Herbs For The Practice of Yoga
Herbs For The Practice of Yoga
Traditional Yoga has always rested on a special yogic diet and special yogic herbs to go
along with it. Yoga postures are something that we do, an expression of our energy. This
depends upon how we feed ourselves, what provides the fuel for our energy production.
Herbs are powerful aids in the practice of yoga. They are useful not only for
treating diseases and for rejuvenation but for awakening all our higher faculties. Anyone
involved in yoga should consider taking helpful herbs on a regular basis. Yogis
commonly have taken herbs to aid in their practice and to stimulate both prana and the
higher mind.
Many of the oriental tonic herbs becoming popular in this country today, like
ginseng and ashwagandha, are excellent for yoga practice because they increase our
deeper vital energies (chi or prana). Such herbs possess overall strengthening properties
for the muscles and nerves, especially helpful for vegetarians who may need a deeper
form of nutrition. But even commonly available herbs and spices like ginger, turmeric or
licorice have value for yoga practice. Herbs are important adjuncts that can catalyze
processes that otherwise may be difficult to achieve.
We can all benefit from a daily usage of herbs. Our daily herbs may be as
important as our daily bread. The effects of herbs, however, do not manifest immediately.
Like food, the benefits from herbs accrue over time and require the right diet and lifestyle
regimens to support them. For this reason, we must give herbs the proper circumstances
in which to work and not simply treat them like drugs. Note that this chapter will not
discuss the background of ayurvedic herbology, the preparation of herbs or related issues.
These can be found in other books on Ayurveda.i We will focus on relevant herbs for
yoga practice.
Herbs and Soma
According to the Vedic view, the sap of herbs contains an powerful life essence
called soma. The soma from plants can combine with ojas, which is the soma or life-
essence of the body, and boost it to a higher level of activity. This healing essence of
plants reacts with the plasma (rasa) in the body, creating a superior form of plasma to
nurture and rejuvenate other tissues. It creates an exhilarating effect that promotes
healing and transformative processes on all levels.
Some botanists have looked for an original soma plant, as if soma was only a
single herb. They are making a mistake. Vedic texts mention many different types of
soma plants, and soma is the essence of all plants. They commonly equate soma with
honey (madhu), which itself is produced from the essence of plants through their pollen.
Soma, therefore, refers to various special essences (soma rasas) that are found more in
some plants than others but exist throughout the plant kingdom.
Classical ayurvedic texts like the Susruta Samhita mention twenty-four soma
plants and eighteen soma-like plants.ii The Atharva Vedaiii mentions, among soma-
producing plants, grains like barley, herbs likes durva and nervines like cannabis
(bhang). Kushta (Saussurea lappa) is another plant commonly mentioned along with
soma.iv Ephedra (Ma huang) has been used as a soma substitute, particularly by the
ancient Persians who followed a similar religion to the Vedic Hindus. Soma is a general
plant essence, not a particular species. Soma-type ingredients are most common in tonic
and nervine herbs. Traditionally in India, various members of the lily and orchid family
were used for this purpose because of their strong nutritive and nervine properties and
their abundant juice.
Soma ingredients are most prevalent among plants growing in the mountains,
particularly by streams and lakes. Kashmir and its Manasa (Dal) lake, the upper Indus
around Ladakh, and Mount Kailas and Lake Manasarovar in Tibet were considered to be
the best soma regions. High altitudes impart a special prana to plants that allows them to
transmit cosmic and astral influences that are more accessible in mountain regions. Any
mountain-grown plants tend to have more soma or vital juice. This is well known in most
native healing traditions.
Soma is a very volatile substance, however. It is found mainly in wild plants,
freshly picked. Ayurveda always considers that the fresh juice of the plant has the
strongest healing properties. This is because it contains the most soma. Even plants that
contain soma ingredients can lose these if they are not taken fresh or prepared so as to
endure. This is an important issue in herbalism today because wild plants are hard to get
and it is also hard to preserve their potency. In terms of soma, the quality of herbs is as
important as their specific nature.
Soma plants were prepared by first crushing the juice. This was then mixed or
cooked with milk, ghee, yogurt, barley, honey or sugar cane juice and sometimes
fermented, as many different types of soma preparations existed. They were sometimes
prepared with metals like gold, just as ayurvedic herbs in India are today. Such
alchemical somas were the basis of later alchemical and tantric medicines. Soma was
designed to transform the base metal of our worldly nature to the gold of spirituality. This
is not just a symbol. The base metal is the physical body; the gold is the purified subtle
body. Soma was used to help awaken and energize the subtle body. Some soma
preparations were used for spiritual purposes, some for healing purposes and some for
both.
Plants also contain a special form of agni or the vegetable fire that allows them to
digest light through photosynthesis. The agni of plants, which are pranic creatures,
connects to pranagni, the agni of prana in the human body, warming and stimulating the
life-force. Generally, spicy herbs with their naturally hot potency contain more agni
energy, particularly spicy nervines like calamus, pippali or shankha pushpi. The
combination of herbs high in agni and herbs high in soma works well for inner
development. Agni-dominant herbs help purify, extract and digest soma herbs.
