Feeling dehydrated? the Ayurvedic way to staying hydrated
Have you ever felt thirsty and had dry skin, yet you drink plenty of water? If so, Ayurveda has some easy answers for you on how to quench your thirst at the root.
By the time you feel thirsty, your body is already dehydrated. The unwelcome effects of dehydration include sluggishness, a foggy head, headaches and excess acid in the body. Drinking water enables the proper functioning of the organs and boost overall health. Dehydration affects vital organs of the body like brain, kidney, liver, stomach, lungs etc. by hampering the oxygen supply to the brain. Due to lack of water or moisture, the functioning of vital nutrients and minerals decreases, and overall energy reduces because the brain gets exhausted and fatigued easily.
When you drink plenty of water, but still feel thirsty it means the deeper tissues of the body are not getting properly hydrated, it literally means that your cells are thirsty!
In addition to sluggishness and headaches, signs of dehydration can be found in the skin…. If you wake up with sheet marks on your face, if your lips are chapped, if your eyes feel dry, or if you don’t urinate often - these are all signs that you may be dehydrated.
According to ancient Ayurvedic texts, normal drinking water can take about six hours to be absorbed if the tissues, that’s if the body is fairly clean and clear. Hot herbalized water takes about one and a half hours, and the addition of the herbs helps open the channels, clear mucous and toxins and cleanse the body as it hydrates it. To get moisture to the deeper tissues of the body, Ayurveda recommends the following easy beverages…
6 SIMPLE & TRULY-HYDRATING BEVERAGES
DRINK WARM WATER: boiling water for a few minutes to make it sharper and more penetrating. By heating water and making it sharper it can reach areas that cold water alone can’t.
AYURVEDIC GATORADE: warm purified water (boiled and cooled down), add a pinch of pink or celtic salt (or trace mineral drops, not Morton salt which is processed and missing minerals), squeeze lemon (or lime in the case of FIRE types). If you just ran a marathon: add a quarter teaspoon of salt to your water.
BONE BROTH: Sip on bone broth or chicken broth throughout the day, rather than water, it’s natural, easy to digest and packed with electrolytes.
COCONUT WATER: This is tasty and great at replenishing electrolytes.
BANANA SMOOTHIE: Have a banana smoothie with fresh lime, cardamom and coconut water.
LICORICE ROOT TEA: Licorice tea is also an anti-diuretic. If you suffer from dryness, and your mouth feels parched in the fall, licorice tea can help replenish your fluids. *Note: Licorice is contraindicated for those with high blood pressure. If you are on blood pressure medications or suffer from high blood pressure, contact your doctor before taking licorice tea.
CORIANDER, FENNEL & GINGER WATER: To 1 cup of boiling water, add ½ teaspoon of coriander seeds, ½ teaspoon of fennel seeds, and grate 1 inch of fresh ginger root. Boil for 10 minutes, strain water into thermos flash and enjoy throughout the day.