In Ayurvedic teaching, the world is said to be regulated by five elements – space/ether, air, fire, water, and earth. It is believed that combinations of these elements holistically determine everything from the characteristics of rocks to that of animals.
A combination of each element leads to three doshas which are vata, kapha, pitta. These are responsible for a person’s physiological mental and emotional well-being, though your body may undergo unusual changes when the Pitta dosha levels increases.
Pitta is the energy vital for good metabolism and certain transformations such as forming perceptions. It also aids digestion and helps us distinguish between wrong and right.
A lot of unhealthy food consumption and lifestyle habits are the general reasons behind the imbalance in doshas. In this blog, we explore why pitta imbalance occurs and how you can balance pitta in body with some of the home remedies.
ou can balance your pitta with the right diet (aahar), lifestyle (vihaar), and medication (chikitsa). Before we talk about remedies for pitta in detail, let’s dive into why pitta balance is important for optimal health.
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What is Pitta Dosha?
The term ‘Pitta’ roughly refers to fire. But in Ayurveda, when we talk about pitta, it is not the literal fire that we point to. Pitta dosha refers to the heat energy inside our body that is invisible and helps us metabolize our food.
When the breakdown of our food happens in the stomach and intestine, it is the pitta dosha that’s involved in the process. Thus, all individuals possess pitta energy which is primarily composed of fire elements and water elements.
Characteristics of a Pitta Body Type
The people whose pitta is dominant are fiery and can be distinguished by their quick learning abilities, powerful intellect & strong ambition. They experience the tendency of being perfectionists, leading, and are filled with energy, strength, high levels of drive, and passion.
They love challenges whether it be professional or sports-related and possess an athletic build. The hands & feet of pitta-influenced constitutions are seldom cold, not even in winter and they possess a sweet tooth and a liking towards bitter flavors.
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Symptoms Of Excessive Pitta
In Ayurveda, balance is the key to well-being, and when Pitta levels rise abnormally, it brings forth a range of symptoms that can disrupt your health & life. Here are some of the signs of Pitta imbalance that point towards disharmony and loss of vitality.
- Increase in mental temperature due to stress, high temper, emotional distress that causes frustration, irritation, moodiness & discomfort
- Increase in stomach heat leading to acidity, ulcers, and heartburn
- Excessive alcohol, meat, sugar, and white flour consumption
- Frequently experiencing upset stomachs, diarrhoea, constipation, impaired digestion & acidity
- Profuse sweating, body odor & becoming emotionally sensitive.
- Experiencing headaches, inflammation & joint pain
- Becoming overly judgmental toward people
- Increase in hot flashes & giddiness
- Increased hunger & thirst
- Experiencing tenderness in breasts or testicles
- Feeling jealous, unstable & overly attached to goals
Not only these, pitta imbalance can cause major harm to the body and can make you suffer from ailments such as –
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- Eczema
- Dermatitis
- Over-sensitivity to sun exposure
- Acne
- Hyperthyroidism
- Jaundice
- Fatigue
- Autoimmune health disorders
Causes Of Pitta Imbalance
One usually experiences the symptoms of pitta imbalance due to the following reasons:
- Eating a healthy diet which includes foods that are sour, salty, pungent, deep fried or processed
- Being exposed to the sun for a large amount of time
- Drinking a lot of tea, coffee, alcohol or smoking
- Being under a lot of stress that causes emotional outbursts
- Not getting enough sleep due to a lot of work pressure or stress
- Exposure to toxins or certain chemicals
Since we have established what symptoms and causes of excessive pitta are, let’s move on to the home remedies that you can try to balance your pitta.
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28 Home Remedies For Pitta
Balancing pitta can help to reap many benefits such as increased passion and productivity, healthy digestion, blood circulation, better decisiveness & increased initiative to introduce healthy life changes.
Here is a list of 24 home remedies for pitta that are sure to help you obtain optimal health. The list is categorized into three sections: aahar (food), vihaar (lifestyle), and chikitsa (medicine) which will ensure that you get a better understanding and gains from the home remedies.
Foods For Balancing Pitta (Aahar)
We are well aware of the impact that the food we consume has on our lives. The quality of our meals has a direct impact on our well-being and energy levels. The same is true for balancing Pitta levels.
1. Have foods that pacify pitta such as milk, green leafy vegetables, capsicum, cucumber, asparagus, cabbage, cauliflower, and bell peppers.
2. Rice, wheat, and oats also help reduce pitta when consumed.
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3. If pitta balance is your aim, legume is the name. Include in your diet legumes such as lentils, split peas, black beans, wheat, and soybeans.
