Vata season greets us with crisp mornings, temperature changes, and the harvest of root plants. Detoxing at this time of year reboots your digestive system in preparation for the winter months. Why not reboot for your environment too?

Start with your home

You spend a lot of time in your home. Home is a reflection of who you are, from the furniture you chose, to art on the walls, and to the items in your pantry.  Home is a container for your identity in regards to beliefs, energy and emotions.  As you cleanse and rejuvenate your physical body why not update the energy of your home?  An easy way to shift energy is by smudging. The Deepak Chopra Institute recommends smudging with an Ayurveda Inspiration.

How do I incorporate an Ayurveda inspiration into the smudging ceremony?

1. Create a vision. What is your endgame?  What actions do you need to take to get there?
2. How do you want to feel in your body in your bedroom or office (ie content, peaceful, productive, less stress, anxiety)?
3. What do you need to let go of to accomplish this?
4. What do you need more of?
5. Do you need to communicate with others for support to achieve this?

What is smudging?  Smudging is a ceremony used by Native Americans to clear away negative, stagnant energy from the body, as well as, their personal living space. Smudging involves the burning of sage, cedar, sweetgrass, etc… Sage can be placed in a bowl or you can purchase or make your own smudge stick.  

Let’s smudge

1. Open the windows to the room that you are smudging (bedroom/office) to ensure proper ventilation so that the energy in the room is free to leave.
2. This ceremony begins with smudging yourself. Light the smudge stick until the bundle produces a fragrant smoke that you can pass around yourself from head to toe.  Beginning at your feet carefully lift one foot then the other, allowing the smoke to circle your feet. Proceed up your legs, torso, around your arms and head. Breathe in and visualize the smoke lifting away all negative emotions, thoughts and energies. See and feel your inspiration and the visualization you created.
3. After you have smudged yourself, the Native American ceremony continues by directing the smoke in the 4 directions.  Starting from the east, move the bundle from the floor upwards toward the ceiling, allowing the smoke to permeate the corners. As you move towards the south, west and north maintain your visualization of creation as the smoke clears away all negativity from your space.
4. When you are finished stub out the embers of your sage stick. Please in a ceramic bowl or conch shell.

Change Your Clothes with the Seasons

As you store your summer wardrobe and weed through last fall’s clothes you’ll probably be making a decision as to what to keep and what goes. Instead of relying only on a visual inspection, take a page out of Kon Mari’s book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, and incorporate Ayurveda’s uses of the senses.

Try It On, Does it Still Fit?

1. Use the words of inspiration from your vision statement and put on each garment.
2. Stop, take a breath and ask yourself how does this feel and fit; will I wear this all day?
3. Do these colors and textures give me joy and spark or are they old, tired and tattered?

As your identity shifts, your clothing will too.  Listen to your intuition and don’t second guess. Into the donation bag old clothes will go.

Switch up Your Smoothies For Tea.  

In Autumn, we need warmth and nourishment from root vegetables and teas to balance the dry, cold and windy characteristic of Vata. If making daily smoothies is already in your habit repertoire, preparing CCF tea will be an easy transition.

What is CCF Tea?  

Cumin, coriander and fennel- these powerful spices contribute to the absorption of nutrients which stimulate digestion and the lymphatic system. It doesn’t matter which dosha you are, CCF Tea pacifies all three. Laren Gernady, an Ayurveda Health Counselor from the Kripalu Center calls CCF Tea the “Ayurveda Miracle Tea”.

The Benefits of the Seeds of Good Digestion:

Cumin – Stimulates agni (digestive fire)

-Contains antioxidants and iron

-Soothes inflamed mucous membranes in the digestive tract

-Improves bowel elimination

*Lauren Gernady explains that cumin pacifies both vata and kapha doshas.  She notes that pittas may notice an increase in fire due to this spice’s heating nature.  The coriander and fennel work to balance the heat.

Coriander – Relieves gas and indigestion

-Decreases skin ailments like eczema, rashes and inflammation

-Calms muscles spasms

-Reduces inflammation and joint swelling associated with rheumatoid arthritis

Coriander:

Fennel – Strengthens agni without aggravating pitta

-Stops cramping

-Increases mental alertness

-Helps with IBS

-Contains phytoestrogens to assist with hormonal imbalance

-Helps flush your lymphatic system

Tea Time CCF Recipe

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

½ teaspoon coriander seeds

½ teaspoon fennel seeds

4 cups of filtered water

Directions: Bring water to a boil and add seeds.  Reduce to simmer for 5-8 minutes. Strain and pour into a thermos and sip throughout your day.  Drink CCF Tea hot. CCF tea is a diuretic so do not drink after 6pm.

Save time by blending in bulk:  Add ½ cup of cumin, coriander and fennel seeds to a glass jar.  Shake well to mix. Each morning add 1 ½ teaspoons of this blend to the boiling water.

Bask in Your Fall Reboot

Put on your favorite autumn clothing, a soft sweater and yoga pants, or a long sweater and leggings. Get cozy in your favorite chair or spot in your room.  While drinking your warm tea breathe in the aromas of the sage as it burns out the past. Envision your new self. Notice the colors, textures, aromas and sounds that accompany your inspiration. You got this! Now enjoy the best fall ever.

I am not certain who came up with this combination and whether it is mentioned anywhere in the ancient Ayurvedic texts. I doubt it. It’s fair to say that Ayurveda has always promoted using spices to fire up digestive juices, improve elimination and prevent and reverse many diseases.

