The events of the past few weeks, months even, have left the world a battered and worn out place. Constant fear of the ongoing pandemic, stress about the social struggles taking place across the world and the general fatigue associated with being cooped up too long in our homes has left most of us feeling disconnected.
This week’s issue of the DIY Ayurvedic recipes aims to help relieve pent up stress and anxiety. Shankhpushpi has several compelling benefits attached to its consumption and usage. The major property for which Shankhpushpi has been used since ancient times is that it is a Medhya Rasayana. It is capable of improving memory, relieving stress and mental fatigue, revitalizing the mind and body and promoting sleep.
Know More:Shankhpushpi and its Ayurvedic history
Mentioned below are some unique and potent formulations and decoctions that can help in various situations. The Shankhpushpi focussed recipes are easy to follow and can be made relatively quickly. Meaning you won’t have to spend more than thirty minutes (max!) to have a cure for your problem!
Recipe 1: Shankhpushpi Decoction
Take a teaspoon of Shankhpushpi powder and boil it along with a cup of water. Once the water has boiled and cooled, filter out the brew and store it for future use.
How to Use: Wet a cotton ball with the liquid and dab it over open wounds. Make sure to use fresh and clean cotton balls/swabs when treating open cuts or wounds to prevent infections.
Purpose: This simple Shankhpushpi recipe allows you to make your own anti-bacterial disinfectant. Due to its anti-bacterial nature, Shankhpushpi can serve as an effective home brewed disinfectant.
Recipe 2: Shankhpushpi Powder mix
This is a powder recipe that requires 1g Shankhpushpi powder, 1g Ashwagandha powder, 2g Almond powder and a pinch of white pepper powder. Take all the powders and mix well before consuming them.
How to Use: Consume the powder mix once a day, after food.
Purpose: This herbal formulation provides multiple benefits simultaneously.
- Shankhpushpi – alleviates mental fatigue and stress.
- Ashwagandha – rejuvenates the body and improves physical strength.
- Almond powder – effective nutrient source.
- White Pepper – flavor enhancer.
Recipe 3: Shankhpushpi Face-mask
For this recipe take half – one spoon of Shankhpushpi powder and approximately 10ml of Honey. Mix the two to form a thick paste. You can also add some milk to the paste to loosen it up.
How to Use: Take the paste in your hand and apply it on your face and neck evenly. Let it sit for 10 to 20 minutes before washing off with cool water.
Purpose: In addition to its property to enhance wound healing, Shankhpushpi has also found to be useful for skin nourishment. Studies have shown that it also helps in reducing acne and skin wrinkles to an extent.
Recipe 4: Shankhpushpi milk-mix
This is a simple two-minute recipe which involves mixing half – one teaspoon of Shankhpushpi powder with a cup full of lukewarm milk. Jaggery or Gud would be a great taste enhancer here!
How to Use: Consume this milk mix once a day, preferably early in the morning or before breakfast.
Purpose: Shankhpushpi has been hailed as a memory and intellect promoter from ancient times and that is the property this recipe focuses on. The simple nature of the recipe allows the delivery and retention of maximum amount of Shankhpushpi. Additionally, this recipe also relaxes the body and the nervous system and energizes you for the day ahead.
Recipe 5: Shankhpushpi Syrup
Take 2g of Shankhpushpi powder, 0.5g of Brahmi powder, 80g of Sugar and a few drops of citric acid or lemon juice. Add the Shankhpushpi powder, Brahmi powder and Sugar into a vessel along with approximately 100–150 ml of water. Heat the vessel over a medium flame. Constantly stir the solution until the sugar dissolves into the liquid. Once the liquid has cooleda bit, add the lemon juice, stir and store for use in an airtight jar.
How to Use: Consume a spoonful of the syrup when experiencing tension, fatigue or sleeplessness.
Purpose: Both Brahmi and Shankhpushpi are notable Ayurvedic herbs that have properties that enhance brain function and increase memory. Additionally, this Shankhpushpi recipe serves to attenuate stress and tension and brings peace. The syrup can also be consumed by those who are unable to sleep well as most cases of sleeplessness are induced by stress or fatigue.
Recipe 6: Shankhpushpi-Ashwagandha Powder mix
This powder mix takes almost no effort to make and requires just two ingredients, Shankhpushpi and Ashwagandha. Take 1.5 – 2 grams of both the powders and mix before consumption.
How to Use: The Shankhpushpi–Ashwagandha powder mix should be consumed regularly for a period of three months to obtain best results.
Purpose: This formulation focuses on preventing recurrent cases of miscarriages. Miscarriages are, according to Ayurvedic texts, a consequence of a weak uterus. This recipe aims to vitalize the uterus and the female body to prevent this condition.
We at Amrutam are proud to inform our readers and consumers that we have now released 10 new single-herb churnas, including the Shankhpushpi churna!!! For more details on the products, follow the link. If you want the benefits of the above-mentioned recipes without the hassle of having to make them, check out our Brainkey Gold Malt. This original Amrutam recipe contains Shankhpushpi, Ashwagandha, Brahmi and various other herbs which make it a very potent memory enhancer and stress buster.
This week’s issue of the DIY Ayurvedic recipes was focused on alleviating stress and tension. Although resorting to Ayurveda as a cure to your problems is an alternative to conventional medicines, medicine alone is only 50% percent of the cure. Proper work-out, eating healthy foods and green vegetables, drinking at least 3-4 liters of water daily, spending time doing the things you love are all part of the process of achieving proper health. If you need help motivating yourself to start working out or getting into yoga, check out some of our articles curated by our wonderful team that may inspire you.
