July - Summer / Fire/ Pitta
Rose & Cucumber/Courgette: Sensory cooling rituals for heart-centred joy
A Year of Seasonal Self-Care with Plants and Rituals
Summer mornings in the garden
With the heat of the summer rising, reaching for rose and cooling cucumber can freshen our bodies and soothe our hearts.
The sun is shining, the garden is in full bloom, the birds and the bees create their own beautiful tunes of summer. We are well and truly in the peak of the Fire Element which is about the heart and heart supporters (the pericardium, and triple burner), and the small intestine which helps us to digest and absorb nutrients. It is also about the health of the tongue and blood vessels.
During this season we see more warmth, dryness and lightness. These increase Pitta and as the summer progresses it can aggravate Vata. This increase of heat from outside of us, increases heat within us. Especially building more heat in our digestive fire (agni) and this can overflow into heating symptoms; such as hay fever, prickly heat, hives etc. With Ayurveda’s philosophy in mind - like increases like- we want to do the opposite and focus on cooling and calming to reduce our internal heat.
The emotions of the Fire element are happiness but also lack of joy. Laughter but also seriousness. Emotionally we may be feeling a need to be sociable, enjoying being around people, and connecting or we could be feeling very vulnerable and feeling drained by too much attention and wanting to go within.
If we think of the Fire element as the flames of creativity and inspiration, our deep ambition, passion or vocation that burns inside our bellies and needs to be stoked and nourished for us to feel fully ignited. We may be feeling like a beautifully, glowing fire that is mesmerising to watch, those flames dancing around and everyone is drawn to that warmth and comfort or we may have embers that simmer away but never truly ignite and flourish.
A feeling of damp rather than heat would really draw away our vitality. An imbalance could be seen in never being able to warm ourselves up from within or hot flushes, or flushed skin that comes and goes, a feeling of not being able to control that heat, or regulate it.
In Ayurveda too much Pitta or Fire can manifest in anger, frustration and irritation or often repressed emotions. We can feel overheated and before we know it, lash out with irritation. We may feel ‘Hot-Headed’ or do something in the ‘Heat’ of the moment. We can also increase Pitta by doing too much, pushing beyond our capacity and that can then leave us feeling totally drained and burnt out from ‘burning the candle at both ends’
Sebastian Pole, In A Pukka Life, suggests taking a large sip of water and holding it in your mouth to cool your pitta and stop you speaking your heated words.
If you are really noticing heating symptoms then drinking a shot of 30ml of aloe vera juice on an empty stomach, first thing in the morning is a beneficial way to cool the digestive system.
Choosing refreshing foods that lighten and cool the body will help to ease heat and discomfort, such as cucumber, courgettes, melon, coriander and mint, aloe vera juice, coconut and coconut juice. I would also recommend to still keep in those bitter greens, broccoli, green beans and celery as they help to cool the blood. Choose cooling spices like fennel, coriander, cardamon, mint and turmeric.
If my garden was full of roses, I would collect the petals and put them in a glass, cover them in sugar overnight and leave them in the moonlight (even better a new or full moon) and in the morning you will have a beautifully cooling rose elixir. You can add the syrup to almond milk or dilute in water. If you haven’t got a garden of roses then you can buy Ayurvedic rose jam. I use Rose Spread from Earthen Living
Time to switch up your seasonal spice mix.
This is from The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook by Kate O’Donnell. This makes it so easy to use the spices that are perfect for each season and balancing to our Ayurvedic Doshas.
Summer Spice Mix
1 tbsp of whole coriander seeds
1 tbsp of whole cumin seeds
1 tbsp of fennel seeds
1 tbsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp of black cardamon powder
Dry roast the coriander, fennel and cumin seeds in a heavy bottomed pan until you can smell them, just a few minutes. Cool completely. Grind to a uniform consistency in a coffee grinder dedicated to spices or by hand with a pestle and mortar. Transfer to a small bowl and add the turmeric and cardamon powders until well combined. Using a teaspoon or funnel, transfer the spice mix to an air tight jar. Use freely in cooking.
Herb of the month: Rose (Rosa spp.)
Rose is such a beautiful support for women, helps to balance hormones, opens up the heart chakra, lifts depression and soothes irritability. The aroma of rose is known to reduce cortisol levels and has certain compounds that are mildly sedative which can calm the nervous system and promote a feeling of wellbeing .
It is rich in Vitamins C, B, E and K and has many medicinal uses. It has a very cooling effect and great for perimenopause or menopause and is can help to reduce hot flushes. It can help also help to bring down a fever and does have a gentle detoxing effect.
Rose is cooling and calming for rashes or inflammation and other signs of heat in the body. It can improve digestion by promoting bile flow, supporting the liver and gallbladder. It has a slightly diuretic effect so is useful for fluid retention and improves waste elimination with the kidneys.
It has a positive effect on the female reproductive system, clearing congestion, relieving heavy periods and helps to regulate them, support fertility and can enhance sexual desire.
