By: Amadea Morningstar RPP, RPE
Traditional agua frescas in Mexico infuse the flavor of fresh vegetables or fruits into pure water. They are especially popular on the streets in summer. Here are three different healing drinks to play with, all courtesy of Easy Healing Drinks from the Wisdom of Ayurveda.
AGUA FRESCAS FOR PURIFYING
Time: Five minutes, plus 2 – 4 hours to infuse
Makes: 2 cups, easy to multiply
Purifying, Health Building, and Vegetarian
1 organic cucumber (2 cups)
2 cups water
4 teaspoons fresh chopped dill leaf
Wash the cucumber well and slice it into a quart glass jar. Add the water and dill.
Put in the refrigerator and let cold infuse for 2 – 4 hours. Drink the water, eat the cucumber or use in another dish.
Effects: balances all doshas. In excess, it could increase Kapha.
This drink supports: hydration, cooling, plasma.
Comments: While cucumber is cool and sweet, its skin is bitter. If you wanted this drink to be even friendlier for Vata, you could remove the peel.
VARIATION: in place of the water, use 2 cups organic coconut water. Refreshing, even richer in magnesium and potassium, and with a slightly sweet taste.
VARIATION: in place of the dill in the original recipe, use 2 Tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro. Our recipe testers were strongly enthusiastic about this variation.
CHERRY AGUA FRESCA
Time: 30 minutes to pit, overnight to infuse
Makes: one cup
Purifying, Health Building, and Vegetarian
1 cup fresh organic cherries
1 cup coconut water
1 thin slice fresh ginger (optional, skip for Pitta)
1 teaspoon maple syrup
Wash and pit the cherries. Place them In a glass jar with the coconut water and ginger.
Infuse overnight in the refrigerator. You can infuse the solution as much as 24 hours for maximum flavor. Strain the cherries. Drink the water (the agua fresca). The fruit can be eaten in other dishes, or smoothies like the Vata Classico Shake.
Effects: calms Vata, neutral for Kapha and Pitta.
This drink supports: plasma, blood cells, nerves, sleep!
Comments: Organic is essential here. You want to infuse nutrients into the fluid, not pesticides. In excess, sweet, sour, astringent cherries can heat up Pitta, yet here their warmth is balanced by the cool coconut milk.
Note: Thanks to Jin Lin Hao at Yoga: Ayurveda: Healing Foods: Breathwork, www.tsomo.com for her expertise in this recipe.
NIGHT TIME VARIATION: Proceed as above, with use tart cherries, a richer source of melatonin. Skip the ginger, add 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg and drink this warm before bedtime for a gently restful effect. For other useful food sources of melatonin, see https://nutritionfacts.org/2014/04/03/foods-with-natural-melatonin/
MANGO AGUA FRESCA
Infuse 1 peeled, chopped organic mango in 1 cup coconut water overnight. Stir in 1/8 teaspoon cardamom. Strain. Tridoshic. Entirely delicious.
Purifying, Health Building, and Vegetarian
Image thanks to Renee Lynn
Used with permission from Easy Healing Drinks from the Wisdom of Ayurveda