Ayurvedic Oil Types
What is Ayurvedic Oil?
For centuries, Ayurvedic medicine has given immense value to unctuous or fatty substances. Specially prepared Ayurvedic oil has various therapeutic and nutritional benefits. These benefits are based on this oil’s properties and the medicinal herbs used, and the oil externally or internally. Since Ayurveda has been rediscovered, the most common kinds of lavender oil are mahanarayan oil, bhringaraj oil, manjishtadi oil, and kumkumadi oil, or kesaradi oil. Let us take a look at these oils and their benefits. In Ayurveda, oils are used in their pure form and in preparations that incorporate decoctions and pastes of herbs.
Ayurvedic oil exerts its attributes deep into the body’s tissues. Ayurveda talks about four unctuous substances in the ancient Ayurvedic texts: Sarpi(Ghee or clarified butter), Taila (petroleum ), vasa (muscle fat), and Maja (bone marrow). It’s been mentioned from the revered Ayurvedic text Charaka Samhita’ that oil alleviates Vata but doesn’t aggravate Kapha. It promotes physiological strength (Bal vardhanam), helps the skin (teach am), hot in potency, stabilizes the body, senses, and controls female reproductive organs’ morbidity.
In Ayurveda, oil is used in various ways like cooking, raw consumption, massage, oil pulling, Hayasaka (oil bathing), Basti (colon nutrition ), and Nasya (nasal passage nourishment and flushing).
– Oil is assimilating in character. This makes it an ideal substance to incorporate other unctuous substances or herbs’ properties, providing the perfect nourishment in various health conditions.
– Ayurvedic oil is lubricating, soothing, moistening, and calming to the human body and senses. In Sanskrit, the term oil is known as Sneha’.
– Sneha nourishes the body and head with it is loving, soothing, and unctuous touch.
Ayurvedic oil is ideal for ailments of Kapha aggravation, fat tissue, and Vata aggravation. It’s suitable for people who want sturdiness of the human body and for those who have hard bowel movements. It’s advocated by Vagbhata as appropriate for a disease like sinus issues, ulcers, and worm manifestation.
Types Of Ayurvedic Oil
There are two primary types of Ayurvedic oils: Base Oils and Herbal Oil
– Base Oils. These oils are pure, cold-pressed, entire, and similar in properties to their origin, the oil’s seed. Sesame oil, mustard oil, coconut oil, olive oil, and sunflower oil are examples of entire, base oils.
– Herbal Oil: These oils are ready in base oils with decoctions or pastes of herbs. Fat is also an assimilator. It imbibes the herbs’ qualities, providing a nourishing, calming, soothing, and healing effect into the body.
The pros of Ayurveda have mentioned various kinds of base oils with their effects on the human body.
Common Ayurvedic Base Oils
– Castor Oil (Eranda): Castor oil is bitter, savory, and sweet in flavor. It’s heavy inland, and Sara (spreading in nature). It’s sukshma (moment ), and therefore it pacifies both Kapha and Vata dosha. It spreads in the body and significantly normalizes the natural flow of Vata. In the early texts for ailments of enlargement of the scrotum and stomach, it’s been mentioned for intermittent fever, pains, and swellings, particularly of their waist, genitals, abdomen, and back of the body. Castor is utilized explicitly in conventional Ayurveda for Vata pacifying purgation remedies for many diseases.
– Mustard Oil (Sarshapa): Mustard oil is aromatic, light inland, sexy in potency, and penetrating in character. It pacifies Kapha and Vata dosha. It can aggravate Pitta and may vitiate the blood in people that have a Pitta constitution. It’s believed to be easily digestible. It’s supposed to heal rashes, itching on the skin and can be useful in various skin conditions, hemorrhoids, ulcers, and worms. Mustard oil is commonly used in cooking and is acclaimed for its cleansing, stimulating, and revitalizing effect. It’s traditionally used for abhyanga (Ayurvedic body massage) in obese individuals because of its hot and penetrating impact.
– Sesame Oil: Sesame oil is sweet with an accompanying astringent after taste. It’s hot in strength, which alleviates Vata dosha without raising Kapha dosha. Owing to its sukshma (moment ) property, it can penetrate through the body’s subtle channels and nourish the stations from deep inside. The vyavayi (disseminating) land of this oil increases its spreading nature and helps to disperse the sesame oil quickly to each body area. It binds stools and decreases the frequency of urine. It’s considered best among all of the compounds that alleviate Vata. Sesame oil will help in promoting strength and is very good for skin health. It enables the ability of digestion. When mixed with various herbs, it accelerates their qualities without sacrificing their properties. Ayurveda says that the expression ‘taila’ means the oil of sesame explicitly unless specified differently. Such significance was given to sesame oil for its therapeutic and nutritional value.
See: Boost your immune system with Ayurveda
– Neem Oil (Nimba): For centuries, various areas of the neem tree have been used regularly to promote decent health. Neem oil is bitter in taste and cooling in nature, and this coolness can help balance Pitta, especially if there’s excessive heat in rakta dhatu (blood vessels ). Neem is cold, dry, and light that sometimes tends to aggravate Vata. It’s used with other herbs to reduce excess Vata effects within the body. It assists in mitigating microbes, pacifies Kapha, and is used in many skins conditions.7 supports healthy digestion and awakens medo dhatu agni (digestive or metabolic energy in the adrenal gland ), resulting in proper metabolism. It assists in proper water and fat digestion and eliminates excess water retention because it has Kapha pacifying effects. It is bitter nature also enhances the taste buds that is the initial step for good digestion. Neem oils are traditionally applied to the skin with a burning sensation and irritated skin. It provides a soothing, calming effect and encourages healthy skin.
