Ojas is the subtle essence of the seven vital tissues of the body. It is said to govern our immunity, energy, and vitality. When you have strong, healthy Ojas, you are able to fight against aging, degeneration, and disease. You will have sustainable energy, strong immunity, a healthy glow, and a robust libido. If you find yourself lacking in any of these categories, you may have depleted or imbalanced Ojas in your system.
Read more on “How To Increase Ojas”.
This delicious, almond based drink is one way to increase healthy Ojas, restoring your energy and vigor. It is great to drink first thing in the morning for breakfast to enhance stamina and vitality for the day ahead. This drink is perfect during the rejuvenating phase after a cleanse, but can be taken 2 to 3 times a week otherwise.
Rejuvenating Ojas Drink Recipe
Click here for a printable pdf copy of this recipe!
*See the Optional Doshic Guidelines below the recipe to make this drink more Kapha-reducing.
Materials
- High speed blender
Ingredients
- 15 almonds, soaked and peeled
- 1½ cups water
- 2 medjool dates, pitted and soaked
- ¼ teaspoon ginger powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ⅛ teaspoon cardamom powder
- 1 tablespoon rose petals (dried or fresh)
- 3 saffron stigmas
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ghee
- 1 teaspoon honey
Directions
1. Soak the almonds in a cup of water for at least 2 to 4 hours to soften the skins for easy removal. Almonds can be soaked overnight if preferred.
2. Place the pitted dates in the 1½ cups of water that will be used for this recipe. Soak for at least 30 minutes. This will make the dates easier to blend. Do not discard the date soaking water as it will be added to the final recipe.
3. Once the almonds have been soaked thoroughly, strain them and discard the water. Peel the almonds by squeezing each one with your index finger and thumb. This should allow easy removal.
4. Place the peeled almonds, soaked dates, and the date water into a blender.
5. Add the ginger, turmeric, cardamom, rose petals, saffron, vanilla, ghee, and honey.
6. Blend on high for 3 to 5 minutes making sure that a completely smooth texture has been reached. If there are almond chunks that will not blend, you can strain the drink through a fine mesh strainer.
7. Vata and Pitta types can enjoy this shake as an energizing breakfast or a rejuvenating snack. Due to the heavy and sweet nature of this drink, however, it is recommended to only take this almond shake up to 3 times weekly.
Click here for a printable pdf copy of this recipe!
Health Tip: This is a great recipe for taking after a cleanse, after illness, or anytime there is depletion to help regain energy and strength. For these purposes, take this recipe 2 to 3 times a week for four weeks, or until the energy and vitality have returned.
Optional Doshic Variations
Vata:
This recipe is balancing for Vata types and Vata imbalances. No changes needed!
Pitta:
Overall this recipe is balancing for Pitta types. If needed, replace the honey (which is heating) with maple syrup and the dry ginger for equal parts of finely grated fresh ginger.
Kapha:
This recipe can be slightly increasing for Kapha. To make this drink more Kapha-friendly the dates can either be omitted completely or reduced to one single date. The ghee should be omitted completely. The amount of ginger powder should be doubled, and ½ teaspoon of cinnamon powder can be added. To make it extra energizing, add in 1 teaspoon of cacao powder (optional).
Click here for a printable pdf copy of this recipe!
NOTE: If you have a high level of toxins (ama) in the body, this drink is not for you. Some clear indications of this are a coated tongue, poor circulation, dull mind, dull appetite, and a persistent feeling of heaviness.
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Sounds delicious!
So often, the food you recommend requires thinking ahead, a mindfulness that I am not used to. It slows me down to consider what I am doing when I eat something. Am I nourishing myself? Thanks, Danielle.
I just finished making this twice and I wanted to give you my feedback. First. Note to self: remember to take the pit out of your dates or you will find yourself doing this over and wasting ingredients. This brings me to my second observation. A couple of these ingredients are not likely to be on the average person’s pantry shelf. I, for one, don’t have roses. I do have a bottle of rose water. So I added a dash of that. Saffron? I admit I did have some but…That is really really expensive. I know one uses it to color rice in some dishes but I imagine most people will not have this. Are the health benefits from it worth buying a small amount of it? Are there other uses for it that would make it worthwhile to buy?
By the way, it did taste delicious!
