I have been honoring my need for rest, warmth and comfort as the weather is colder and days shorter. Winter is a time to nourish your dreams and imagination. Nerve-soothing oils such as sesame are rejuvenating. Apply it to your skin all over and inside the nose. Allow the rich proteins to soften your complexion and penetrate your senses with renewed vitality for 15 minutes. Then wash with warm water. If you have acne or a ruddy complexion, another fine oil to use is Argana, made from a Moroccan tree bark. It feels more cooling than sesame and is also rejuvenating. Increase warming spices such as ginger, pepper, clove, cinnamon and hing (asafoetida for bloating) unless you have an ulcer. The tastes to stress in winter, according to Ayurveda, are warming, salty and sweet, less bitter. Bitter (coffee and black tea) increase nervousness and pain.
I have been greatly enjoying adding Peruvian maca powder to my morning mild green tea or warm water. It tastes a bit like yam, a comforting root vegetable that grows high in the Andes. It stimulates the pituitary to enhance the functioning of the entire endocrine system–for enhanced energy, breath, adrenal strength, and libido. It is hormone-balancing for men and women. People in Peru eat the cooked root with meat and potatoes and also use it as an aphrodisiac. It is also said to reduce menopausal complaints. I find it comforting and mood-lifting.
Photos of the Moroccan evergreen argan tree (Argina spinosa) sometimes show goats perched on its branches. In Morocco’s Sahara desert, Berber women have made argan oil and argan paste from argan nuts for generations. The argan tree remained their health and beauty secret. Recently discovered by the modern cosmetic industry, argan oil has been called an all-in-one beauty miracle.
The Hammam is the traditional Moroccan bath house and spa treatment for men or women usually done once a week. In the Hammam, after washing with soap made from black olive oil, women rubbed on argan paste, made from finely crushed argan nuts, to remove dry skin. They applied Rhassoul, a clay from the Atlas mountains, allowing it to dry. The fine clay, extraordinarily rich in minerals, including silica, magnesium, potassium, and calcium, reduces dryness, improves skin clarity and elasticity, and removes impurities. After removing the clay, they applied the precious argan oil.
