. Ayurveda Monsoon Care helps us to boost our immunity and resist diseases.
Related article
ayurvedic seasonal routine or rutucharya.
Table of Content
Dosha Imbalance during rainy season
Ayurvedic Diet for Rainy Season or monsoon
Foods to Avoid During Rainy Season
Ayurvedic Lifestyles to be followed during monsoon
Ayurvedic Home remedies for Monsoon diseases
First showers of monsoon are heartily welcomed by everyone after experiencing the scorching heat of summer. The rainy season is known as varsha rutu in Ayurveda. (Read Rutucharya – Ayurvedic Seasonal Routine) But monsoons reduce the immunity of our body and make us susceptible to many diseases which are commonly associated with this season. It is time for us to keep our bodies resistant to diseases by boosting our immunity and taking precautions against these diseases.
Dosha Imbalance during the rainy season
During Varsha rutu there will be an increase in Vata dosha. Pitta dosha gets imbalanced a little bit. Because of this imbalance, the following changes occur in our bodies.
- There will be a reduced intensity of Agni (metabolism), which can lead to indigestion or sluggish digestion.
- Impaired digestion leads to reduced absorption of nutrients and this leads to low immunity.
- Again reduction in nutrient supply to the body causes low body strength.
Ayurvedic Diet for Rainy Season or monsoon
Since our Agni or digestion power is low during this season, we have to consume foods that are easy to digest and also provide good nutrients.
Cereals that are more than 1 year old have to be used. The best cereals for this season are rice, barley, and wheat. Warm Rice Porridge (Yavagu) or broken wheat pudding can be used. Include sour (amla rasa), sweet (madhura rasa), and Salt (lavana Rasa) tasting foods in the diet. Sour foods must be less in quantity. Use soups made from pulses and vegetables to increase protein supply. Soups must be more liquid in consistency with mild spices like cumin seeds (jeera), long pepper (pippali), ginger. Include ginger and green gram (moong) in your daily diet. If you are a nonvegetarian you can use meat soups with mild spices. Thin whey water (water portion of curdled milk which we get when we make paneer at home, or water which gets released from thick curd), grape wine, and honey should be included in the diet. Always eat fresh and warm food.
Always drink boiled water. Make it a little warm before drinking. You can add a teaspoon of honey to a glass of warm water and drink twice daily.
Pollution of drinking water during monsoon is very common. It is very necessary to drink clean and pure water when water-borne monsoon diseases like diarrhea and gastrointestinal infections threaten us. Drinking boiled water at home is strongly recommended to tap water. Prefer mineral water from government-certified companies when you are away from home.
Foods to Avoid During Rainy Season
Any food which imbalances Vata and pitta should be avoided. Never eat foods that are bitter (tikta rasa), pungent or spicy (katu rasa), and Astringent (kashaya rasa) in taste. Avoid foods that are heavy to digest like potato, Soybean (soy), horse gram, Jackfruit, etc. Keep refrigerated foods like ice creams, cold drinks, cold milkshakes, etc at bay. Strictly say no to deep-fried oily foods.
Ayurvedic Lifestyles to be followed during monsoon
- It is quite obvious to feel lazy when it rains outside. Don’t allow laziness to dominate you. Practice indoor exercises, yoga, and pranayama (deep breathing exercise). Do not overexert.
- Avoid frequent sex.
- Don’t forget to carry an umbrella or raincoat when you go out.
- Walking in dirty water during the rainy season leads to numerous fungal infections which affect toes and nails.
- Diabetic patients have to take special care of their feet. Always keep your feet dry and clean. Avoid walking in dirty water. Take care to dry between toes and sprinkle some powder to make sure it is completely dry.
- Keep your shoes, socks, and raincoats dry and clean. Drying clothes with fumes of loban and dry neem leaves is recommended in ayurvedic texts.
- Once a week massage your body with sesame oil or ksheerabala oil to boost skin health. You can add a few drops of neem oil to enhance the antimicrobial properties of these ayurvedic oils for the body and hair. Always warm the oil before the massage.
