In recent years, the wellness community has seen a growing interest in the ancient practice of Ayurveda and its holistic approach to health. Interestingly, cannabis is re-emerging as an integral component of this traditional Indian medicine. Ayurveda, often referred to as the “science of life,” originated in India thousands of years ago. It focuses on balancing the body, mind, and spirit through natural remedies, dietary changes, and lifestyle adjustments. One of its core principles is the use of plants and herbs to promote healing and maintain wellness. Let’s explore how cannabis, along with CBD, intersects with Ayurveda and what benefits they offer.

The healing system of Ayurveda is over 5,000 years old, developed and practiced by the ancient Vedic culture, and originally passed on from master to apprentice. It is built around an intricate study of the energies that move through the universe; interacting with each other as they move in and out of balance. Everything in nature has energetic qualities, and since humans are a part of nature, we mirror these energies.

We are born with a certain energetic constitution (our dosha), yet as we move through life we are affected by the seasons of the year, by how we take care of our bodies, by the foods we eat, and ultimately by our habits and relationships. These energetic qualities play on one another to either bring balance, or imbalance, to our environment and to ourselves.

When we begin to look for Ayurvedic tools that move us towards harmony and balance it is important to remember that we aren’t an isolated system; first and foremost, we are a part of nature. This is why Ayurveda puts a strong emphasis on living seasonally; what you eat and how you care for yourself should shift with your environment and the seasons.

Ayurveda categorizes all things by its primary energy or dosha, including us humans. It’s helpful to discover our primary constitution (dosha) when we begin our Ayurvedic healing journey. Our dominant dosha may change throughout our life, and showcases any strong tendencies that we have.

By learning about our doshas, we begin to shed light on how our tendencies can lead us towards imbalance; having this awareness helps us make choices that bring us towards balance. The three doshas are represented in everyone, but we often find one that predominates in our true nature.

• Vata – Vata is created from the combination of the air and space elements. Its physical qualities are dry, light, cold, rough, mobile, invisible and formless. Think air and wind across wide open plains. Think outer space, cold and vacuous. Think about the characteristics of Autumn, how the air is often dry and chilled, the wind blowing the dead leaves off the trees, leaving them bare. People who have a predominately vata dosha tend to be creative, energetic and flexible but when vata is out of balance these people may be anxious and ungrounded.
• Pitta – Pitta is created from the combination of the fire and water elements. Some of the physical qualities of pitta are hot, light, sharp, fluid, and penetrating. Think about summer, particularly summers in climates with high humidity. Think about fire and how it dances; fierce but fluid. These things embody the pitta dosha. People who are predominately pitta tend to have high levels of motivation and determination. They are ambitious, competitive and charismatic, often making good leaders. When this dosha is out of balance these people may be irritable, easily angered and find themselves struggling with burn out.
• Kapha – Kapha is created from the combination of earth and water elements. The physical qualities of the kapha dosha are cold, sturdy, heavy, dense and slow. Kapha is the embodiment of winter; the cold, dark days where all we want to do is sit inside and watch the snow fall. When you think of the kapha dosha, think of this season where the days are short, where time moves slowly and motivation is hard to come by. People who have a lot of kapha naturally tend to be grounded, calm and steady. They move through life methodically and are patient, thoughtful and caring. When too much kapha accumulates and it becomes imbalanced these people can be lethargic, complacent and overly sentimental. They can also be prone to stubbornness and depression.

We like to think of the doshas as energetic manifestations which show up throughout our world through our own tendencies, in the qualities of our food, or in the way a landscape presents itself in nature. Ayurveda heals by bringing balance to the energies within a system in order to manifest their qualities in a healthy way. When engaging with these energies, it’s essential to keep in mind that similar energies tend to amplify one another.

Just as the vata winds blow across the plains and add to their dryness, foods that manifest the vata energies will increase vata in the person that consumes them. When we know our predominant dosha and how we are out of balance we can begin to add energetic qualities which counter this dominance and bring up the energetic levels of the other doshas in our system. With this idea in mind, we can look to Ayurveda for suggestions regarding our diet, activities, and personal care rituals that support bringing balance to our predominant tendencies.

