Hello Every One,

If you have listened to our podcast and / or taken any of our classes, you probably know that both Tim and I have what we like to call "sensible vices".

One of these sensible vices is vanilla bean ice cream.  If you are not a fan of vanilla bean ice cream, please do not continue to read.  We do not wish to waste your most valuable asset, your time.

However, if on occasion you enjoy a scoop or two of vanilla bean ice cream, you might be happily surprised to hear that after all, it does the body good.  :)

Vanilla's extraordinary health properties are most likely the reason it was kept a secret by the Totomac people for hundreds of years.  It was not until the 15th century, when the Aztecs conquered the Totomac people that vanilla made it outside that culture.

And just like the cacao bean, it didn't make its way to Europe until the Spanish conquistadors of the 16th century.  Yes, vanilla has a highly intriguing history.  And an even more intriguing origin.  The vanilla bean comes from the pod of the only fruit-bearing orchid.  

By now, you are probably thinking.  Ok interesting fun facts.  Now what?

Ayurvedically speaking, vanilla has the cooling quality and the sweet and astringent tastes.  This means that it helps reduce excess Vata without causing excess Kapha.

Modern research shows that the vanilla bean has several benefits that significantly may upgrade our performance in daily life.

• May reduce inflammation 
• May improve cognitive function
• May help mediate thermal sensitivity in warm to hot temperatures (tolerate heat easier)
• May work as anti-depressant

Vanilla does that due to the chemicals it contains, called vanilloids. These chemicals activate certain receptors which end up reducing our body’s supply of the neuropeptide substance P, a primordial pain signaling chemical, present in all animals, even snails. High levels of substance P are correlated with arthritis, fibromyalgia, degenerative diseases, and inflamed nervous systems.

However, just like every other commodity in life, not all vanilla is created equal. If you end up with improperly processed vanilla, you do more harm to your health than good.

This is due to three main reasons:

1. The anti-inflammatory compounds in vanilla are destroyed by excess heat.  If the vanilla pods or powder are improperly processed and/or exposed to higher than optimal temperatures, the benefits are lost.
2. Heating vanilla can lead to mold toxins, similar to cacao beans and coffee beans.  The compounds in vanilla that help improve cognitive performance also act as natural anti-fungal agents.  When these compounds are destroyed, mold spores and fungi are able to grow on the dried beans during storage.
3. Most of the vanilla-labeled products are artificially flavored with vanillin derived from the paper-pulp byproduct lignin (instead of vanilla fruits), or from castoreum (the exudate from the castor sacs of mature beavers.)  In other words, you want to stay away from anything called “vanilla natural flavoring.”

Do your homework and look for vanilla beans or powder that have been properly processed.  Some good indicators to look for are:

• 100% ground Madagascar vanilla beans or pure alcohol-based Madagascar vanilla extract, processed below 180° degrees Fahrenheit
• Pure ground vanilla bean powder
• Vanilla bean extract powder
• Pure alcohol-based vanilla extract (watch out for corn syrup and other additives)

Try to stay away from vanilla powder with additives (such as maltodextrin, silicon dioxide, cellulose), imitation vanilla extract and vanilla flavor.  Also vanilla paste is often times mixed with corn syrup and thickeners.

So how about?

• some delicious vanilla ice cream made of whole milk
• some full fat heavy whipping with a dash of vanilla
• some vanilla in your coffee, or shake
• a few dashes of vanilla extract with a pinch of cinnamon in your glass of whiskey, bourbon, or rum (according to Tim, barrel-aged spirits already contain hints of vanilla flavors due to the wooden casks they mature in; adding this helps bring out more of these subtle nuances)

Until next time...   Remember that life is like ice-cream.  Enjoy it before it melts away.
Na’maste Kala! (Which in Greek means, may we all be well!)

-Tim and Vie | Ayurveda Outlaws
- Freyja | The Ayurvedic Puppy