Maharishi Ayurveda Newsletter Archive

This Summer, Cool Your Skin with Water

It's almost summer and most of us breathe a sigh of relief as the aging winter weather passes. Yet summer has its own set of beauty risks. Increased heat can bring an imbalance of Pitta dosha, the mind-body operator that governs hormones, digestion and other metabolic processes in the body. It's important to stay cool and hydrated to help prevent summer breakouts and rashes. Here are a few tips for keeping your skin looking great in summer.

1. Drink cooling spice water. You've probably heard that drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day is important for flushing out toxins, and in summer it's even more important to keep replacing fluids that may be lost to perspiration. You can get extra cooling and purifying impact from your water by adding a few herbs and spices. Here's a summer recipe:

Cooling Summer Water
Boil two quarts of water for two minutes. Take it off the heat and add 1/4 t. fennel seed, 2 rose buds, and 1 clove. Store it hot inside a thermos, but before drinking pour it into a cup and let it cool to room temperature.

The herbs in this formula not only cool Pitta dosha, but if used over time they help stimulate digestion and cleanse the microchannels of the body, allowing the water to hydrate the deeper layers of the skin.

2. Avoid Drinks that Dry Out Your Skin. Sure, those caffeinated drinks look thirst-quenching on TV, but the fact is that caffeine actually dehydrates the body. Alcoholic drinks are even more dehydrating.

Worse, both caffeine and alcohol are toxic to the liver. When the liver becomes overloaded, it can no longer do its job of screening out toxins from the nutritive fluid. That's the point when ama (digestive toxins) and more harmful impurities, start to circulate to the tissues and organs of the body. And one of the first signs of toxins in the liver is dull, dry, lifeless skin.
Even non-caffeinated carbonated drinks disrupt the digestion and are a major cause of toxins. And ice-cold drinks are also to be avoided, as icy foods and drinks completely douse the digestive fire, again leading to toxins that detract from healthy skin.

Instead, treat yourself to healthy herbal tea, such as Pitta Tea, cooled to room temperature. Or invest in a juicer and try some fresh apple juice or pear juice made with sweet ripe fruits as a snack. Other cooling drinks include milk and lassi. To make lassi, use one part freshly-made yogurt and blend with three parts water. Blend in a teaspoon of Rose Petal Preserve for flavoring. Rose Petal Preserve is one of the most effective ways to cool Pitta dosha, quench thirst and purify the skin.

3. Eat Foods that Hydrate the Skin. Eat a diet that helps cool Pitta dosha and helps purify and hydrate the skin. Start by eating at least one sweet, juicy fruit a day. Ripe summer fruits such as peaches, nectarines, plums and pears are exactly what your skin craves in the hot season. Not only do they provide an excellent source of moisture, but they cool Pitta dosha and help purify the skin at the same time. Tree-ripened, juicy summer fruits convert almost immediately into ojas, which shows up in your skin as a radiant complexion.

4. Massage with Cooling Herbal Oils. People think of massage as heating, but if you use Cool Sensation Massage Oil--cooling essential oils of Grapefruit, Sweet Orange and Lavender in a coconut-oil base -- the self-massage will not only cool your skin but purify it as well. Specially made for sensitive skin, it's ideal for the hot summer months.

Follow your massage with a warm but not hot bath. Add lavender and rose buds for a luxurious, cooling effect. Lubricate your skin after the bath with Youthful Skin Advanced Lipid Support Body Glow. It contains a combination of 13 essential oils designed to slip through the lipid barrier to hydrate deeper skin layers than other lotions reach. Shankapushpi and other revered ayurvedic herbs settle the emotions and mind while they hydrate the cells.

5. Treat Your Skin to Herbal Mists. If you're traveling or just feel your skin needs a refresher in the heat of the day, try spritzing your face with Rose Water to tone, cool, hydrate and protect your skin. Or try our Organic Lavender hydrosol -- a floral water formed during steam distillation of lavender oil. You'll feel cooler and your skin will thank you.

6. Use Products that Hydrate Naturally. When you're choosing products to cleanse and hydrate your skin in summer, be sure they don't have harsh chemicals or preservatives that will only dry out your skin. Youthful Skin Cream, Cleansing Gel, Toner and Oil are not only completely natural and free of chemical ingredients; they are made with such an extraordinarily high content of essential oils that they are self-preserving. These gentle yet highly effective skin-care products smooth out wrinkles and hydrate the skin as they purify and cleanse. The herbs heal frayed nerves and give you a cool, calm feeling to face the day

Sacred Sandalwood: The Epitome of Excellence

Q: Where does Sandalwood come from?

