Soothing Strawberries
Strawberries- they’re a British institution aren’t they? Succulent, sweet, slightly sour, very seedy (!), and lots of other Ss I’m sure! Nobody in my family seems to love them quite as much as we are supposed to (apart from my Dad who obviously only eats them with cream and is therefore not a particularly Ayurveda-friendly example, as fruit is supposed to be eaten only with other fruit in order to maximise potential!). I think it’s one of those situations where we are told that something is delicious and that we should love it, and therefore something inside of us is a tiny bit disappointed when we actually do eat it. Either that or we all absorb the ‘Strawberries are sweet’ message and are then surprised by the sour, tart taste that can quickly follow the sweetness. Either way, while they’re cheap and in season, we should definitely eat more of them as they are a tri-doshic food, meaning that they pacify all three doshas- Pitta, Kapha and Vata. This is great news!
As with pears (see my previous post), strawberries are a great example of nature giving us what we need, when we need it. Because of the Summer heat, our bodies heat up too. This can lead to irritation and short-temperedness as well as things like dry eyes, flare ups in liver issues, kidney stones, rashes and other skin irritations, stomach inflammation, tired/swollen muscles, fatigue- the list goes on! The ‘rasa’ or taste of strawberries is astringent, sweet and sour. The sourness is important in stimulating the digestive system. It lubricates and dislodges stagnant food in the gut, reducing heaviness. The sweetness moisturises and revives, quenching thirst and grounding mood.
The ‘guna’ (characteristics) of strawberries are light, easy and cold. In Ayurveda, food is used according to its taste (rasa) and characteristics (guna). In general, you need to eat and drink things that have the opposite properties to the imbalances present in you at the time. For example, if you have too much Kapha (water and earth) in your body, you need to eat things that are the opposite of heavy and cold in order to regain balance (and stop common Kapha complaints such as a sluggish digestion, congestion and low mood whilst holding onto the positives of Kapha such as steadfastness, compassion, loyalty, beautiful skin and facial symmetry!). This is why a tridoshic food is so amazing- it can help to balance people with completely different imbalances!
Rejuvenating but also calming. cooling and grounding, strawberries are antioxidant, antinflammatory, replenish fluids, are a skin and eye tonic and help to build red blood cells. They are also very fun to pick!