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Image Credit Not from Jerusalem OR part of the artichoke family, the name is derived from the Italian Girasole Archicioffo meaning “sunflower pinecone” being the root of a species of sunflower. If you haven’t seen it before it looks a little bit like ginger, and it’s a starchy vegetable which can be used in place of potato. Jerusalem Artichoke contains small amounts of anti-oxidant vitamins such as vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, and the dietary fiber Inulin. A very good source of minerals and electrolytes, especially potassium, iron, and copper.  It also contains small levels of some of valuable B-complex group of vitamins...

Native to India, cucumbers have been cultivated for thousands of years. The skin is rich in silicon and chlorophyll. Eating cucumber ‘skin-on’ enhances its medicinal virtue. You can eat it, add it to juices and use it externally on the skin. It’s incredibly refreshing and indeed is the perfect vegetable for summer, Pittas and hot climates. Ayuveda recommends using black pepper with cucumber for Vata to counter its coldness. Cucumber is a diuretic, it slows the movement of food through the intestines, counteracting toxins and lifting depression. It cleanses the blood, influences the heart, spleen/pancreas, stomach, and large intestine. It quenches thirst, moistens the lungs, purifies the...

One of the most valuable of our vegetables, especially for Pitta, celery is also one of the most heavily fertilized and sprayed, so buying organic where possible or growing your own is very important. Celery is another vegetable that’s great raw, cooked or juiced alone or in combination with other fruits and vegetables. Celery is high in sodium and silicon. It benefits the stomach and spleen/pancreas and calms an aggravated liver; improves digestion; dries damp excesses; purifies the blood; reduces conditions such as vertigo and nervousness; and promotes sweating. Its also used for heat excesses such as eye inflammations, burning urine, acne and mouth ulcers and...

Usually considered a herb (or a weed!) dandelion, a common member of the sunflower family, is valuable as a vegetable too! The leaves contain more vitamin A than almost any other vegetable. They are also high in potassium, which makes uncultivated (wild) greensbitter to the taste, and makes them an exceptional vegetable for Pitta and Kapha. A tea of the leaves is an excellent drink for helping the liver and gall bladder, and also in cases of rheumatism and gout. Dandelion is strongly diuretic, has liver cleansing properties, aids in the flow of bile, and stimulates the glands. The root, usually used dry as a...

Indigenous to the north-western Indian subcontinent, carrots are an easy and nutritious vegetable to eat! They contain over 13,000 i.u. of vitamin A per 100g and are also one of the richest sources of the antioxidant beta-carotene (provitamin A), which protects against cancer as well as treats night blindness, ear infections, earaches, and deafness. Beta-carotene/vitamin A benefits the skin and is anti-inflammatory for the mucous membranes. Carrots benefits according to Ayurveda are extensive. They purify the blood, benefits the lungs, strengthen the spleen/pancreas, and improve liver function. Carrots are useful for skin lesions and lung infections. They ease whooping cough and coughs in general. The juice heals...