- Always take a warm water bath.
- Never sit on the floor without a mat or mattress. When the skin comes in contact with the cold floor it increases Vata immediately.
- Do not sleep in the afternoon or daytime. It makes Agni or digestive fire sluggish and exaggerates indigestion.
- Wear comfortable footwear which has a good ground grip and will not slip on wet roads. If it is too cold inside the house wear slippers.
- Always keep the surroundings dry and clean. Do not allow water to get accumulated around.
- Keep your body warm as viruses attack immediately when body temperature goes down.
- Do not enter an air-conditioned room with wet hair and damp clothes.
- Dry your feet and webs with a soft dry cloth whenever they are wet.
- Wash vegetables with clean water and steam them well to kill germs.
- Avoid eating uncooked foods and salads.
- Drink plenty of water and keep your body well hydrated.
- Do not allow kids to play in stagnant polluted water-filled puddles.
Precautions for Diseases like Malaria, Jaundice and Diarrhoea during monsoon
The diseases associated with monsoon are malaria, jaundice, gastrointestinal infections like typhoid and cholera. Apart from these, viral infections like cold and cough also make their presence felt. Now new microbes like coronavirus can prove fatal if our body immunity is low.
Puddles of water formed due to rain become breeding grounds for mosquitoes which spread diseases like malaria and dengue fever. As a precautionary measure against mosquito bite-born diseases, one can use a mosquito net around the bed which is a better choice for mosquito repellants like mats and coils. A mosquito repellant cream is the best choice when you are away from home. Fumigating the house with the smoke of dried neem leaves in the evenings for 1-2 minutes is an excellent ayurvedic method to keep mosquitoes away.
Precautions have to be taken to prevent dampness and growth of fungus (mold) on and around the house where asthmatic patients live. Avoid fumigation in the case of asthmatic patients.
Ayurvedic Home Remedies for Monsoon diseases
- Apply castor oil or sesame oil for cracked feet and skin.
- A freshly prepared paste of turmeric, neem, and sesame seeds is recommended in Ayurveda for fungal infection between toes.
- Drink a glass of warm water mixed with a teaspoon of honey on empty stomach. This flushes out accumulated toxins.
- Freshly prepared radish juice is the best remedy for the cold.
- A pinch each of long pepper powder and rock salt or sendha namak mixed in warm water reduces cough
The following home recipes can be used as home remedies for digestive disorders of monsoon
In Indigestion
Ingredients:
Rice-1/2 cup
Water -4 cups
Long pepper- 2or 3
Ginger -1’’
Method of preparation:
Cook rice with recommended quantity of water with crushed ginger and salt. Powder long pepper and fry it in a spoon of cow’s ghee and add it to gruel. Consume this when it is hot. This is very light to digest and relieves colic pain.
In Diarrhea
Ingredients:
Rice -1/2 cup
Water – 4 cups
Ginger paste – 1/2 spoon
Salt to taste
Pomegranate juice: ½ cup
Method of preparation
1. Cook rice with recommended quantity of water with ginger paste and salt
2. Add pomegranate juice when the gruel is warm. This gruel rehydrates the body and supplies energy. This soothes inflamed walls of the intestine and controls bowel movements.
In flatulence
Ingredients:
½ cup of rice
4 cups of water
Haritaki (Terminalia chebula) – powder-1/2 spoon
Roots of pippali or long pepper
Ginger paste -1/2 spoon Salt to taste
Method of preparation
Cook Rice, haritaki powder , roots of pippali and water together. Add salt to it. Consume this when it is warm. This relieves flatulence and regularizes the bowel movement
Thus precautions coupled with care really help you to enjoy the monsoon. Have a healthy and safe monsoon.
Consult Dr.Savitha Suri for ayurvedic remedies. Email drsavithasuri@gmail.com . WhatsApp + 91 6360108663
Author : Dr. Savitha Suri Consultant Ayurvedic Physician
Call us at +91 9945995660 / +91 9448433911
