THE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY PRINCIPLES OF AYURVEDA
At Alma Fest in the Swiss Alps this summer, I guided a session on how Ayurveda offers practical tools for reducing inflammation and restoring balance alongside preventative measures.
Inflammation is now widely recognised as one of the root causes behind many modern health struggles, from arthritis, IBS, eczema and fatigue to anxiety, depression and cardiovascular disease. What we must remember is that these symptoms are not random; they are the body’s way of communicating something deeper. Ayurveda provides lifestyle guidance alongside personalised remedies to address inflammation at its root. Rather than simply suppressing symptoms, it helps us understand their underlying causes and teaches us how to restore balance through food, herbs, daily rhythm and self-awareness.
In many ways, inflammation has become the new “bad boy” of health, a bit like bacteria once was, before we realised that it’s not inherently harmful but part and parcel of life. Just as we now value the balance of the microbiome, inflammation is also more nuanced than being purely negative. Acute inflammation is the body’s intelligent healing response to injury or infection, an essential part of repair. Chronic inflammation, however, is another story: a slow, smouldering fire that can quietly disrupt tissues, hormones, gut health and mood for months or even years.
Acute inflammation is protective and healing - your body’s emergency services arriving at the scene to deal with the problem and then standing down once the job is complete.
Chronic inflammation occurs when the immune system doesn’t “switch off” after the threat has passed. This low-grade, persistent response continues silently in the background, slowly damaging tissues and systems.
Local inflammation is the immune system’s direct reaction to an injury or irritation. Think of a skin rash, cut, bee sting or swelling around an injured joint. Inflammatory cells rush to the site to begin the healing process. The classic signs - redness, heat, swelling, pain, and temporary loss of function - are evidence of this intelligent immune response. Local inflammation can be short-lived (acute) or linger for weeks or months (chronic), such as chronic sinusitis or an arthritic knee that remains inflamed long after the original trigger.
Systemic inflammation, in contrast to local inflammation, is a body-wide response. It spreads through the bloodstream and affects multiple systems at once. In acute cases, this can look like sepsis or a severe allergic reaction. Chronically, systemic inflammation is more insidious. By the time symptoms such as joint pain, fatigue, digestive upset, skin flare-ups, or brain fog appear, the process may have been simmering for months or even years, contributing to conditions like autoimmune disease, heart disease, or depression. Triggers can range from chronic infections and autoimmune activity to prolonged stress.
Ayurveda views chronic inflammation as the result of weakened Agni - specifically Jatharagni, the digestive fire at the centre of our metabolism - along with the build-up of Ama (toxins) and disturbances in the doshas, most often Pitta and Vata. Stress and the pace of modern life tend to aggravate Vata first, and once Vata is unsettled it can easily disrupt the balance of the others. Pitta, governed by the fire element, oversees digestion, metabolism, and transformation in the body, and when pushed out of balance it expresses as heat, acidity, and inflammation.
Through one-to-one consultations, Vaidyas (Ayurvedic practitioners) use a person’s symptoms to identify which dosha or combination of doshas is disturbed:
Vata imbalance may appear as dryness, erratic digestion, bloating, anxiety, or joint pain.
Pitta imbalance is marked by excess heat and acidity, such as rashes, reflux, ulcers, or irritability.
Kapha imbalance often shows as congestion, excess mucus, sluggish digestion, and heaviness.
From here, the practitioner can advise on diet, lifestyle, and targeted herbal support - not just to relieve the symptom but to address the person as a whole. Remedies might include turmeric for its anti-inflammatory action, guduchi (giloy) for cooling immune support, ashwagandha to steady stress and cortisol, tulsi for calm and resilience, and shatavari or amalaki for cooling, rejuvenating nourishment.
For day-to-day self-care, Ayurveda sets out five broad principles to reduce inflammation. The first is to strengthen this digestive fire. When steady, it fuels vitality throughout the body; when weak, toxins build and imbalance spreads. Together, these five principles create a framework to help maintain balance and gently restore harmony when we drift off course.
1) Restore Agni
When digestion burns steadily, the body absorbs nourishment efficiently and prevents the build-up of toxins that drive inflammation.Think of Agni like a campfire: feed it steadily, don’t smother it, nor do you want to fan it into a blaze:
Eat regular meals without distraction.
Favour warm, cooked food and drinks over cold, raw and carbonated.
Use gentle digestive spices: cumin, coriander, fennel, ginger.
Avoid overeating and late-night meals.
Choose food combinations that aid digestion.
See Secrets of a lively digestive fire in East by West, pg 282
2) Reduce Ama
Clearing out this toxic residue keeps the body’s channels open, light, and flowing, easing the burden of low-grade inflammation. Gentle, daily detox beats extremes:
Morning tongue scraping
Sip warm water throughout the day, avoid gulping drinks and cold liquids
Abhyanga (self-massage with warm oil)
Dry brushing OR Udvartana (powder massage) for Kapha types/in late Winter/Spring
Triphala or castor oil packs under guidance.
Kansa wand and marma point massage
Movement to keep fascia and lymph flowing — yoga, walking, foam rolling, stretching.
3) Choose naturally anti-inflammatory foods
Fresh, seasonal, and gently spiced meals soothe rather than irritate tissues, calming the fire of inflammation. A Sattvic, easy-to-digest approach::
Fresh, seasonal, local produce.
Cooling herbs: coriander, mint, fennel, tulsi.
Supportive fats: ghee, coconut.
Mild spices: turmeric, ginger, cumin.
Reduce processed foods, excess sugar, stimulants and overly spicy or heavy meals.
Make time to reset between the seasons.
4) Align lifestyle with nature
Following the natural cycles of the day and year steadies hormones, calms the nervous system, and helps prevent the chronic stress that fuels inflammation.
Sleep by 10 pm to rise early with or before the sun.
Protect circadian rhythm by reducing evening blue light and overstimulation.
Ritucharya: honour seasonal shifts with simple routine changes.
Avoid sitting for long periods without movement, and intense evening work outs.
Time outdoors, barefoot walking where appropriate to ground ourselves and recharge from the earth.
5) Tend to emotional health
What we don’t digest emotionally can accumulate like ama. Chronic stress, grief or anger inflame tissues and disrupt sleep, hormones and digestion.
Journaling and gratitude practices.
Digital sound baths - use soothing frequencies as a back drop to work or relaxation
Joyful, creative expression - movement, song, play.
Breathwork and meditation to settle the nervous system. Gentle breathing techniques like Nadi Shodhana or Bhramari regulate stress hormones and inflammation markers in the body.
The bigger picture
Small, steady shifts matter far more than extremes. A mindful breakfast, a gentle nightly wind-down, natural fabrics against the skin, a walk in green space, candlelight instead of blue light - these are the kinds of choices that quietly build resilience over time. Modern science is now echoing what Ayurveda has always taught: lifestyle influences gene expression, and practices like meditation can support healthier ageing.
It’s also worth remembering that “healthy” isn’t always healing. Cold smoothies gulped down on the go, hot yoga at the wrong time of day or year, intense fasting, or a cupboard full of supplements all can aggravate inflammation if they don’t suit your constitution, your environment, or the season. Ayurveda invites us to tune in to what we truly need, rather than chasing trends.