– Coconut Oil (Narikela): Coconut oil has a sweet flavor. It’s deemed nourishing, strengthening, good for the hair, and great for the teeth. It assists in balancing Pitta and Vata dosha. Coconut oil takes a while to digest and is a natural aphrodisiac. It’s used in specific treatments for emaciation, skin ailments, and for nourishing the body cells. Additionally, it is utilized in cooking and has been used for hair health for centuries due to its nourishing and strengthening qualities. This oil is used in summer as a result of its coolant property. It’s soothing to the body and senses.
– Herbal Ayurvedic Oil: Herbal preparations of Ayurvedic oil are used for various conditions, and their use depends on the base oil and the herbs they’re cured with. The next Ayurvedic oils are a few examples.
– Tungdrumadi Oil: Traditionally used for Shiro abhyanga (Ayurvedic head massage), Tungdrumadi oil gives a calming effect to the mind and eyes and can induce sound sleep.
– Mahanarayan Oil: Mahanarayan oil is a body massage oil used to encourage the joints and muscles’ correct functioning and relieve occasional pain.
– Shadbindu Oil: Shadbindu oil is used for Nasya (nasal instillation) to balance Kapha from the neck and head area.
– Bhringraj Oil: Bhringraj oil is used externally for head massage. It can help to make dull, weak hair healthy.
– Bhringamalaki Oil: Bhringamalaki oil is used externally for shiroabhyanga. It’s an ideal mix of bhringaraj and Amalaki to soothe the senses.
– Pinda Oil: Pinda oil is used externally for abhyanga body and foot massage. It perfectly pacifies both Vata and Pitta, soothes burning sensations of any sort, and hydrates the skin.
– Prasaranyadi Oil: Prasaranyadi oil is used externally for human massage. It’s principally used for the stiffness of the body. It strengthens the bones and muscles.
– Kanaka Oil: Kanaka oil is used externally for face massage. It makes the skin glow.
Ayurvedic Oils Uses
- Ayurvedic oils have many uses for your health and wellness.
- – Oil Pulling: Gush or oil pulling is a traditional custom of holding a spoonful of sesame oil or coconut oil into your mouth for approximately 15 minutes on an empty stomach. It’s thought to extract toxins and improve oral health. Since Ayurveda says that teeth are directly linked to specific parts of the body, gandush is thought to affect overall health. Though other oils may be used, sesame oil is the preferred oil for gandush. From the Charaka Samhita, the ancient Ayurvedic text, the procedure is described as having the ability to cure 30 systemic ailments, ranging from migraine headaches to diabetes, gut health, and bloating.
– Cooking With Coconut Oil: Coconut oil is perfect for cooking at high heat due to its high smoke point.
– Sesame Oil For Deep Conditioning: Warm the oil and blend it with any freezer. Use the mixture onto your hair and leave it on for at least one hour. For maximum effects, leave it on overnight.
– Sesame Oil With Coconut Oil Hair Moisturizer: Blend two teaspoons of sesame oil and two teaspoons of coconut oil in a bowl. Using your palms, begin massaging the oil into your scalp and then work it in your hair. Make sure that the whole duration of your hair is coated with the oil when you’re done.
– Coconut Oil With Curry Leaves: Warm the leaves until you find a black residue forming around the leaves. Place the oil aside to cool. When the oil has cooled, strain out the leaves. Start massaging the chilled oil into your scalp and then work it in your hair. Make sure that the entire duration of your hair is covered when you’re done.
– Oral Consumption Of Coconut Oil: Consume one teaspoon of unrefined, organic coconut oil every day. You can eat it directly from the jar or bake or cook with it as it’s heat-stable. Toss it in your soups or smoothies, or create coconut butter.
– Pichu (Oil Swab) For Joints and bones: Pichu is an Ayurvedic procedure done mainly to deal with the local aggravation of Vata dosha. Pichu is regarded as a fantastic procedure for coping with Vata aggravation from the mind, joints, and spine.So it’s traditionally used in conditions in which moist heat and nourishment are required. Pichu is also usually used for the stiffness of the lower calf and back muscles. It’s traditionally used on the mind to provide deep nourishment in a variety of conditions marked by Vata aggravation. Pichu is an outside treatment with a folded dry cotton fabric sized to pay the concerned area. The thickness of the brushed fabric is usually that of a palm. A hole is made in the middle of the fabric, and slightly heated oil is occasionally poured through it. Soaked in a warm base oil or an herbal oil, this cloth is applied onto the region. Throughout the process, the oil is heated occasionally and kept lukewarm. The cotton soaked in the oil is left to remain on the affected area for 20 – 30 minutes all of the ways through the process.
Oils used for Pichu are tungdrumadi oil (on the head ), sesame oil, prasaranyadi oil, and mahanarayan oil.
