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Peace of Mind

Don't let day-to-day stress get the better of you

Due to the pressures of daily living, anxiety is common these days but we should not forget that it is not normal. It is one of the great insights of Maharishi Ayurveda that only perfect health should be considered normal. We should be able to handle day-to-day pressures in a calm and confident way. It is our ability to cope with pressure that determines how stressful a situation is not the situation itself.

Herbal Masterpiece

What we need is the ability to meet the mental demands of the day without feeling over-stressed. It was exactly this need that prompted The Council of Maharishi Ayurveda Physicians to formulate the Peace of Mind Tablet formula.

Tranquillisers reduce anxiety but cause drowsiness so that work becomes difficult. Research shows that Peace of Mind tablets provide the best of both worlds: they balance the mind and at the same time heighten alertness so you can meet the demands of your day and prevent mental stress from mounting.

Peace of Mind tablets are a balanced synergistic formula prepared in the traditional ayurvedic way. This makes the product safe and improves bioavailability and assimilation. The Maharishi Ayurveda Council of Vaidyas do not recommend self-medicating with single herbs.

Ingredients of Peace of Mind tablets: Jal-Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri), Aloeweed (Convolvulus pluricaulis), Ashwagandha/Winter cherry (Withania somnifera), Muskroot/Jatamansi (Nardostachys Jatamansi), Pearl, Greater Galangal (Alpinia galangal), Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), Indian Tinospora/Heart-leaved moonseed (Tinospora cordifolia).

Herbal Recommendations: The Council of Maharishi Ayurveda Physicians recommends taking one to two tablets twice daily with water, preferably after meals. Children 10-15 years take one tablet per day. Keep out of reach of young children.

Research

Researchers at the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) conducted a randomised, controlled pilot study to measure the effects of Peace of Mind tablets on ten people who felt stressed. For 3 months one group took two tablets of Peace of Mind twice a day, while the other group took a placebo. After three months 80% of the Peace of Mind group felt significantly less stressed. The improvement was twice that of the placebo group.

The Ayurvedic explanation

In Ayurveda, mental abilities are divided into three categories -dhi (acquisition) dhriti (retention) and smriti (recall). Peace of Mind contains the herbs - Jal-Brahmi, Aloeweed, Liquorice and Indian Tinospora/Heart-leaved Moonseed, which have an enhancing effect on dhi, dhriti and smriti.

These four herbs are classified as medhya herbs in the traditional texts, and are known to not only nurture the three areas of the mind individually, but also to nurture coordination among them.

Muskroot (Jatamansi) and Greater Galangal are additional herbs that clear the channels. These keep the gaps between dhi, dhriti and smriti free of toxins and blockages. In the Vedic understanding, the gap, or union, is where all intelligence resides." Thus these herbs keep the coordination between acquisition, retention, and recall working well.

So if people who take Peace of Mind tablets are confronted with a stressful situation, they have the tools to make it a positive, rather than a negative experience. They can recall related experiences from the past to help them deal with the present problem, and they tend to learn from each new one.  They can do this without disturbing their mind, without feeling anxious.

One additional herb in the formula also has a key effect. Winter Cherry (Ashwagandha) enhances the mind's overall ability to resist stress. Because it helps overall mental functioning, not targeting just one area of the mind, people find that they can think more clearly and can solve their problems without incurring stress. They avoid being damaged by stress in the first place.

Reduces Cortisol and Other Markers of Stress

One of the measurements used in the UCSD study was the salivary cortisol level. Cortisol is a hormone related to stress, and high cortisol levels show high stress. In the patients who took Peace of Mind for three months, the mean salivary cortisol levels went down 2.77 nmol/l.

The explanation from Maharishi Ayurveda involves the three subdoshas that govern the mind; Prana Vata, the subdosha of Vata that governs the brain, sensory perception and the mind; Tarpaka Kapha, the subdosha of Kapha that governs the cerebral-spinal fluid; and because acquisition, retention and recall originate in the heart, Sadhaka Pitta, the subdosha of Pitta that governs the emotions and their effect on the heart is also involved.

When people overuse or misuse their minds, the subdoshas governing the mind counteract that overuse by producing more fluid. It's similar to the extra saliva that is produced by the taste buds when you're about to eat chillies or other hot foods. The extra saliva protects the whole digestive system, and prevents the chillies from creating an abrasive effect.

When your mind is strained by engaging in excessive mental work, the subdoshas go out of balance. Sadhaka Pitta begins to create a burning effect and Prana Vata creates a drying effect. Then Tarpaka Kapha generates extra fluid to counteract this effect and protect the brain.

But if you overuse your mind over and over and over again, the lubricating value of Tarpaka Kapha becomes excessive, and begins to diminish the metabolising fire (medhya agni) in the gaps between dhi, dhriti and smriti. It is similar to the effect of too much moisture in the digestion - it can put out the digestive fire (agni).

When this happens, ama (toxins) start to be created. Ama accumulates in the gaps and channels of the brain, and mixes with the fluids created by Tarpaka Kapha, creating a harmful type of cortisol, the indicator of stress.
Cortisol in itself is not bad, in fact it's created by the body to protect the brain," says an ayurvedic expert from The Council of Maharishi Ayurveda Physicians. "But when Tarpaka Kapha becomes excessive and there is ama in the physiology, it does more harm than good. That's when anxiety attacks and other signs of too much stress take over."

The reason that the subjects' cortisol levels when down after using Peace of Mind is because the Muskroot and Greater Galangal enhance the medhya agni. Medhya agni began to burn brightly again, ama was no longer produced and no ama was no longer mixing with Tarpaka Kapha. Thus only a good quality of cortisol was released, which actually protected the brain from stress. That's why the salivary cortisol levels went down.

As mentioned earlier, Muskroot and Greater Galangal also help clear the channels of ama, as does Winter Cherry. It is a sharp, cleansing herb that when combined with Muskroot and Greater Galangal, becomes an extremely effective agent for clearing the channels, enhancing medhya agni and reducing ama.

Relaxed But Alert

The subjects in this study and many thousands of people who have taken Peace of Mind over the past six years have reported that it makes them feel relaxed, but also more alert. Researchers were so intrigued with this effect that a whole new study is now being conducted to measure how much Peace of Mind increases the alertness of the mind.

"My job involves a tremendous amount of mental stress and sometimes I feel torn in several directions," says Molly Blackwell, a graphic designer. "Peace of Mind tablets take me to a whole new level of calm. They settle me down so I can focus, accomplish and not feel confused."

Lifestyle guidelines

• Be as regular in your routine as possible.
• Go to bed before 10pm and be up by 6am.
• In the morning before your shower, do an oil massage with the Vata Massage Oil to relax your body, and soothe the emotions.
• Apply Rejuvenation Massage Oil for Women or for Men to your hands and feet before bed. This non-greasy oil absorbs quickly, and helps you to enjoy deeper sleep.
• Refresh your mental potential with twice daily practice of Transcendental Meditation .
• Create a tranquil home or work environment with the Peace of Mind Aroma.

Dietary Recommendations

• Favour a balanced diet of intelligent foods - freshly cooked and preferably organic. Avoid reduce stimulants such as caffeine, alcohol and tobacco.
• Eat two to three warm, nourishing meals a day, at regular times.
• Favour foods that are warm, heavier, oily, sweet, sour and salty.
• Reduce cold, dry, light, pungent, bitter and astringent foods.
• Drink plenty of warm liquids. Avoid cold, iced and carbonated drinks.
• Drink Peace of Mind Tea or Vata Tea to help soothe the mind, emotions and nerves throughout the day and add Vata Soothing Spice Mix to your meals.