Ayurvedic Health Truth: Your Skin Is Not the Problem — Your Hormones and Blood Are! Sacred Herb Series Continues......

You know, when I was maybe 7 or 8, I remember watching my grandmother dig up these gnarly red roots in the garden. Her hands would be stained deep orangish color, just like she was pulling out henna straight from the earth, and she would smile at me and say, "This is powerful medicine." Today I know that that plant that I saw was Manjistha or Indian Madder, and that bright Stain has healed more skins than you and I can count. Hello, my lovelies. Welcome back to another episode of Actionable Ayurveda. I'm Salila Sukumaran, a generational practitioner based in California. And we are here to unlock your Ayurvedic intelligence, your inbuilt AI, so you can have a juicy, glowy body and live a life of purpose. So today I want to talk to you about this root that's been my skin's best friend through stress breakouts, hormonal chaos, and every skin disaster in between for a decade now. And if you're listening to this during your commute or while you are getting ready or Let's be real, hiding in the bathroom from your family for 5 minutes of peace. Stay with me because I'm about to share something that actually works like magic. Even my facialist Denise cannot believe I'm perimenopausal and I don't have a single wrinkle on my face. Touch wood, touch wood, touch wood. And my Abhyanga massage therapist always exclaims in charming Malayalam, "We can't find a single fault on your body." And I share this to help you have a simple routine that will put the juice back in your skin. Okay, so I know you probably tried everything, and maybe your bathroom looks like a Sephora exploded. A few months ago, one of my clients, let's call her Kim, came to me with a familiar complaint. She was in the middle of a product launch at work, juggling investor calls, parenting a tween, and eating whatever she could grab between meetings. And she was waking up with acne around her chin, which usually means it's hormonal rashes on her neck that look like little starbursts and a deep sense of something needs to give. So she said, Salila, I've tried everything. My skin just hates me and I'm out of ideas. And I had to comfort her that her skin did not hate her. It was just her blood screaming for help. Her skin was simply the messenger of her blood. Your skin is not separate from the rest of you. When your blood is congested, when Pitta Dosha, the energy of fire, is aggravated, it all shows up on your face, on your skin. And instead of putting her on a long, complicated protocol, we started small. I had her include Manjistha in her routine as kumkumadi for facial oil and Pindathailam, another oil mixed with a deeply nourishing oil for daily Abhyangam. My own personal go-to favorites for my Vata Pitta skin. Within weeks, her skin started clearing up, but more importantly, she felt a whole lot calmer, less irritable, and strangely more like herself. Isn't that fascinating? And of course, we also worked on her diet and her lifestyle. That's just part of the deal with me. 3 weeks later, she sends me a photo. And I'm not going to tell you that her skin looked Instagram perfect because that's not real life. But it was clear. The angry red bumps along her neck were gone. The dark spots were fading and the dullness gone. By the end of our 8-week cleanse journey with me, her skin was transformed. I smiled when I received this text. Salila Sukumaran, I've spent so much looking for the next miracle Korean beauty product. And this simple 2-oil ritual did way more. For transparency, Kim did my signature 8-week cleanse we cheekily called Hot Mess to Goddess. But the power of Manjistha cannot be understated. So what is this stuff? Here is a beautiful sacred shloka that describes this herb in all its glory. And if you understand Sanskrit, if you have an ear for it, you will already figure out all the qualities, the gunas. Manjushta, Madhura, Tikta, Kashaya, Swara Varnakrata, Guru Ushna, Vishva Shleshma, Shodha Yoni, Akshi Karnaruk, Rakta Atisara, Kushta Asra, Visarpa Vrana, Mehanud. Manjushta is what we call as Rakta Shodhaka. Rakta meaning blood, 'Shodhakamini'—purifier. It is found in the hilly regions of India and all over Southeast Asia, and the root is what we use for medicine. Now let me tell you about its qualities, its gunas. It's 'guru'—it's heavy to digest—and 'ruksha'—dry. So this tells us that it is supposed to be had with something that will ease our digestion, so something like a cut paste or cooked down into a decoction with milk so that it is easily digestible. And it is ruksha, it is dry, so we need to have something that makes it unctuous before we take it. However, it is also tikta, bitter, kashaya, astringent, and madhura, sweet. So these three tastes work together and they're kind of a complex mix, because the bitter part of the herb will detoxify the body, the astringent part will tighten and tone, and the sweet part will nourish. So this is a unique herb that even though it is dry, and it is bitter, and it is astringent, it is sweet. It will help with nourishment without depletion. So