To counteract symptoms associated with excess pitta, Ayurveda advises refraining from food and drink with pungent, sour and salty tastes, such as fermented, deep-fried or hot, spicy foods. It also strongly recommends that you avoid stressful and aggravating situations.
General Pitta Disorders
The following simple procedure helps to remove some of the related ama and calm down excess pitta. You should use this technique on a day that you don’t have to work and can stay relaxed.
On the evening before treatment, make some fresh ginger-root tea by boiling one or two inches of grated or finely sliced ginger-root in one cup of water. Boil the tea to about three-quarters of a cup, strain out the ginger and add twenty milliliters (four teaspoons) of castor oil. Mix it well and drink it when the evening pitta cycle begins, around 10 P.M. The next morning some purging will take place which will help to cleanse the pitta zone. Take it easy for the rest of the day and eat only soups or kichari if you feel hungry.
Hyperacidity
Pitta tea and pitta-pacifying diet and lifestyle all help reduce excess pitta. Pomegranate juice also works well. If you have problems with too much heat and acidity, you can take a tablespoon each of licorice-root powder and turmeric root powder, three times a day in between meals.
If you are experiencing burning when you urinate or defecate, then you can make a tea with one teaspoon each of fennel, cumin and coriander seeds in two cups of water. Boil it down to one cup and sip during the day. Do this for two to three days.
Skin Rashes
If you are suffering from mild skin rashes, massage with coconut oil and drink the same tea recommended above.
Menopause
Women who are entering menopause often suffer from hot flashes, night sweats and irritability. In addition to a pitta-pacifying diet and lifestyle, you can use one-teaspoon each of ashwa-gandha, shatavari and amalaki, taken between meals twice a day for at least three months.
PMS: Premenstrual Syndrome
PMS, a common discomfort plaguing many women, is, according to Ayurveda, caused by an accumulation of ama which blocks the shrotas. In the days immediately before and during the menstrual cycle, drink warm water upon arising and sip ginger tea throughout the day. Make this tea with fresh ginger-root, fennel seeds, licorice powder and cumin powder.
Avoid salt, sugar and fermented foods, and in the evening, before dinner, chew well a tablespoon each of sesame seeds and organic raisins to improve elimination. It is also important to perform both abhyanga (described below in the section on treating vata imbalances) in the morning to improve circulation and pranayama to improve the flow of prana in the body. It is also strongly recommended to meditate daily to reduce the mental agitation that often comes with this condition.