Nightshades and the Energy Pattern of Vata
Nightshades: The Alkaloids and The Matter Science
Nightshades get their name from the fact that the flower during fertilization is bent down like the Victorian lampshades used at night for lighting
The group includes tomatoes, eggplant, sweet and hot peppers, potato both white and sweet, and paprika as a spice So we can see that this food group has a wide range of usage in our nutritiion
From a molecular standpoint they have a high concentration of a class of compounds called alkaloids that have two significant biological effects The first is that they interfere with a nervous system neurotransmitter that is ubiquitous in the nervous system So there is a potential but subtle change in nervous function
The second feature is that this class of compounds can affect the joint spaces and again even though subtle consistent intake of these compounds in all the varieties of nightshades currently available to us leads to potential imbalances that can affect our health long term
Nightshades: An Energy Science Perspective
The energy science of Ayurveda views foods from how they affect the energy physiology and ultimately their impact on the balance they bring or do not bring to the physiology For example, if a Pitta Vata(PV) eats tomato they increase the qualities of hot, light, sharp/penetrating, rough, dry, liquid, and subtle Vata is the energy of movement in the energy physiology so this has biologic repercussions for those of us who are Vata dominant
Many of these qualities can have imbalancing effects long term and lead over a period of time dis-ease consequences such as anxiety, anger, irritability, fear, and loneliness due to their effects on the nervous system through the above neurotransmitter effects on cholinesterase With this example we can see how foods effect the mind not just the physical body, that is they affect the mindbody as a whole
And these same alkaloid effects can produce difficulty in managing joint dis-eases such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid and gouty arthritis This is because these same qualities affect energy patterns that affect the joints, causing dryness due to the qualities of hot,rough, light, and dry
The below table helps us understand the nutritional use of the various nightshades from an energy science view
Yes Moderation No
Tomato, raw PV/PK
Tomato, cooked PK PV
Eggplant PK PV
Sweet peppers PK PV
Peppers, hot PK PV
Potato, white PK PV
Potato, sweet PV PK
Paprika PK/PV
How To Interpret the Table
The link provided above comes from foodsheal.com and by taking a questionnaire we can find out what our basic biological energy pattern is With that information we can determine if we are PK(Pitta Kapha) or PV Then using that we can see where we fit on the above table As we can see PV should stay away from nightshades as a class of foods Who would have thunk it? And it is based on the above information garnered from the alkaloid effects on the nervous system and joints
We can also see how PK can use this class of foods in moderation which means 1-2 x/week but as we show not all the time And then PV can use sweet potato all the time and PK white potato all the time
Both PK and PV should stay away from raw tomato all the time!! What happened to our salads!!
The Value of Energy Science Nutrition
It is obvious that most of us do not or would not follow the above scheme But the information is there for any of us who want to be healthier It's a different biologic paradigm but one that will help improve our quality of life if we so chose
As in any aspect of nutrition, the choice is ours
Until next time Ciao To health as a Skill Love DrBill