There are as many forms of soma as there are of agni. Each kosha has its own
soma or nectar, which is the best type of food for it. Herbs provide soma for the body and
prana, creating a special brain secretion that promotes contentment and nourishes the
higher brain centers. This secretion is reflected as a certain form of saliva produced
during pranayama.
The soma essence of plants is better transmitted if herbs are prepared along with
ritual, mantra and meditation, which create a vehicle for the astral energy of the plant.
Mantra is another form of agni that helps catalyze the soma ingredients in plants.
These are usually taken with honey and warm water or with spicy stimulants like ginger
and cinnamon to increase their effects. They do better if supplemented with oil massage,
particularly with medicated sesame oil formulas, or with sweating therapies and saunas.
2. Herbs to increase physical energy and vitality. They strengthen ojas and through it
promote soma, which is the higher form of ojas or our vital essence. They are usually
tonic and rejuvenative agents, with strong nutritive properties, strengthening also the
reproductive system. They build stamina and endurance, affording steadiness in yoga
postures and in pranayama.
These are usually taken with milk, raw sugar, ghee and other nutritive items to boost their
strengthening powers. They combine well with raw (unheated) honey, particularly if it is
fresh (less than six months old). They are best taken along with a nutritive vegetarian diet
(like the anti-vata diet). A few spices should be added to them, like ginger and cinnamon,
to aid in their digestion as they tend to be heavy.
3. Herbs for cooling and cleansing the body. These herbs remove toxins from the blood,
the tissues and internal organs. They are usually bitter or astringent in taste and may
contain large amounts of chlorophyll.
Typical herbs: aloe gel, guduchi, gentian, barberry, gotu kola, brahmi, plantain,
dandelion, comfrey leaf, nettles, yarrow, yellow dock.
These herbs are taken with ghee, aloe gel, honey and other reducing agents. They are
often combined with raw food diets, green juices, and other detoxification measures.
Apana: Mild laxative herbs that increase elimination and cleanse the downward
channels, aiding in the absorption of Prana through the large intestine: triphala,
haritaki, psyllium, flax seed, castor oil, aloe gel, cascara sagrada, asafoetida,
hingashtak (ayurvedic formula).
Samana: Spicy herbs that aid in digestion and absorption through the small
intestine: cardamom, fennel, ginger, cayenne, mustard, cumin, basil, black pepper,
nutmeg, trikatu (ayurvedic formula).
Vyana : Spicy and bitter herbs that promote circulation both through the heart, the
blood and the musculoskeletal system: cinnamon, nirgundi, arjuna, elecampane,
guggul, saffron, turmeric, guduchi, Siberian ginseng, angelica, kava kava.
Udana: Mainly spicy and astringent herbs that strengthen the voice and stop
cough, as well as increase vitality and power of effort. Many herbs for prana work
here as well, particularly those that stop cough: calamus, bayberry, elecampane,
lobelia, tulsi, haritaki, peppermint, mullein, vasa, coltsfoot, cherry bark, licorice.
1. Herbs to stimulate the mind and senses and improve perception. These open the
channels, increase cerebral circulation and remove mucus from the head. They increase
perception and discrimination, facilitating the process of insight and meditation. They are
similar to herbs to move prana.
Typical herbs: calamus, tulsi, basil, pippali, bayberry, ephedra (ma huang), sage,
elecampane.
These herbs are taken along with warm water and honey (particularly honey that is older,
which has more drying properties) to improve their effects. They are the main herbs used
in nasya therapy.
2. Herbs to increase awareness and intelligence, strengthening in the mind. They are
special tonic and building agents for the mind and nerve tissue, similar to the tonics for
the body. They increase soma in the nervous system, helping us to gain concentration,
contentment and joy and to overcome pain.
These herbs, like the tonics for the body which they resemble, are usually taken along
with warm milk, raw sugar, raw honey, ghee and other nutritive items to boost their
strengthening powers.
3. Herbs for calming the mind. These are mild sedative and pain relieving agents, but also
slow down the mind for meditation. They are less nutritive than the mind tonics and
better for reducing anxiety and agitated nerves.
Typical herbs: jatamamsi, valerian, nutmeg, passion flower, kava kava, scullcap,
lady’s slipper, zizyphus seeds.
These herbs may be taken with other soothing agents like ghee or aloe gel to improve
their calmative properties. Jatamamsi is regarded as the best.
Pitta types: usually have internal heat and toxic blood that needs to be removed
from the body for healing to occur. They benefit by cooling and detoxifying herbs like
aloe gel, guduchi and barberry, along with green herbs and foods.
