Herbs for reducing fat

A well balanced and beautiful body is there because the tridoshas (vata, pitta, kapha) are in balance and in harmony with the elemental composition of the body. When these doshas go into imbalance physical abnormalities begin to manifest. In Ayurvedic terminology fat means excess kapha. Obesity is imbalance in kapha or aggravation of kapha dosha. The causes can be many. As kapha is heavy, cold and sticky in nature it requires a lot of heat to expel the ama which collects and gets deposited in the system,which we see as fat. For a kapha person sleeping in the day is prohibited, as it aggravates kapha in the body, in fact a kapha person should try and wake up at least an hour before sunrise. A diet which is light and nourishing is best for effecting fatloss. It is important to scrape away collected ama from the system first, for that purpose triphala can be taken. Herbs and spices which are digestive, carminative and hot can be added to regular diet so that agni is strengthened and food is properly digested. Some examples are freshly grounded black pepper, cayenne pepper (lal mirch) and ginger (dry). Fennel (saunf) does not disturb pitta so it can also be easily had by people of pitta prakriti. Honey has special mucous removing properties, however for honey to exhibit its fat reduction properties it must be pure, organic and at least a year old as that much time period is required for its properties to change. Another important fact about the consumption of honey is that it should never be heated. In all ayurvedic preparations honey is added only after cooling the preparations as it develops toxins when it is heated. Honey can be taken in the morning added to a glass of tepid water, lemon juice can be added. Honey also has a laxative effect on the digestive system. This can be taken even after meals. The book Sanatan Kriya The Ageless Dimension details the rare and ancient herbs, kriyas and techniques to achieve a perfect body along with side-effects modern diet and exercise regimens.