Springtime can be rough for those with a little more earth and water in their constitution. If you’re a mucus factory, or have an overactive immune system that manifests as seasonal allergies, or even seasonal asthma, below is a recipe to make your lungs happy.
With the advent of spring the earth begins to melt, the moisture returns to the air and things get sticky, including your lungs. An overproduction of mucus is the result of excess water and earth building in the body, which is basically inevitable in damp, cool New England. To remedy this, one needs to bring in more heating, circulating and drying substances (cue the dry red wine, no seriously) or Lung Support Tea.
Pippali, or Indian long pepper (piper longum), is in the Piperaceae family and can be easily found on the world wide web, or any Indian grocery store. In Ayurvedic materia medica, pippali is highly revered for its ability to support and rejuvenate lung tissue. Ground mustard is heating and circulating, perfect for breaking up mucus. Honey, while sweet, is astringent, its heating properties work to scrape and purify the channels of the body – basically getting rid of any goo that accumulated during the winter.
Lung Support Tea
Combine the following in 1 cup of hot water
- ¼ tsp of ground pippali
- ¼ tsp ground mustard powder
- 1 tsp of raw honey
Cheers to healthy lungs and unconstricted airways!
Ayurveda Lite 