Ayurvedic Skin Care

Does the venerable Indian practice of alternative healing known as Ayurveda offer breakthrough discoveries for the health of your skin?

While Ayurveda is not the panacea some marketers would have you believe, there is a growing scientific understanding of how its products work.

In the ancient theory of Ayurveda, the body was seen as composed of three mental doshas, three body doshas, seven dhatus, and malas. The vata, or nervous system, and pitta, or enzymes, and kapha, or mucus must be in balance for the body to achieve health. The satogun, or godly attributes, and rajas, or kingly attributes, and tamas, or evil attributes, must be in harmony for the mind to achieve health.

That's not the sort of thing you can test with science.

What you can put to a scientific test is the way the herbs used to balance vata, pitta, and kapha work with the body as it is understood in Western research. In October of 2008 the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine published clinical studies of Ayurvedic oils and their ability to regulate emotions and the immune system. It published an article of how essence of lavender in sesame oil could raise the temperature of and stimulate circulation in the skin. And there are beginning to be American university studies of Ayurvedic preparations for acne and wrinkles.

It's important to note that Aveda, the brand of cosmetics, is not the same as Ayurveda. The founder of Aveda is himself a devotee of Ayurveda, meditation, and yoga (and sometimes gives his business partners secret mantras to stimulate their health), but not every product by Aveda is Ayurvedic.

If the ingredient is "sodium lauryl sulfate derived from virgin natural coconut oil," for example, it is true that the ingredient began as virgin natural coconut oil. The lauric acid was extracted, then boiled in sulfuric acid, and neutralized with ethanolamine. It began as a wholesome, natural, organic Ayurvedic healing plant product. But by the time you buy it, organic is the last word you would use to describe it.

So, if it's Ayurveda, is it good for you? The principles of Ayurvedic healing have been around for 5,000 years. They wouldn't last that long if they did not ever work. Just be sure the product you buy is really natural and really based on Ayurveda.