Here's Why Ayurveda Recommends A No-Onion, No-Garlic Diet

Ever wondered why Ayurveda recommends a no garlic and onion diet? While there are numerous health benefits of both onion and garlic, why does Ayurveda suggest food without these two basic ingredients? In Ayurveda, onion and garlic are more like medicine than food items. Ayurveda categorizes food on the basis of rasas (taste) and gunas. It defines nutritional properties of food based on six tastes - sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent and gunas or qualities, which are Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Onions and garlic are considered to be Tamasic and Rajasic respectively, which means they are pungent in nature and result in an increase of bile and heat in the body.

The reason

Ayurveda specialists suggest that consumption of onion and garlic results in some negative feelings and emotions like anger, aggression, ignorance, over stimulation of the senses, lethargy, anxiety, and increase in sexual desire. Hence, those who practice meditation or choose to follow the spiritual path, live in complete avoidance of consumption of onion and garlic.

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It is also said that Rajasic foods such as onion and garlic have an adverse effect on one's consciousness, where they can distract individual's focus, affect a person's presence of mind and also result in an unstable intellect.

Also read: Onions & garlic reduce cancer risks

The medicinal properties

As mentioned above, Ayurveda recognizes onions and garlic medicines more than food. Hence, onions and garlic are recognized as blood purifiers in Ayurveda. While garlic has healing properties, onions are cooling energetics and are a great summer food. Onions are sweet in taste and facilitate proper digestion. Onion is known to reduce the burning sensations in the body by cooling the digestive tract.

Also read: Garlic controls high blood pressure

Other health benefits of garlic and onion

• Garlic has often been considered as a "wonder drug". It has been used medicinally for many years for treating bites, tumours, ulcers, snakebite, wounds, headaches, heart diseases, cancer, pimples, measles and many more.
• Garlic prevents infections such as the common cold and cough because of its anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties.
• Garlic is an antioxidant, which his good for your skin. It also contains flavonoids, which are good for heart and body.
• People with high cholesterol level, must use garlic in your food. It helps heart patients to deal with increased levels of cholesterol.
• Because of its anti-carcinogenic bodies, raw garlic helps in reducing risks of cancer. Two raw garlic cloves are recommended daily to help prevent formation of cancerous compounds development in tumours.
• If case of insect bites, you can apply crushed garlic on the affected area to reduce pain and to remove poison.
• Onions anti-inflammatory and reduce pain. Ayurvedic texts recommend the use of onion in sciatica, arthritis and other diseases which involve bones, joints and peripheral nervous system.
• The poultice of onion help to reduce swelling and pain in joints and hard abscess.
• Application of onion juice is recommended to reduce pigmentation and spots on the face.
• Use of onion juice is recommended in ear pain and blurred vision.
• Onions help in rejuvenating liver, normalising digestion and relieving constipation.
• White onions are recommended for people who have bleeding disorders. It is often used in case of nose bleeding.
• Onions help in reducing cough.
• Onion and its seeds are known to help in erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation and male infertility. It helps to increase libido, quality and quantity of semen.