Known in Sanskrit as amrita phalam, fruit of immortality or nectar fruit, pears were revered in ancient India and China as a symbol of immortality. In Roman mythology they were sacred to Juno, the mother, Venus, goddess of love and Pomona, goddess of fruitful abundance and orchards. Sweet and light, pears are calming to all three doshas.

Revered in ancient Rome as an aphrodisiac and proverbial for their benefits on eyesight, carrots are sweet and bitter with a heating energy. They calm vata and kapha. Their high antioxidant content is the reason why carrots are used for blood cleansing, liver cleansing and cancer healing.

"How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" says the Psalmist. Honey is the epitome of sweetness and deliciousness, yet this golden treat is also an important Ayurvedic medicinal food.

Lord Krishna enjoys his childhood and youth as a cowherd boy in Vrindavan, dancing with milkmaids, known as Gopis. And Dhanvantari, the God of Ayurveda is born of the churning of the ocean of milk.

Pomegranate is known as an Ayurvedic pharmacy in its own right. The bark and root bark are used for diarrhea and dysentery, while the fruit and the rind (pericarp) are used as medicinal foods and home remedies as well as in more complex Ayurvedic formulations.

Bananas are not only a delicious food beloved by everyone from babies to the elderly, they are also a great source of cancer-fighting antioxidants and a revered aphrodisiac and building food. Learn more about the Ayurvedic properties of banana.

During the spring season, the texts of Ayurveda encourage us to make use of the bitter taste.

Mango is not only a delicious food, it is also a medicine used to make an array of home remedies. Every part of the mango tree offers medicinal properties, Here we will consider Ayurvedic remedies made from unripe green mango, ripe mango and mango seeds.

Aside from being an easily digestible and nourishing drink, kefir is an important source of probiotics or beneficial micro-organisms.

Mangoes are one of the most delightful and healthful elements of the Ayurvedic diet. Learn more about the benefits of mango and how to incorporate then into your diet.

Takram is an age-old Ayurvedic health drink  similar to the lassi you enjoy at your local Indian restaurant. It is said to relive disease and promote health. Learn more about this drink and the home remedies that can be made from it.

Yoghurt, kefir and similar fermented dairy products are renowned as health foods and sources of probiotics. What do the texts of Ayurveda have to teach us about these foods?

According to the ancient texts of Ayurveda, honey is much more than a sweetener. It is also a medicine in its own right, a rejuvenative food and a yoga vahi--a vehicle for herbal formulations.

Today, we are going to discuss the Ayurvedic approach to salt. What are the five kinds of salt used in medicinally and for seasoning in Ayurvedic tradition? 

If you've eaten a lot of rice and rice products down the years (especially the higher arsenic kinds), you might indeed have a higher-than-average arsenic level. Ayurveda considers this in the category of dusha visha or chronic, subclinical poisoning. According to the texts on Ayurvedic toxicology, chronic poisoning can flare up and become symptomatic when the body is under stress.

Life depends upon water. Yet all too often we grab a glass of ice-water and gulp it down without a thought. Learn how to use water as both a beverage  and a medicine according to the teachings of Ayurveda.

Olives were loved across the ancient Mediterranean world and have been cultivated in the Levant for over 6,000 years. In Greek mythology, the creation of the olive tree was the result of a contest between Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, and Poseidon, God of the Sea as to who would be the patron of a newly-built city in Attica.

The texts of Ayurveda make provision for meat eaters as well as vegetarians. So while there are many good and some compelling reasons to be vegetarian, Ayurveda isn't actually one of them.

Considering these six good reasons, perhaps you might decide vegetarianism is for you. If so, take your time to transition, to avoid shocking your system. This blog contains many great vegetarian recipes, so you won't have to struggle the way I did when I first tried vegetarianism!

There is hysteria in America over Too-meric. Also known as turmeric; have you heard of it?