that makes it a very unique herb. And after digestion, its vipaka is katu, meaning pungent. That is, it will reduce and it will lighten and tighten. However, it will still maintain nourishment of the tissues. So it will help you lose weight without really losing strength or the strength of your tissues, the pushthi of your tissues. And here's the part that confuses people. Its potency, its virya, is ushna, meaning hot, right? So you're probably thinking that if it's hot, how is it good for inflamed skin? Stay with me. This is the genius of this herb. Manjistha is kapha, Pitta Shamaka, which means it eases both the imbalances of Kapha, which means weight gain, cholesterol, things sedimenting in the body, building up, and Pitta Dosha. Pitta Dosha means fire, inflammation, acting out, rash-prone skin, anger, arrogance, gut issues. Diarrhea, acid reflux. But mainly it is Pitta Hara. It calms down Pitta. And because it calms down Pitta, it's incredibly useful for tissues wherever Pitta flares up, like the skin, like our eyes, because these are the seat of Pitta. And the heat isn't inflammatory heat. It's not like it's gonna add fuel to the fire. It's metabolic heat that burns through ama toxins. So remember, not all heat destroys. Some heat is necessary for purification, and that is exactly what Manjistha does. It purifies blood without depletion. Now listen to what the classical texts say about what Manjistha treats, and this is important. One of the first words to describe is 'swarakrit,' meaning it improves voice, it makes it clearer, it makes it stronger. And I noticed this with my hyperthyroid patients. They will have sweeter sounding voice once the thyroid is more balanced. So what the Acharyas are saying, that this is going to be powerful healer for thyroid issues as well. Varnakruth, it enhances complexion. So this is a big one for the skin, for all of us ladies. It literally creates better skin tone and texture. And then the other condition that it heals are Vishya, which means toxic conditions, poisoning, because it detoxifies. Shodha, inflammation conditions, swelling, edema, it's going to reduce that. Yoni Rukh, any kind of pain in the vagina which usually is associated with gynecological disorders. So PCOS girlies, listen up! Women with endometriosis, this is going to help you. Karna Rukh, pain in the ears. Akshi Rukh, eye pain. Rakta Aati Sara, which is diarrhea with bleeding. So this is a very Pitta imbalance condition. When there is blood in the stool. Kushta, Visarpa, these are all skin diseases, eczemas, psoriasis, chronic rashes, you name it. Vrana, wounds, injuries, ulcers. Meha, insulin resistance, urinary tract disorders, diabetes. Asra, when the blood itself is toxic, congested, and is developing ama, because of which we have multiple health issues. You see what's happening here? This isn't just a skin herb. This is a blood purifier that works through multiple systems. Skin, but also gynecological, urinary system, digestive system, the sense organs like eyes and ears. Because when you purify blood, you heal everything that the blood touches, which is literally everything in the body. All right, enough of the theory. Now let's get into what you came here for. What can you actually do with this stuff? I'm going to give you 3 remedies straight from the classical texts. Just pick the one that feels doable and start there. The number 1 remedy I'm going to talk about is Cold Infusion for Summer Skin. And throughout these episodes that I share with you, I've shared the formula with you. This works for most of the herbs. Instead of popping pills, this is how we should be having our herbs for maximum potency. Temperatures are rising and this remedy will come in handy for the next few months. This remedy is beautiful for summer. And if you're going through perimenopause, menopause, or dealing with hot flashes and skin issues, this is your lifesaver. Take about 2 tablespoons of Manjistha powder, soak it in about 200 to 300 ml of water overnight. So that's about 2 cups of water. In the morning, mix it up with a spoon, strain it, and drink it first thing. This is incredibly effective for burning sensations in the body, for summer blisters, for boils that show up when your system is overheated. The cold infusion method preserves the cooling action while the root itself does its purifying work in your gut and in your blood. This will also protect you from sunburns. Number 2, Manjistha mask for pimples and dark spots and acne. We'd leave this mask on for just 5 to 10 minutes and we rinse it. This is straight from the classical remedy in the texts. Take Manjistha root powder, Rub it well with water to make a fine paste. Apply directly over pimples and dark spots. And you can use fresh roots if you have access to them. Grind them with a little water to make the paste. What's happening here? We know that Manjistha is Barnakrit. It enhances complexion, so it pulls out impurities from the skin, reduces pigmentation, and that natural astringent quality will tighten your pore and reduce the pore size and make your skin look brighter. Now if you want to take this up a