CARDAMOM: Super Spices for Spring

Green Cardamom:

Cardamom, also known as Elaichi in Sanskrit, is regarded as the queen of spices and contains cineole, its active antioxidant compound. Cardamom stimulates agni without aggravating pitta and clears excess kapha from the stomach. It is also helpful in clearing cough associated with mucous.

Cardamom refreshes the breath; is excellent to soothe sore throats and eases sinus infections. It has a delicately pleasant aroma and flavor and can be enjoyed in sweet and savory dishes.

Spring Time Use:

Cardamom is an excellent antidote to the mucous generating quality of dairy products. Add to warm milk, tea and other dairy products. Add ground cardamom when making rice or simply sprinkle it over your fruit salad.

Cardamom is a great spice to bake as well. Try adding cardamom to cookies, cupcakes and fruit desserts in spring season to brighten up the flavor of your baked goods.

Complimenting food with spices allows us to take full advantage of nature’s best form of healing intelligence. We know that spices are used for culinary flavor enhancement, but in Ayurveda, spices play a critical role in promoting health and overall digestion.

These five super spices are excellent when used daily during spring to counterbalance the kapha qualities and help boost overall immune health all season long.

Time for Inner and Outer Spring Cleaning

Happy Sunday and Happy Navratri 

The nine auspicious days and nights of Navratri happens twice a year. It marks a transition phase between 2 seasons. This period is regarded extremely important in Ayurveda. Nature gives us time to shed old layers and prep ourselves as we dive into a new season. These nine days are excellent to detox, cleanse - basically clean our house both inside and out. Chaitra Navratri is celebrated in the Hindu month of Chaitra that falls in the middle of spring and summer.

My dharma and priority as a mom dictates my work and life each day. So while I don't have the time to whisk myself into a special retreat and undergo extensive detox, I still find creative ways to cleanse and detox in my own way at home. And I do different things in spring and fall navratri.

Nine Simple Things I am doing this year during the Spring Navratri 

1. Drink water from copper container all through the day for the next nine days. Now, I do this anyways every single day, but I am especially diligent during the nine days of Spring Navratri to help reduce the lymph stagnation that occurs during spring time. To answer the What, Why, How? Click Here . If you don't have access to copper vessel. Begin your morning with one cup of warm water for 9 days. Don't use microwave to warm your water though.

2. Replace dinner with a bowl of fruit and have this before sunset. Yes, I am going to skip my dinner for the next nine days and give my gut a gentle rest. There is a whole lot of buzz these days about intermittent fasting  and its relation to metabolic health. Intermittent fasting in simple terms means an eating pattern where you cycle between periods of eating and fasting. Basically, giving your body  gut rest. Now in Ayurveda, there is lots of importance given to not only what you eat, but also when to eat, how to eat and where to eat. If you plan to skip or modify a meal, please check with your doctor to make sure you are OK to do this. If you have diabetes or take any medications or have a medical condition, skipping a meal or making drastic changes is not advisable. Please STOP and check with your doctor first.  

3. Skipping wheat and gluten for the next 9 days. This is going to be easy for me as my meals are not super gluten dependent. Choose Rice, Oats, Millets as my grains. 

4. Add 2 cups of my CCFR digestive tea. One cup before lunch and one before dinner to help my digestion and give a gentle cleanse to my gut. Watch the YouTube Video to learn more.

5. Oil my body and give self-massage before I take a shower every morning with warm sesame oil. If possible, make an appointment for deep tissue massage or Ayurvedic Oil Massage called Abhayanga. If you don't have access to Ayurvedic Massage, don't worry - find a way to pamper yourself with a pedicure and add a foot massage to your service. 

6. Not shop for the next 9 days. For those that know me, also know why I am often called Shopna instead of Sapna. So, I am staying away from online and in person shopping these nine days - my husband will like this one for sure ;)

7. I am going to deep clean and organize my pantry, refrigerator and closet during these nine days.

8. Commit to some physical activity for 30 minutes every day for the next 9 days. Walk, Yoga, Cardio. 

9. Find 10 minutes to chant my mantra quietly. Or simply close my eyes and sit still. Or sit outside and gaze at a tree or plant.  

Hope these 9 steps inspired to create your nine intentions. Even if you don't have time to create 9 intentions, set at least one intention you can keep during these auspicious and powerful 9 days.  

Please leave a comment with your intention to inspire others. 

Happy Navratri to you all. 

Namaste 

Sapna