Like other ancient healing traditions, Ayurveda is built around the flow of energy. It is a healing system that has stood the test of time by drawing from the wisdom that is rooted deep within us. This wisdom reminds us that we are not isolated beings, but instead we are an integral part of an energetic system that is constantly flowing from the season to the land, the land to the food, the food to us, and so on. This exchange of energy has the power to shape us into beings filled with health and vitality, which is essential while traveling on our healing journey.

Cannabis has a historical presence in Ayurvedic medicine, as noted in texts like the Sushruta Samhita, where it was used to address digestive issues, reduce stress, and stimulate appetite. Ayurveda recognizes cannabis as a sacred plant with therapeutic benefits, including balancing doshas, providing pain relief, and aiding digestion. In Ayurveda, CBD is seen as a modern tool that complements traditional herbal practices. It may enhance the body’s natural healing processes, reduce inflammation, and promote relaxation. Additionally, CBD, a non-psychoactive component of cannabis and hemp, complements traditional herbal practices by enhancing natural healing and reducing inflammation. The integration of cannabis and Ayurveda highlights the potential for ancient wisdom to enrich modern wellness approaches. Consulting a certified Ayurvedic practitioner can help individuals explore these holistic benefits responsibly.

Thank you to Joanna Tandberg who is a Board-Certified Ayurveda Wellness Counselor who has written this guest newsletter for us on the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda. Joanna will be joining us this month on our 11/13 The Green Nurse Podcast, and will be presenting teaching slides for our 11/20 Clinical Conversations webcast. See the events listed below to sign up for the webcast.

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Events

• Monday, November 11th – 4:20pm PST Cannabis Nurse Health Coach Mastermind in our Network for Nurses enrolled in our flagship CNHC Program to maximize learning in clinical and business development. Join our monthly discussions on care plans, case studies, and the latest research and news. We have changed the time to make it more convenient for our members.
• Monday, November 25th – 4:20pm PST Plant Medicine Education, Support, and Integration Group. This monthly offering is for those who are new to plant medicine, or currently using psychedelics for bio-psycho-social-spiritual healing and would like to learn how to optimize the experience of using CBD and lifestyle as medicine to support the endocannabinoid system and the endocannabinoidome. It is a safe space for integration and ongoing learning while exploring psychedelics for inspired consciousness for healing.

NEWS Alert – The Green Nurse Podcast was syndicated on Red Coral Universe broadening our educational reach to millions around the world.

The Green Nurse Podcast started its 7th Season of streaming and sharing compelling stories of healing and clinical conversations on the safe use of cannabis as medicine.

• Wednesday, November 13th – 5pm PST – The Green Nurse Podcast with Joanna Tandberg who is a Board-Certified Ayurveda Wellness Counselor and our contributing author to this month’s newsletter and blog. Come meet Joanna as she shares her plant medicine journey with us.
• Wednesday, November 20th – 4:20pm PST – Clinical Conversations with our guest speaker presenter Joanna Tandberg who will bring this newsletter to life sharing slides with us on the ancient practice of Ayurveda and its holistic approach to health alongside cannabis and CBD. Sign up for the free webinar HERE.
• Wednesday, November 27th – 5pm PST – The Green Nurse Podcast with Melanie Wentzel, author of Cannabis Queens. Join us to dive into the creation of this book that unveils the hidden truths of the booming cannabis industry emerging from prohibition, led by women. The series delves into the multifaceted relationships between women and cannabis, challenging stereotypes and celebrating their unique connection to the plant. Emphasizing the medical, political, and revolutionary aspects, it aims to redefine the narrative around cannabis and empower women as “Cannabis Queens.” Both Nurse Sherri and Elisabeth Mack have contributed to the book by sharing their stories.

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People are Making Great Medicines, People are Selling Great Medicines, but no one is interpreting how to truly use Cannabis as Medicine.  That’s what we do!”