notch, and this is for those weekend mornings when you have a bit more time, I'm going to share the complete Ayurvedic face pack recipe that includes Manjistha along with other powerful herbs. And if you don't have time for this, just get yourself Kumkumadi oil from a reputed pharmacy like Kotakal Aryavedya Shala, and that's all you need. But if you have time, here's what you need. You need about 2 tablespoons of gram flour, chickpea flour. It's good for the skin, it provides gentle exfoliation, and it will bind all the ingredients together. Then we need about 2 large pinches, or about 2 grams, of turmeric. We need about half a teaspoon of neem powder. This is your acne fighter, your fungal fighter, bacterial fighter, viral fighter, your pustule warrior. It will cleanse skin deeply. So we need a little neem powder. If you don't have neem powder, you can substitute it with neem oil. Add about 2 to 3 drops of neem oil, that should do. Kadira powder. Kadira powder is Keshia catetua. About half a teaspoon of that. Acacia is very good for the skin as well. Adding this to the mask will improve your mask and make it even more effective. Then our hero, Manjistha powder, a nice heaping teaspoon. And you already know what it does— blood purification, enhances your complexion, and it will balance any imbalance of Pitta. Then just to give it some unctuousness, we are going to add some almond oil or almond powder, about a teaspoon. It's a natural vitamin E source and it will nourish and soften and it will counter any of the dryness from the neem and the Manjistha. We will also add about half a teaspoon, about 5 grams of sandalwood powder, because again sandalwood is a very powerful skin healer. It is astringent, it balances excess Pitta. It is also effective in fighting acne and acne scars, and it will leave your skin feeling cool and soothed, especially as summer is coming up. And just to balance all the warming qualities of the ingredients we have used so far— we have used Manjistha and turmeric— we are going to add some rose water to balance and make this a cooling aromatic mask which would bring everything together beautifully. You can make a big batch and store it in an airtight container for about 2 to 4 months. Just keep it away from moisture so that no water particles get in there and will spoil it, create mold. When you're ready to use it, take what you need, add rose water, make a paste, and apply on your face and leave it on your face. Avoid your eyes because Neem can be an irritant if it gets into your eyes. Turmeric can be an irritant, especially if there's contamination in the kitchen. I always make sure that the turmeric I use for my skin is always kept separately from the turmeric I use in cooking, because I don't know, sometimes I'm busy, I stick the same spoon in the chili powder or the paprika, and I stick the same one in the turmeric, and then I cross-contaminate that way. So I always keep my Facial Mask Turmeric away, and usually it's the highest grade organic turmeric. Now leave this on for 15 minutes. Apply it thickly so that you have at least a quarter of an inch of paste mask on your face. Do not wait till it's completely dry and cracking. That will have an opposite effect because once it is dry, it starts to drain the moisture from the face instead of providing the face moisture and nutrition. So tops 15 minutes, and then wash it off with cool or lukewarm water. So you can do this once or twice a week, that's it. Do this every day if your skin needs extra support. And if you want to enhance the benefits even further, massage your face with a few drops of Kumkumadi Taila right after. Kumkumadi Taila, for all those who are new here and do not know of this oil, it's a classical Ayurvedic facial oil famous for skin glow and complexion. Actually, it's a powerful medicinal oil that has just been marketed as a facial oil. In reality, it is great even for conditions like really bad ulcers that don't heal. So it's that powerful skin healer. The beauty of this recipe is that you can customize it. If your skin is on the oily side, add a bit more neem and a bit more Manjistha. If it's really dry, Add almond oil, or instead of almond powder, use pecan powder or macadamia powder. Instead of almond flour, if you have sensitive skin, just reduce the turmeric to a little tiny pinch or add saffron instead. This is Ayurveda. It's not rigid. It adapts to you. Now on to our third remedy. Manjishtha Kashaya or hot decoction. For all my lovelies who are dealing with chronic skin issues like eczema, persistent acne, hyperpigmentation, cellulitis, this is your remedy. Here is how you make a proper Ayurvedic decoction, and this is usually the same across any herb that you use. Take about a heaping tablespoon of course, Manjistha powder. Add 2 cups of water, boil it without a lid, let it simmer down till you have just 1 cup of water left. It's a nice strong tea. Strain it through a fine muslin cloth and drink this warm. A dose is always no more than 25 ml, which means about 2 tablespoons, and you take it in the morning on an empty stomach. You can have it again before dinner, about