Definition: Ayurvedic Cooking

nnAyurvedic CookingnnAyurveda is a form of traditional medicine in use primarily in India. Ayurveda believes that various materials of vegetable, animal, and mineral origin have some medicinal value. The medicinal properties of these materials are time tested and have been used for centuries in ayurvedic medicines to cure illness and/or help maintain health.nnAyurvedic medicaments are made from herbs or mixtures of herbs, either alone or in combination with minerals, metals and other ingredients of animal origin. The metals, animals and minerals are purified by individual processes before being used for medicinal purposes. Impurified materials are not allowed to be used as medicine.nnThe forms of Ayurvedic medicaments are:nn * Fresh juice of herbsnn * Quath : Crushed herbs, used as decoction or tea for internal and external usesnn * Churna : Fine powdered herbs, used as medicine with water or in food for internal and external usesnn * Taila : Herbs cooked in edible oil according to rules laid down for internal and external usesnn * Ghrat/Ghrit : Herbs cooked in clarified butternn * Asav/Arista/Sura : a kind of light wine obtained from fermentation of herbsnn * Arka : A distillation of herbsnn * Rasausadhi/Kharliya Rasayan : Herbs mixed with metals, minerals and animal ingredientsnn * Bhasma : Ashesnn * Parpaty : combinations of Metals, Minerals, Animal ingredients and Herbsnn * Kshar/Lavan/Salt/Drava : these are specially prepared medicamentsnn * Guggula based medicamentsnn * Lauha Bhasam : Mandoor Bhasam based medicamentsnn * Avaleha/Modak/Paak/Prash : Herbs cooked in Jaggery or sugarnn * Bati/Gutika/Goli : Mixtures of medicines shaped in pills, pillules or tablets for ease of administrationnn * Pralep/Anjan/Varti/Dhoop : Liniments, drops, paint, paste etc. for external usesnnAyurvedic tastesnnAyurveda holds that the tastes of foods or herbs have specific physiological effects. Those tastes that transform after digestion (Vipaka) are more powerful.nn * Sweet (Madhura) - Sweet foods nourish, cool, moisten, oil, and increase weightn * Sour (Amla) - Sour foods warm, oil, and increase weightn * Salty (Lavan) - Salty foods warm, dissolve, stimulate, soften, oil, and increase weightn * Bitter (Katu) - Bitter foods cool, dry, purify and decrease weightn * Pungent (Tikta) - Pungent foods warm, dry, stimulate, and decrease weightn * Astringent (Kasaya) - Astringent foods cool, dry, reduce stickiness.n

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