Glossary

Abhyanga (Treatment)

The Ayurvedic practice of massaging warm herbal oil over the whole body, traditionally used to ease dryness and fatigue and to calm the nervous system.

Agni (Diet)

The digestive fire that governs digestion, absorption and metabolism. Ayurveda regards a healthy agni as the single most important foundation of health.

Ama (Theory)

Undigested residue that accumulates in the body when digestion is incomplete. Ayurveda regards ama as the root cause of most imbalance and illness.

Amla (Herbs)

The Indian gooseberry, known in Sanskrit as amalaki: one of Ayurveda's most prized rejuvenative (rasayana) herbs and one of the three fruits of triphala.

Ashwagandha (Herbs)

Ayurveda's best-known herb, traditionally used as a rasayana (rejuvenative) for strength, vitality and resilience under stress.

Dinacharya (Lifestyle)

The ideal Ayurvedic daily routine, from waking to sleep, built on living in step with the rhythms of nature.

Dosha (Dosha)

In Ayurveda, the three vital energies (Vata, Pitta and Kapha) that are believed to govern all physical and mental functions.

Ghee (Diet)

Clarified butter: pure butterfat with the water and milk solids removed. Ayurveda regards it as the finest of oils, nourishing the body without dulling the digestive fire.

Golden Milk (Diet)

Warm milk with turmeric stirred in: the golden evening drink long loved in Indian households and now known worldwide as the turmeric latte.

Kapha (Dosha)

The dosha formed from water and earth, believed to govern the body's structure, stability, lubrication and immunity.

Kitchari (Diet)

A gentle porridge of split mung beans and rice simmered with spices: Ayurveda's classic resting food, easy to digest yet nourishing.

Neem (Herbs)

The tree India calls the village pharmacy: leaves, bark and seeds all used, from traditional skin and oral care to neem oil in the garden. Ayurveda's great bitter herb.

Oil Pulling (Lifestyle)

The practice of swishing oil in the mouth, rooted in the classical Ayurvedic routines of gandusha and kavala, and done traditionally with sesame oil.

Ojas (Theory)

The essence of vitality said to be produced at the very end of digestion: the substance of glow, stability and resilience in Ayurvedic thinking.

Panchakarma (Treatment)

Ayurveda's signature cleansing program, built around five elimination therapies that aim to clear accumulated waste and undigested residue from the body.

Pitta (Dosha)

The dosha formed from fire and water, believed to govern transformation in the body: digestion, metabolism, body heat and vision.

Prakriti (Dosha)

Your inborn constitution: the personal balance of the three doshas set at conception, which Ayurveda treats as the unchanging baseline of your health.

Shatavari (Herbs)

A moistening rasayana herb of the asparagus family, traditionally used in Ayurveda's care of women's health.

Shirodhara (Treatment)

The signature Ayurvedic head treatment in which warm oil is poured in a thin, steady stream onto the center of the forehead, traditionally used for deep relaxation.

Tongue Scraping (Lifestyle)

The Ayurvedic morning habit of gently clearing the tongue's surface with a dedicated scraper, done first thing on waking, before food or drink.

Triphala (Herbs)

Ayurveda's most famous herbal formula, a blend of three fruits (haritaki, amalaki and bibhitaki) traditionally used to support digestion and gentle cleansing.

Tulsi (Herbs)

Holy basil: the plant India holds most sacred, and an everyday Ayurvedic herb best known as a caffeine-free tea for steadying body and mind.

Turmeric (Herbs)

The golden spice made from the dried rhizome of Curcuma longa. Known in Ayurveda as haridra, it has been used for everything from cooking to skin care, one of the tradition's most versatile herbs.

Vata (Dosha)

The dosha formed from air and space, believed to govern all movement in the body: circulation, breathing, elimination and nerve impulses.