What is the Pitta Dosha?

The Pitta body type is one of medium build and height with coppery skin and may have reddish hair. Moles and freckles are common on Pitta skin which tends to be oily and warm.

The average body temperature of Pitta’s tends to be a little higher than that of the other two body types and so they are the people who can feel quite warm when everyone else is feeling cold. They therefore have a low tolerance for hot weather, sunshine or hard physical work. Pitta’s tend to have a strong appetite, metabolism and digestion.

They also tend to have uninterrupted sleep, and excellent powers of comprehension and concentration. Their memories are sharp, and they have good logical, investigating minds that love to solve answers to problems.
Often wise and brilliant people, they can also have controlling, dominating personalities. They can be critical of themselves and others, especially when aggravated. The summer is the most challenging time for Pitta’s to stay in balance and extra care should be taken at this time.

A Pitta out of balance will tend to:
Be related to heat and fire. They are therefore prone to fevers, inflammatory diseases, acid indigestion, excessive hunger, jaundice, profuse perspiration, hives and rashes, burning sensations, ulceration, burning eyes, colitis, and sore throats, irritability, anger, and sometimes having a ‘temper’.


How to aggravate Pitta:
Eating too much spicy food, including black pepper, cayenne pepper, curry peppers, and jalepeno peppers. Eating too many sour and citrus fruits, smoking, drinking sour wine, working in hot conditions (or simply being in these conditions for and extended time), and eating fatty or fried foods

Pitta calming therapy:
Avoiding excess heat, oil, steam, and salt is helpful. Eating cooling and non-spicy foods, drinking cool (not iced) drinks, and exercising during the cooler parts of the day are also good for Pitta.
Calming massage using cool oils like coconut, sunflower or ghee is beneficial for those with high Pitta. Apply on forehead, top of head, and heart. Choose flower essential oils such as vetiver, rose, lotus, jasmine, gardenia, and honeysuckle.
Choose fragrant incense, such as healing Tara or rose incense. Emphasize white and cool colours, such as blue and green, in home and clothing. Strong bright colours such as red will aggravate Pitta if worn.
Foods that are helpful for Pitta:
Sweet, bitter and astringent tastes should be emphasized. Food should be cool, heavy and dry, while excluding the use of hot spices. Raw foods and juices are excellent. Water is taken cool (not iced). Tea can be taken in moderation, but best to avoid coffee and alcohol.

Fruits: Generally most sweet (sweeter apples, berries, dates, figs, coconut, pears etc.) fruit is good, while sour (apricots, berries, grapes, pineapple etc.) fruit is not.

Vegetables: Sweet and bitter veggies best. Examples of these would be artichoke, asparagus, broccoli, beets, cucumber, kale, and zucchini.

Grains: Pitta’s are generally ok with grains as long as they do not make up the bulk of the diet. Some examples of grains that are good include barley, oats, rice, spelt etc.
Legumes: Pitta’s should be able to digest almost all beans. Dairy: Most organic unsalted dairy ok in moderation. Yogurt should be
diluted, and cheese should be soft. Nuts: Coconut and soaked, peeled almonds ok in small quantities.
Seeds: Flax, popcorn (if not allergic), pumpkin, sunflower ok in moderation.

Oils: sunflower, ghee, canola, olive, soy, flaxseed, primrose and walnut most suitable, in the order shown.

Sweeteners: most sweeteners ok in small quantities, except for honey, white sugar, jaggary, and molasses.

Herbs and Spices:
Digestion: digestive bitters such as aloe, gentian, and barberry; cooling or mild spices, such as fennel, turmeric, coriander, cumin, and mint.
Elimination: Bitter laxatives (aloe, cascara sagrada, rhubarb, and senna), mild laxatives (milk, ghee, and rose), bulk laxatives (psyllium).
Energy: Calming and cooling tonics, such as shatavari, saffron, aloe vera gel, licorice, marshmallow, dandelion root, burdock, fo-ti, rehmannia.
Mind: Calming and cooling herbs, such as gotu kola, sandalwood, rose, lotus seeds, skullcap, passion flower, chrysanthemum, hibiscus.