Cooling Tea Recipes… So You’re Not A Monster this Summer

I LOVE summer and the warmth it brings (makes my vata very happy), but whew, some of these days the heat is more than I can manage. I have a significant amount of pitta in my constitution, and when heat meets heat, it’s on!

There’s a general understanding in Ayurveda that like increases like and that opposites cure—meaning that we treat the dosha involved with herbs and therapies of an opposite nature to its quality.

It’s important to remember—especially in the Summer (pitta season)—to treat pitta with cooling and calming therapies, because it mainly consists of the element of fire and is primarily hot in attribute.

What are signs of pitta imbalances? Look for:

Excessive sweating
Body odor
Sweaty palms
Red skin irritations
Fever
Hyperacidity
Anger
Criticism of oneself and others
Irritability

Knowledge of our doshas and individual constitution is key to preventative health and optimal living. When we understand ourselves to the root of our psychological and physiological being, we have a deeper understanding of what dis-eases we may be prone to, and how to treat them when we find ourselves out of balance—and of course, most importantly, what to do to stay in balance.

So in honor of this hot summer, I thought it would be nice to offer a few cooling tea recipes for you to enjoy!

To counterbalance pitta dosha, which naturally increases during the summer, we want to treat it with the sweet, astringent and bitter tastes, all of which are cooling in nature. The tea recipes below aid in reducing pitta and staying in balance.

Pitta-Reducing Cooling Tea

This Adrenal Tonic/Pitta-Reducing Tea was created by fellow Ayurvedic Practitioner and Herbalist Isabel Castro.

Pitta type of people love to work and have a tendency to burn out! Try this yummy tea which I recommend to many of my clients, which they all seem to love, myself included to replenish the adrenals and calm the mind.

4 parts oatstraw
2 parts nettle
1 part spearmint

Add 2 rounded teaspoons to 2 cups hot water. Cover and steep overnight. Strain and enjoy 1 cup in the morning, and 1 cup in the afternoon, away from meals.