According to TCM, Rose can help to move Liver Qi and it cools blood. It opens the heart and relieves emotional constraint. And Ayurveda considers Rose to pacify Pitta and is nourishing to reproductive tissue.
How could you use Rose this month?
Tea: Rose petal tea (1 tsp dried, steep 5 min) and enjoy, preferably in the garden listening to bird song and bees humming.
Optional: Make your own calming hormone blend with equal parts of Rose, Passiflora + Tulsi. Or a Stress soothing blend: Tulsi, Lemon balm and rose
Food: sprinkle petals on salads, porridge, desserts. The Earthen Living, Rose Spread, mentioned above, is delicious added on to sourdough, oat cakes, yoghurt or diluted in water or milk for a cooling drink.
Topically: You can use rose essential oil mixed with coconut oil or use rose water for a cooling skin tonic.
Courgette and basil salad
Nourishing Ourselves With Seasonal Vegetables
July - Cucumbers and courgettes
Health Benefits: Cooling, Pitta-balancing, source of gentle fibre so great for digestion.
Courgettes and cucumbers probably won't make headlines for being miracle foods. They don't need to. Their gift is something quieter. They remind us that health isn't always about powerful supplements or exotic ingredients. Sometimes it's simply about eating with the seasons.
These humble summer vegetables cool and hydrate us, gently nourish our digestive system, provide fibre for our gut microbes, support steady blood sugar and bring freshness and lightness to our plates just when our bodies naturally begin to crave it. Perhaps that's nature's wisdom at work.
As the days become warmer and brighter, our food should become lighter, fresher and full of water—helping us adapt to the season with more ease.
Both courgettes and cucumbers are:
low in calories
rich in water
contain fibre
add volume to meals
They help create satisfying meals that support steadier blood sugar when paired with protein and healthy fats. They are particularly beneficial for people with IBS as they are so easy to digest but are nourishing and nurturing to our gut microbiome. I often recommend them to clients in rebalancing their gut health. They are also rich in potassium which helps regulate fluid balance - ideal for summer. But potassium is also beneficial for muscle function and nerve signalling, making it another lovely nutrient to include during warmer weather.
Simple Recipe:
Griddled courgette slices in olive oil on a griddle pain or hot frying pan with a little olive oil and a sprinkle of Celtic Sea Salt and herbs (basil or mint works well).
Serve with a squeeze of lemon, and some mint and yoghurt and a sprinkling of sunflower seeds.
A beautiful, easy and delicious side dish - little effort but tasty.
Recipes I am going to try this month
https://www.cookeatworld.com/zucchini-tahini-salad/
Cuckamint Mocktail ( from The Everyday Ayurveda Cook Book by Kate O’Donnell)
This is a delicious cooling drink that I have become a bit obsessed with:
2 cucumbers peeled and sliced and deseeded.
A few sprigs of mint
2 cups of coconut water
Juice of lime
In a blender add the cucumber, mint and half the coconut water and blend well, then add in the rest of the coconut water and lime and blend.
This month’s Vitamin / Mineral Focus
June – Vitamin E & Antioxidants
Why: Peak summer, sun exposure, cooling for heart and skin.
How: Rose petal tea, cucumbers, courgettes, sunflower seeds.
Example: Cucumber & mint salad with olive oil & sunflower seeds.
Barefoot mornings
July’s Ritual
Ritual: Enjoy a blissful beginning of the day - walking barefoot in cool, dewy lawns. In my twenties, I worked for a famous Beauty Editor and she would hail the benefits of scooping up morning summer dew and patting it on her face. Now for someone who literally tried every beauty elixir under the sun, it was quite the accolade of nature’s benefits.
Sensory Rose Ritual: Add a drop of rose oil on your ‘third eye’ - in between your eyebrows, on your throat and on your navel to keep the centres of awareness cool, calm and collected.
Or a splash of rose water will help to nourish and cool the skin after a day in the sun.
Nervous system support: Rose is balancing and emotionally soothing.
Extra tip: Aromatherapy with rose or geranium can calm feelings of overwhelm.
Ritual: Sensory ritual — inhaling aroma or mindfully sipping rose tea can help to relax the mind and the senses.
Reflection Prompt
“Where can I invite softness, pleasure, or openness in my life?
Optional: hand on your heart and take 9 slow deep breaths. With each breath tune into your body, offering, love, compassion and gentle care.
A Gentle Note on Safety & Individuality
While herbs are natural, they are also biologically active. What supports one person may be inappropriate for another, depending on their constitution, medications, life stage, or current health issues.
July – Rose (Rosa spp.)
This herb may not be suitable if…
This herb may not be suitable if…
You tend towards constipation, particularly with astringent herbs
You have known reactions to strongly aromatic plants
You are using concentrated essential oil internally (not recommended)
Safety Note: Petals and teas are gentle and broadly safe.
Important note:
The information shared in this series is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace personalised medical or herbal advice. Herbs are biologically active substances and may not be suitable for everyone. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication, or managing a medical condition, please seek individual guidance from a qualified practitioner before using herbal remedies regularly.