4. Many nuts and seeds such as almonds, pumpkin & sunflower seeds, and coconut can help with pitta imbalance.
5. Coriander, turmeric & cumin are the spices you shall consume.
6. Restrict the intake of the following foods: white sugar, beef, cashews, bananas, tomatoes, chicken, beets, garlic, honey, pineapple, urad dal, sesame oil, walnuts, salted butter, urad dal, corn, grapefruit, pineapple, tamarind, eggplant, turnip & salmon.
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7. Consume a lot of fruits and space them at least an hour prior to your meals or an hour after meals for better digestion.
8. Hydrate throughout the day to have plenty of water in your body at all times.
9. Go for light foods which are easier to digest rather than heavy foods which burden the digestive system.
10. Avocado’s creamy texture and healthy fats help soothe pitta dosha, while its cooling properties aid in reducing excess heat and acidity in the body.
11. Sweeteners like honey, when used in moderation, provide a natural, less heating alternative to sugar, making them suitable for pitta dosha balance.
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12. Ghee that’s obtained from hand-churned milk from cows is effective in reducing body heat and an excellent remedy for balancing pitta.
Yoga Asanas That Help With Pitta Imbalance (Vihaar)
You can make certain lifestyle changes to better your pitta dosha. Introduce yoga & regular exercise in your life for good results. Here are some of the yoga asanas that can help you naturally regulate pitta levels.
13. Do Balasana (Child pose). It is a kneeling asana and a restorative yoga pose that’s known for its calming, grounding, and relaxing benefits. It releases tension from the chest & gives a boost to the respiratory system.
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14. Practise Bhujangasana (Cobra pose). It stretches the muscles in the chest, shoulders & abdominal region, helps soothe sciatica, and balances doshas.
15. Do Marjaryasana (cat stretch pose). It helps activate your solar plexus (Manipur Chakra), enhances your core strength, and offers better spinal flexibility.
16. Practice Jathara Parivartanasana (revolved abdomen twist pose). It strengthens your abdomen, uplifts serotonin levels (feel-good hormones), and improves posture.
17. Try Viparita Shalabhasana (superman pose). It helps regulate healthy blood flow to the internal organs and detoxification while offering relaxation to the lower back & hip area.
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18. Perform Moon Salutation (Chandra namaskara) which aids in channeling lunar energy and has a relaxing impact on the mind and body.
19. Rest in Shavasana (corpse posture). People with pitta predominance or imbalance shall practice this asana daily for 15-25 minutes as it soothes and cools the fiery aspects of pitta dosha.
20. Doing meditation would also help in getting rid of emotional distress and managing Pitta levels.
Performing yoga asanas can activate your body’s heat. Thus, it is recommended to do yoga exercises at a cooler time of the day i.e. either early in the morning or evening when it is comparatively cool & also, to strike a balance between rest & activity as excessive amounts of exercise without proper rest can heat the body even more.
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Herbs That Help Pacify Pitta (Chikitsha)
Having a pitta dosha diet & doing yoga asanas and exercises that restore pitta can help a lot, though those wanting to see effective results shall turn to the use of certain pitta-pacifying herbs.
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21. Elaichi is an Indian spice often added to tea and foods that help maintain healthy pitta levels.
22. Neem leaves & Guduchi are two herbs that taste bitter but are often very helpful in pitta vitiation.
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23. Amla or Amalki is a popular home remedy for pitta that is mostly employed to cleanse the digestive system & balance pitta levels.
24. Triphala is often consumed for its variety of benefits, one of them being its natural ability to pacify pitta dosha. To make it more convenient, you can find Thriphala Juice and Triphala Tablets on the Ambic Ayurved website.
25. Kalyanaka Gritham is a mixture of triphala, pomegranate & Indian madder that helps maintain pitta balance in the body.
26. To reduce pitta, one shall drink lukewarm water containing cumin powder after lunch.
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Conclusion
Achieving and maintaining pitta balance through home remedies can be a transformative journey towards better health and well-being. Manage stress, inflammation, and digestive issues effectively with Ayurvedic herbal remedies, dietary adjustments, and lifestyle changes.
By incorporating the above-mentioned home remedies for pitta balance into your daily lives, you can embark on a path towards a more balanced and fulfilling physical, emotional, and mental being.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are the remedies to reduce Pitta?
You can try home remedies for pitta such as amla, neem, triphala, ghee, and elaichi, coupled with a pitta-pacifying diet that includes legumes, almonds, pumpkin seeds, milk, ghee & more and yoga asanas such as Balasana, Bhujangasana, Marjaryasana, Moon Salutation, Shavasana.
2. What are the cooling foods for Pitta?
Consume cooling food to reduce pitta like milk, butter, ghee, grains such as rice, barley, and oats, fresh fruits like cherries, figs, oranges & melons and steamed root vegetables like sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips.