A: Sandalwood comes from the Sandal Tree, known scientifically as Santalaceae Santalum Album and in Sanskrit as chandana. In English it is called White Sandalwood or Yellow Sandalwood depending on the age of the tree. An evergreen tree that grows only in the southern areas of India, Indonesia and somewhat in Australia, it grows to a medium height of 30 feet. After 15-20 years the oil collects in the heartwood, or the center of the trunk, but as the scent of sandalwood grows stronger, the color of the wood becomes more yellow. The value of the wood climbs higher the older the tree. It is considered at its peak at 60 years old.

When harvested the heartwood is ground into powder and then steam-distilled into oil for use in cosmetics, soaps, candles, medicines and perfumes. The hard, yellow, outer wood is mostly used for carving statues and decorative articles such as combs, beads and boxes.

Q: Why is the Sandal tree so important to the Vedic tradition?

A: The Sandal tree is highly regarded in the Vedic texts, and the heartwood is considered to be sacred. It is said that chandana, or Indra's Sandalwood tree, scents the whole of paradise with its fragrance. Sandalwood is considered the epitome of excellence, imparting fragrance even to the axe that cuts it. For this reason anything that is excellent is referred to as chandana. It is used in sacred ceremonies and to purify holy places.

Q: What are the medicinal uses of Sandalwood oil or powder?

A: When used externally, Sandalwood oil or Sandalwood paste (made from mixing water with Sandalwood powder) has a calming, cooling effect on body and mind. It helps relieve fever and burns, and stops excessive sweating. In general it relieves Pitta dosha and helps balance the body after overexposure to the sun. The oil or the paste can help heal skin diseases such as infectious sores, ulcers, acne and rashes. Sandalwood powder helps smooth and cool the skin, and can be made into a paste, lotion or soap for cleansing, calming and hydrating sensitive or aging skin. Sandalwood acts as a disinfectant, diuretic, expectorant and sedative. It is bitter, sweet, astringent and cooling. Sandalwood balances the circulatory, digestive, respiratory and nervous systems.

Q: What is the effect of Sandalwood in aromas or incense?

A: Sandalwood incense is made from rolling the paste of the sapwood on bamboo skewers by hand. The scent of Sandalwood essential oil or Sandalwood incense clarifies the mind and helps to awaken intelligence, and is often used as an aid for meditation. It calms the mind, soothes stress and nervous tension, and uplifts the mood. It is said to enliven courage, purpose, strength and happiness.

Q: Sandalwood is reportedly on the endangered list of trees in India. What are the challenges involved in obtaining good sandalwood?

A: The Sultan of Mysore declared Sandalwood to be a royal tree in 1792. Every Sandalwood tree is still under the protection and ownership of the Indian government today, even when grown on private land. The individual who owns the land receives 75% of the proceeds in return for planting and protecting the tree until it reaches maturity. Due to an increased demand in medicines, perfumes and cosmetics that contain Sandalwood oil, and due to the decreased availability as smugglers cut down trees and export them illegally, prices have skyrocketed in recent years. At this time it is illegal to export the wood from India, although the oil can be exported.

Q: What Maharishi Ayurveda products contain Sandalwood?

A: Sandalwood is the main essential oil used in theBlissful Heart aroma Candle is combined with Peppermint, Lemon, Thyme and other essential oils to create a delightful, healing scent to uplift the spirits. The essential oil of Sandalwood is also the main ingredient of the Rejuvenation Cleansing bar, where it is combined with the essential oils of Rose and Khus Khus to repair dry, damaged complexion and restore health and luster to aging skin. The essential oil of Sandalwood is part of several herbal formulas, including Smooth Cycle, Maharishi Amrit Kalash Nectar and Prostate Protection,

Q: What about Red Sandalwood? Is it the same thing?

A: Red Sandalwood comes from an entirely different species (Pterocarpus Santalinus), related to the legume family, and grows in the Caribbean and Indonesia as well as India. It is used to balance digestion and skin health, and also helps balance purification through the sweat glands and skin. It is found in Healthy Hair and Nails, Elim-Tox, Radiant Skin, and Vital Lady. Red Sandalwood also is used as a dye, as incense, and as a decorative powder in sacred ceremonies.