The mind itself is the seat of fire on a subtle level. Hence the mind and brain
easily get overheated. Pittas need to keep their minds and emotions cool, avoiding
emotions like anger that overheat the mind. For this, cooling-type nervines like gotu kola,
brahmi, shatavari and jatamamsi are best. They do best taking herbs with milk or with
aloe gel.
Kapha types: With their tendency towards stagnation, kapha types benefit by
herbs to improve circulation, particularly guggul, myrrh and turmeric, which counter
common kapha complaints like heart disease, diabetes, asthma and obesity. The best
tonics for them are those that are not too heavy like shilajit, though they can benefit from
ashwagandha or ginseng if their energy is very low.
Kapha, as mucus, blocks the channels and nadis of the head and subtle body.
They benefit from herbs to stimulate the mind and senses. For this, various spicy herbs
are recommended, particularly calamus, ginger and pippali, along with the use of the neti
pot and nasya therapy. As their prana easily becomes blocked by mucus, kaphas benefit
from herbs for the five pranas, with the possible exception of the herbs for apana. They
do best taking herbs with warm water or honey (over six months old).
Aloe Vera
bitter, astringent, sweet/ cooling/ sweet
PK- V+
Aloe is an entire medicine chest in itself. Relative to yoga practice, it is excellent for
cleansing the plasma, skin, blood and the liver, all the main physical and pranic systems.
It has rejuvenative effects for the female reproductive system as well.
Ashwagandha/ Withania somnifera
bitter, sweet/ heating/ sweet
VK- P+
Ashwagandha is the best ayurvedic tonic for both body and mind. It strengthens and
nourishes the muscles, tendons, bones and nerves and builds ojas and tejas, fortifying the
immune system. It is good for joint and nerve pain and is specific for lowering anxiety. It
counters insomnia, calms the mind and promotes concentration, meditation and deep
sleep. Ashwagandha is excellent in sports medicine for increasing endurance and
protecting the bones and joints from injury.
Shilajit
astringent, pungent, bitter/ warm/ pungent
KV- P+
Shilajit is a mineral pitch from the Himalayas and carries the healing power of these great
mountains. Shilajit possesses great curative powers and is considered capable of treating
many diseases, particularly those of the aging process. It is an important rejuvenative and
tonic particularly for kapha, vata, and the kidneys, as in the case of people who have long
suffered from diabetes and asthma. It can be taken for general health maintenance and is
good for those who do much mental work or practice yoga.
Triphala
all tastes but salty/ neutral/ sweet
VPK=
Triphala, an important ayurvedic laxative formula, has an important usage in yoga. It
controls the apana vayu, the downward moving air, and aids in the absorption of prana in
the large intestine. It helps balance the metabolism and provides nutrition for the bones
and nerves. Triphala facilitates the absorption of pure prana from our food, thus allowing
for a more complete practice of pranayama or development of the life-force.
Types of Ginseng
Siberian ginseng (Eleuthrococcus senticossus) is widely used for improving
athletic performance, promoting elasticity of the joints and tendons, preventing injury
during exercise and countering arthritis, particularly the chronic and degenerative type.
These uses make it very helpful for asana practice.
Korean Ginseng builds chi (prana or the power of breath) and gives added
endurance as well as increasing the overall adaptability of both body and mind. It
promotes longevity and aids in rejuvenation. This makes it good for deeper yoga
practices, but some people find it too stimulating and should be careful with it.
American ginseng may be preferable over the oriental as it is less likely to
overheat the system. It helps prevent dehydration and is also a good antifatigue agent. It
is good to take in the summer or for pitta constitutions.
Pancha Karma
Pancha karma means the five purificatory practices. It consists of therapeutic
enemas (basti), purgatives (virechana), emetics (vamana), nasal medications (nasya), and
blood cleansing (rakta moksha) to eliminate excess doshas from the body. These follow a
preparatory practice of oil massage (snehana) and steam therapy (svedana) to loosen up
the toxins and bring them back to the digestive tract for their removal.
Purgatives increase apana (downward motion) to reduce pitta. Emetics stimulate
udana (upward motion) to reduce kapha. Nasya opens the head to promote prana. Blood-
cleansing stimulates the flow of blood through vyana to reduce pitta. Bastis or enemas
calm apana in order to calm vata. In this way pancha karma works on all five pranas.
Pancha karma radically remove toxins not only from the physical body but also
from the subtle body. It has a powerful cleansing and rejuvenating effect upon the bones,
muscles and nerves, senses and mind. Therefore pancha karma is a helpful procedure for
anyone on a yogic path, not only for asana but for pranayama and meditation. Pancha
karma can be done as part of a detoxification program, to start a deeper level of practice,
or as a regular measure to prevent the toxins from accumulating.vi
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
! "# $ %
! $
Copyright 2006
i Note Yoga of Herbs in this regard.
v Please examine Ayurveda and the Mind for more information on this fascinating topic. Note bibliography.
vi For more information please examine Ayurveda and Pancha Karma by Dr. Sunil Joshi.