Ayurvedic Herb Guide

These seemingly magical botanicals have been an integral part of Ayurvedic healing for thousands of years—here’s how they work and what they can do for you.

- Vera Tweed

Ayurveda, India’s traditional system of healing, uses more than 5,000 herbs. Some of these are especially versatile and well-matched for resolving common problems we encounter today, and have become popular remedies and preventive supplements for a variety of conditions.

“Ayurveda is about balance,” says Virender Sodhi, ND, founder of the Ayurvedic and Naturopathic Medical Clinic in Bellevue, Wash. “Balance in sleep, balance in food, balance in exercise, activity, sexual activity, all those things, and when you have created a balance, everything functions properly in the body.”

The first doctor to be certified both in naturopathic medicine in the U.S. and in Ayurvedic medicine in India, Sodhi has treated thousands of patients using these principles, producing some remarkable results. One patient arrived while waiting for a heart transplant, and after a six-month regimen of an Ayurvedic heart formula, with arjuna as the main herb, the patient no longer needed the transplant. Another had arteries that were 60 to 70 percent blocked, as a result of fibro muscular dysplasia. After a year of taking arjuna plus a combination of curcumin and CoQ10, she underwent a CAT scan that found her arteries were clear. Others have corrected underlying imbalances that led to high blood pressure, and no longer need medication for hypertension; some resolved other chronic conditions.

Many Ayurvedic herbs have some similar mechanisms of action, such as reducing harmful chronic inflammation, but each also has unique qualities. To harness their power in different situations, these are Sodhi’s top herbal picks:

ASHWAGANDHA