Thank you for your comment! These are all great ideas and observations. If you find yourself without rose petals or saffron, these can be made optional. They are both highly rejuvenating herbs (and tasty!), however, they are not key ingredients in this recipe. If you plan to make this drink often, I would recommend investing in them eventually, but this drink is very nourishing either way. I will also note that the rose and saffron are exceptionally healing in terms of female health and the reproductive system, so that may be extra incentive.
Love the tea. Your other recipes are great too. Thank you for sharing.
This was soooo delicious and nourishing this morning, just what I needed!
Thanks for the great recipe! I look forward to making this one again!
Got to put my saffron to use too. Also I substituted rose oil (blended in grapeseed oil) for rose petals and the delicate flavor shined through perfect!
I am so glad you enjoyed the drink Danielle! I rarely ever follow recipes to a T, so I always encourage playing around with the ingredients. Thank you for sharing! Namaste, Danielle
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Is this drink good for a person wishing to increase Thierry Vata dosha or not?
Hi Autumn,
This recipe is great for Vata types and Vata imbalances. It is very building, energizing and rejuvenating. However if there are excessive toxins in the system, this drink should be avoided until the toxins are cleared out. Otherwise it can be taken 2-3 times a week for Vata types, and for any rejuvenation therapy. Thanks for the question!
Namaste,
Danielle
Hello.
Love the ingredients.
I’m making it now for my first time.
Ghee? Aren’t you suppose to have it heated? Does this recipe require heating?
Namaste
Hi Gen,
Thank you for your question! Ghee melts fairly easily and will become liquid by the blending process. Make sure to use a high speed blender and blend on high; no heating will be needed otherwise. I hope you enjoyed your drink:)
Please let me know if anything else comes up and I will be happy to help!
Namaste,
Danielle
Why have you used ghee and honey in equal quantities.It acts like a poison .
Hi Pragalbha,
Thank you for your question. This is a very common misconception, as the ancient texts clearly state that ghee and honey act as poison if they are taken together in equal quantities by weight only (as opposed to volume). Since honey weighs more than ghee by volume (meaning one teaspoon of honey is much heavier than one teaspoon of ghee), then by taking honey and ghee in the same amount by volume will always ensure that the amount by weight will not be equal.
If you are ever in doubt however, it would be good to use a kitchen scale that lists the weight by the gram.
Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns around this issue and I will be happy to help!
Namaste,
Danielle
I’ve been told that any teas or tonics that are very detoxifying are not recommended during pregnancy, but this smoothie sounds quite tasty and I’ve been having lower energy this month. Wanted to try it for the Ojas boosting and Vata balancing qualities. I’ve adapted my food to your Vata-pacifying recommendations and it’s greatly improved many other symptoms – especially constipation which was a constant throughout this pregnancy, despite not being an issue for me normally.
Would you safe this is ok to consume during a healthy pregnancy? I’m already 27 weeks.
Thanks for all your great articles and tips!
Hi Priscilla,
Thank you for writing in! I hope your pregnancy continues to go well for you and your baby:)
Yes, this drink is very safe during pregnancy and will be a great addition to a healthy pregnancy diet. The spices are in a small enough dosage that they will not harm your baby, but still enough to help your ever-changing digestion. It is also quiet tasty, so hopefully this drink will be easy to get down, even during times of nausea (the spices should help with this too!).
The almonds are very nourishing and help to promote healthy lactation and rejuvenation, so you can continue to take this drink into your months of postpartum.
Many blessings to you and your family!
Namaste,
Danielle
Please note: Ghee & Honey in equal proportions is considered to be poison according to Ayurveda. Please edit your post after doing your research.
Hare Krishna
Hi Hare Krishna,
Thank you for your concern! It is true that ghee and honey should never be taken in the same amount, but this is regarding weight only, not volume. This distinction is clearly stated in the Charaka Samhita. Ghee weighs much less than honey, so by using an equal amount of both by volume, you can assure you are not taking an equal weight of the two substances.
I hope this helps to clarify!
Namaste,
Danielle
Can all the Ojas drinks be taken anytime during the day?
Hi Danielle, I was just wondering if we can replace almonds with cashews in this drink
Hi Sateesh,
Thank you for your question! Ultimately I recommend using almonds since they are more Ojas-enhancing. However, if you cannot digest them well, or you are allergic to almonds, cashews or walnuts would be a great replacement. Make sure to soak them overnight and discard the liquid before adding them to the shake.
Feel free to write back if any further questions come up! EnJOY:)
Namaste,
Danielle