an hour before dinner or so, but no more than that. You can make it fresh daily. If you're genuinely busy, make a cup, which is about 150 ml, store it in the fridge for no more than 5 days. All right, my dears, now I want to revisit something important. The cold. Is it heating or is it cooling? Confusion. Many women panic when they learn that Manjistha is Ushnavirya, is heating. I have inflamed, red, angry skin. Won't this make it worse? They fear it will trigger a hormonal imbalance. You will get white discharge, it will cause you acidity, etc., etc. And here is what you need to understand. Yes, its potency is healing, but it's Pitta Hara, it pacifies Pitta Dosha. Both things can be true at the same time. How? Because Manjistha affects the metabolic warmth, the Dhatu Agni, that which transforms and purifies Ama. It's not an inflammatory kind of heat, it does not reactivate Shrota. The kind that makes your skin burn and ache. It actually reduces Shrota. Manjistha's heat stimulates digestive and metabolic fire. It burns Ama, endogenous toxins, without creating more inflammation. That's why it's so useful in Visarpa, which are like harder to cure skin infections. And this is why it's in medicines even for eye disorders where Pitta accumulates. And this is why it works as first aid for even fresh burns in the kitchen. But use a cold infusion if you are going to use it as a wash over a fresh burn. The classical texts are very clear on this. It's vishagna, it's antitoxic. It's used for poisoning, for inflammatory conditions, and for blood disorders. I can't say this enough. So we are talking 5,000 years of evidence, and that means proof you get by observing, testing or measuring something yourself. It's real, it's verifiable facts, not just ideas, guesses. When something is mentioned in the Shastras, in the books of Ayurveda, I observe it in my clients. When the sage scientists of Ayurveda guide us to heal, what they tell us through these documents, through these sacred texts, it still works for us today because the human body is still the same and it acts in predictable manners. And you can see the effect in your body within days of starting to use these herbs. But before we close, I want to share some of the beautiful names of Manjistha, because in our tradition, every name is a teaching. And as you remember these names, you will also know the qualities of Manjistha. It's called as 'yo jana wali'— the creeper that spans long distances, reminding us that you may be the one planting, but your neighbors will get the benefit. Everybody around your home gets the benefit. It reminds us of our interconnectedness. It is Raktaanga. It is colored like blood, showing us that this herb has a special affinity for Rakta Dhatu, our blood tissue. It is called as Vastra Poojana, ornament of a cloth. For thousands of years, this plant has dyed sacred garments, special occasion garments like wedding sarees, monks' robes. Even today, Special occasion fabrics like Ajrak are dyed with Madder, with Manjushtha. Vastraranjini, she who imparts red color to fabrics, making them functional. So when you move, breathe, sweat, a little bit of the medicine is released to support your skin microbiome. And my favorite, Rasayani, the rejuvenator. Not just fixing what's broken, Manjushtha restores what's possible on the deepest level. So she's your longevity bestie, making you new again. And here's what I want you to take away from all of this. Manjushtha improves your voice, it enhances your complexion, treats skin diseases, blood vishation, inflammatory conditions, wounds, diabetes, and urinary disorders, eye problems, ear problems, gynecological issues, diarrhea with bleeding. So many conditions. The ancient texts categorized it in the Varnya group, herbs that enhance skin complexion. And the best part is you don't need to be believing in Ayurveda for the herbs to do their magic. You don't need to understand doshas completely or speak Sanskrit or read Sanskrit. You just need to be willing to try something simple, something ancient, something that connects you back to yourself, to Mother Earth. Pick one remedy, whatever calls to you, whether the morning cold infusion, the facial mask, or the hot tea. Whatever calls to you, start with the recommended dosage. Don't go thinking more is better. In Ayurveda, the right dose at the right time is everything. And write to me what happens. Seriously, email me at healwithsalila@gmail.com. Leave me a comment, send a voice note on Instagram. Look me up. I read everything. I respond personally. I want to know what you're experiencing, what questions are coming up, what's working, what's not working. In the next episode, I will answer your questions and share another magical herb and stories from my lineage, and stories from my clients. Until then, may your skin reflect the truth of who you are. May you remember that healing is not about perfection. It's about connection to your own inner knowing, to ancient wisdom, to Mother Earth, to Mama Gaia, to your own body's intelligence. I am Salila Sukumaran. You're listening to Actionable Ayurveda. I will see you next week.