7 Best Cooling Spices for Summer: Ayurvedic Remedies to Beat the Heat
Image by Photo by Roman Savchenko on Unsplash
Do you remember from one of the last posts that the digestive capacity is low in the summer because the body takes energy from the digestive system to cool itself?
This means we need to spice up our food to help the body. At the same time, though, we have to ensure that the heat is not increased through the food, bearing in mind that most spices are pungent and create heat.
So, we need to focus on spices that support digestion and keep the body cool.
Is that possible?
Luckily, nature always provides us with what we need and spices that stimulate digestion and cool the body.
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Here are the Best cooling spices for the summer:
Coriander
Image taken by @mockupo
How to use it?
Use it in the tempering for vegetables and dals, add coriander seeds or powder to your coffee or chai, soak a teaspoon of coriander seeds in water overnight, strain and drink in the morning to combat heat in the body, and add fresh coriander leaves to vegetable dishes, soups or dals. To reduce heat, make a smoothie from fresh coriander, cucumber, and ginger.
Cardamom
Photo taken by @j_kalsi
Cardamom, turmeric, and ginger are excellent combo for digesting the mucousy quality of milk. Staying with mucous, cardamom also helps reduce mucous in bronchi and sinuses.
Bad breath? Chewing the seeds helps to refresh the mouth and teeth.
Cardamon strengthens your heart, spleen and Agni (digestive fire).
How to use it?
As mentioned above, cardamom seeds can be chewed just like that as a mouth-fresher or to beat tiredness and foggy brain.
The seeds or powder can be added when heating milk to help digest its mucuousy quality.
The powder can be added to cakes and Indian sweets to help digest their heaviness and mucous-building qualities.
The opened pods can be added to tempering for dals, for example.
What is the difference between green and black cardamom?
All the qualities mentioned above and purposes are for the green cardamom, which is harvested before maturity.
Black cardamom is much bigger, approximately triple the size, harvested at maturity and dried over fire, which gives it a smoky flavour. The black variety is used in dals and meat dishes; it goes into the tempering with other strong-flavoured spices like cinnamon bark, cloves, and star anise. Black cardamom is high in antioxidants and is often found in Garam Masala recipes.
Fennel
Image taken by @j_kalsi
How to use it?
Fennel can be used to temper vegetables, dals or soups/stews.
It can be made into tea, either on its own or with cumin and coriander, the well-known CCF tea.
Cumin
Image taken by @distilledstills
How to use it?
Cumin is Ayurveda's antidote to potatoes, which, as nightshades, are difficult to digest. But tempered with Ghee and cumin, potatoes are tastier and easier to digest. The same applies to cabbage.
Soak cumin overnight or with coriander for their digestive or diuretic properties (helping to pee more).
Fresh Ginger
Image taken by @faran_raufi
Apart from the digestive benefits, fresh ginger is said to have blood-thinning properties, helps to reduce cholesterol, and is beneficial in cases of bronchitis and asthma.
Ginger is one of the best ama-burning herbs. Ama is half-digested food that the body can't process or recognise what to do with it. As a result, ama travels through your body. When the digestive fire, your Agni, is weak, ama starts to solidify and deposit itself in the weak spots of your body to create problems. Ginger's hot properties help to burn ama and detox the body.
There is no doubt about it; ginger has heating properties and needs to be consumed in moderation, mainly if Pitta dosha is already dominant in your body. Fresh ginger is less heating than dried ginger powder.
How to use it?
Ginger tea, 1 slice ginger per cup water, boiled for a few minutes.
As above, plus ¼ tsp lemon juice after food to help digestion.
¾ tsp ginger juice plus a few drops lemon juice before food to stimulate Agni, the digestive fire.
½ - ¾ tsp ginger juice with honey in case of cough or bronchitis.
Freshly grated ginger to be added to any vegetable dish, dal, soup, or leafy greens.
Liquorice
Image taken by @erwanhesry
How to use it?
Liquorice works well as tea. For this, ½ tsp liquorice powder is added to 1 cup of water, brought to a boil, and then turned down to simmer for 10 minutes before straining. 1 tsp of ginger can also be added; they work well together.
To keep the heat at bay for Pitta constitutions during the summer, take ½ tsp amla powder and ½ tsp liquorice powder mixed with ghee or water.
Saffron
Image taken by @iranskids
Saffron strengthens the stomach and supports the digestive system. It reduces muscular spasms and inflammation. It also strengthens the heart, helps with anaemia and cools the brain.
Saffron is strongly associated with the female reproductive system, specifically regulating and promoting menstrual flow. But that is not all; according to Ayurveda, saffron possesses aphrodisiac properties and has been described as part of a wedding night ritual where it is mixed with milk.
Externally, it can be used as a paste to help skin conditions such as acne and eczema.
How to use it?
Saffron works excellently in sweet dishes, rice and tea.
As mentioned above, saffron is the most expensive spice, so it’s probably not the real deal if you find a cheap variety, expect about £8-10/gr.
Before usage, the strands need to be soaked or if you want to use it immediately, my teacher recommended dry roasting the saffron in a pan for a few moments, letting it cool down and powdering in a mortar and pestle.
Final Thoughts
As we wrap up our exploration of the "7 Best Cooling Spices for Summer: Ayurvedic Remedies to Beat the Heat," it's clear that nature generously provides us with what we need to maintain our well-being, even during the hottest months. These spices aren't just adding flavour to your dishes and offer profound health benefits, from reducing inflammation to enhancing digestive health while keeping our bodies cool.
Whether sipping on a coriander-infused drink to calm your digestive system or enjoying a fennel tea to alleviate bloating, each spice offers a unique blend of benefits tailored to combat the summer heat.
Enjoy these Ayurvedic remedies as part of your seasonal routine and notice the subtle yet significant ways they enhance your health and vitality. Stay cool, stay healthy, and enjoy the vibrant flavours of summer with these essential spices.
Further Resources
Shifting into Summer with Ayurveda
Seasonal Eating - Summer Food Guide