top of page
Search
Writer's pictureSamantha Donaldson

Hydration, Agni, and Peri-Menopause

Updated: Aug 2, 2023

Hydrate the Ayurveda way, and a staple tea to help get you there.

Cultivating balance is fundamental to Ayurvedic Theory.

The way we hydrate impacts our Agni, or digestive fire. You can think of this fire as a kindled campfire. We ideally want this fire to stay lit so it can help assist in breaking food down and be passed in our intestines for assimilation and absorption.

When we consistently consume icy drinks, frozen smoothies, too much caffeine, chug our liquids down, or not consume enough of it is when our digestive fire can be put out or become a wildfire. Either way can disrupt our digestive process and overtime create imbalances within our body.

I see this quite often across all stages of women's lives. However, during (peri) menopause, this is an important time to have practices that support the function of Agni when there is a slow decline of estrogen being produced. This later stage of life is governed by Vata dosha. Vata’s dry, rough, and mobile qualities impact the nourishment of our tissues, and can lead to dry, brittle bones, muscle loss, and irregular gut issues. When it comes to the transition of menopause, it’s not the loss of estrogen that is the cause to so many symptoms women experience. It’s getting the rest of the body to remember how to function optimally without the need of higher estrogen levels.

Estrogen plays a large role in not just reproductive health but in supporting the foundation of our health and connective tissue. In this case, I like to use the analogy of our body as a brand new home. When the foundation of our new home has cracks in the walls and the pipes are leaking water, we don’t want to decorate the home and try to cover it all up. We work on restoring the cracks in the foundation so we can enjoy living in a home that can stand on its own. When estrogen is no longer supporting our Agni (digestive fire) as much as it used to, and we’ve lived our life with mild gut related symptoms, it wouldn’t be a surprise for someone to have worsening gut symptoms. There was never a strong foundation there to begin with. This may not be the case for everyone going through menopause. However, if this resonates, there is another way to go about this transition of life, naturally and gracefully.

Hydration is one of the first and simplest ways to begin to regulate Agni (digestive fire), maintain hydrated tissues (dhatus), and support natural detoxification pathways. Ayurveda suggests to consume warm or room temperature liquids whenever possible, and I always suggest this simple, warm CCF tea. It consists of cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds. It’s an Ayurvedic staple that I, myself, sip on between meals all day that keeps me hydrated, energized, and regulated.

If I have a busy day I will make a small pot in the morning and put into a thermos to keep warm for hours. If my day is more relaxed, I will make this in the afternoon in a tea pot to sip on the rest of the day. Give this recipe a try for one week, and observe how hydrating this way impacts your overall health.


CCF Tea


What you'll need:

  • 2 cups spring water

  • 1 tsp cumin seeds

  • 1 tsp coriander seeds

  • 1 tsp fennel seeds

  • 1 tsp raw honey (optional)


How to make:


Boil 2 cups of water. In the meantime, place your spices in a tea strainer or tea baller, and place into your mug, thermos, or teapot.

Pour boiling water over the tea and steep for 10 minutes.

Remove your strainer. Option to add a little raw honey if you desire.



7 views0 comments

Comments


bottom of page