Digestion, Digestion, Digestion

The reason I say prevent and reverse many diseases is because Ayurveda teaches that all disease starts in the digestive system. If our digestion is strong, we can transform incoming food to usable material. If our digestion is weak, this same incoming food stays undigested and turns into Ama which literally means undigested food. This spice combination is wonderfully mild and I have seen many clients benefiting from a lovely cup of this tea over the years. Digestive challenges like gas, bloating and sluggish digestion become a history of the past.  

But let’s start in the beginning:

What is CCF TEA?

CCF tea is a simple combination of cumin, coriander and fennel seeds. You can easily make this at home by blending equal parts of each herb together.

1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds

1/2 tsp whole fennel seeds

1/2 tsp whole coriander seeds

4-5 cups of water

Take 1.5 tsp of the mix, combine with 4-5 cups of water. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 5 minutes. Strain. It can be enjoyed as an after-meal tea to prevent gas, hyperacidity and fire up slow digestion.

I think this combo tastes lovely and I have not come upon anyone personally not liking it. If you prefer sweet flavors, increase the amount of fennel in your CCF blend.

Not the tea drinking type? Maybe when you are at work and don’t want to mess around with simmering liquids… The CCF herbal combination can also be taken as a dried, powdered herb mix before your meal. In this case, you would mix ½ tsp of spice mix with 2-4 oz. of water. Drink this down before your meal. You will get the best consistency if you use a coffee grinder.

The Wonder and Magic of Spices

Spices as a general category increase Agni (digestive fire) which is a good thing. As we know, a strong Agni is what allows us to transform food into usable energy. If Agni is too low it turns food into Ama, which clogs our system. That’s not good. Often Ama is translated as toxins but ultimately it is undigested food that hangs out in our physical body but can’t be used productively by our cells. And even worse, it clogs our cells.

Each of the CCF TEA Spices Have Unique Properties

Fennel is one of the best herbs for digestion, strengthening Agni, stopping cramping and dispelling flatulence. Have you ever been to an Indian restaurant and noticed that they give you a small spoonful of roasted fennel seeds after you paid? Of course, according to Indian fashion, they mix it with sugar, to make it more appealing for you to eat. The active ingreedient is the fennel.

Cumin has an affinity for drawing energy downward. This is a great thing as it helps you dispel gas and aids elimination. It is particularly good if you have sluggish digestion. It helps with absorption of nutrients. It also is a wonderful antidote against acidic foods like tomatoes and chilies.

Coriander has similar properties to cumin. It increases digestion, absorption and relieves bloating. Like the other two herbs it enkindles Agni without aggravating acidity (Pitta). It can be used safely even when there is inflammation in the digestive system.

All three spices are cooling by nature and thus are okay to be enjoyed by all doshic types, Vata, Pitta and Kapha. In other words, the formula is tri-doshic. There is not a lot of spices that won’t aggravate acidity or Pitta too much, but the three-some is one of them.

Truth be told-CCF tea most benefits Pitta (the fiery type) as this mix is more on the cooling side. Vata needs a little bit more heat and boost and Kaphas need an even stronger hit to get their sluggish stomach fired up. While CCF tea will still be beneficial, the two following spice formulas may be more appropriate.  

Tea blend for Kapha

¼ tsp dry ginger

1/3 tsp ground cloves

¼ tsp dill seed

¼ tsp fenugreek seeds

1 cup water

Boil water and add spices. Cover and let sit for a few minutes. Enjoy!

Adding dry ginger and cloves to this blend gives this tea a clear jolt. Kapha needs that. Fenugreek and dill bring some lightness to the heavy Kapha energy.

Tea blend for Vata

¼ tsp fresh ginger, grated

¼ tsp ground cardamom

¼ tsp cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ajwan (celery seeds)

1 cup water

This blend is a bit hotter than the CCF blend but not too hot to dry out the delicate Vata energy. Cinnamon provides moisture as it is a demulcent. The fresh ginger is more mild, less hot than dry ginger. Ajwan relieves intestinal spasms which Vata has a tendency toward. It is specifically indicated for hiccups, belching and rebellious Vata energy moving upward instead of downward. 

Are There Any Dangers?

Like any other substances, we have to be aware of how we use them. In moderation, they are considered safe, and frankly they are so mild it will be hard to mess anything up. You would have to take a big dose. Still, we should be aware of contraindications:

Coriander overall is considered a safe remedy. Cumin should not be used in excess if there is inflammation in the digestive tract. Fennel in herbal textbooks is also considered to be very safe.

However, we should always keep in mind that if we use anything in excess it can get ugly. In one study published by pub med, fennel, a known phytoestrogen, was found to have caused breast development in a 12-month-old girl. The mother had given the baby 2-3 tsp of fennel tea every day for 6 months. The study did not indicate how much fennel was used to create that tea.

A normal adult dosage of powdered fennel for an adult would be ½ tsp, 3x/day. Obviously, the dosage the mom administered to the child was excessive to what was beneficial to the baby causing abnormal tissue growth. If the same dosage would have been given to a nursing mom she would have probably welcomed the increased milk production in her breasts. Fennel acts as a galactagogue and increases the production of breast milk.  

The CCF TEA Conclusion

Although CCF tea may be “only” an anciently inspired formula, it will have a positive impact on digestion and assimilation for all doshas.

If you have a more Vata or Kapha type digestion you may want to switch it up with a bit hotter and more stimulating spices. If you are Pitta stick with the cooling CCF blend.