Nail

Nail Health

Ayurvedic supplements for nail health

Ayurvedic Supplements for Nail Growth

Nails:

If your eyes are the windows to your soul, your nails are the windows to your health

What are nails?

Nails are a tough plate of hardened cells protruding from our finger and toe ends. However, the part of the nail we see is only the tip of the iceberg. Below the surface, there’s plenty going on, and our nails are linked up to a vascular environment of blood vessels, soft tissue, cellular activity, and ligaments.Our nails also contain important clues to our health status, lifestyle, recreational habits and can even tell whether or not we’re stressed.

Ayurveda and the Nails:

There are several physical diagnostic tools that are commonly practiced in Ayurveda and one of the main ones includes nail assessment (called Nakha Pariksha). Just as the tongue, hair, skin, and other external attributes are very telling of one’s internal health, the nails can be a strong indicator of possible issues occurring in the body as well.

It’s important to have strong, healthy fingernails. The condition of the nails reflects the quality of tissue production in the body, as Ayurveda regards the nails as a “waste product” of the bones. Improper diet can cause nail disorders such as flaky and split nail ends, vertical grooves, and discoloration of the nail bed.

Areas of imbalance that can be seen through nail analysis include

  • Bone health
  • Malabsorption
  • Lung issues
  • Heart issues
  • Metabolic conditions
  • Inflammation
  • Parasites
  • Psoriasis and other skin disorders
  • Autoimmune conditions such as Lupus (SLE) and alopecia
  • Thyroid issues (hypo or hyper)
  • Digestive issues
  • GI tract issues
  • Liver issues
  • Vata, Pitta or Kapha disorder
  • Vata, Pitta, or Kapha constitution (not by itself, but used as a helpful indicator)

The Nails and the Doshas:

The first step in understanding how to use Ayurvedic medicine for nails is to recognize that the doshas (Vata, Pitta, and Kapha) impact the shape, color, curve, and thickness of your nails. Therefore, if you are dominant in one dosha or are experiencing a doshic imbalance, your nails may display certain characteristics. Specifically

      Vata dosha        Pitta dosha    Kapha dosha
Nails significantly impacted by the Vata dosha are generally more flat, brittle, dry, with a darkened or more bluish or purplish color (this may indicate poor circulation). The cuticles may be rough, and the moon (the little white curve at the cuticle) will often be small.Nails significantly impacted by the Pitta dosha tend to be soft, pink, elongated, and quite curved, in either direction. They are often thick, smooth, pinkish in color, flexible, and with a medium to large-sized moon. They can be shiny and smooth!Nails significantly impacted by the Kapha dosha often have nails that are strong, thick, and rarely ever break. Although strong, they are often soft, oily, and with malleable cuticles. Because of the slow and sluggish digestion of the Kapha individual, the moon is often small and not very pronounced.

Fingernail Nutrition – You Are What You Eat:

After you understand the doshic nail types, you can begin to recognize nail changes and what they mean so you can adjust your diet and lifestyle accordingly. You can also get to know specific symptoms of health issues. Some common nail symptoms to look for include: 

  • Nail-biting – Excess Vata dosha, and the nervous system is under excess stress.                           
  • Paleness – An issue with red blood cell count, or anemia. Indicate a specific vitamin deficiency.       
  • Clubbed nails – ( severe vertical curving) Issues with the cardiovascular system.                         
  • Horizontal ridges – (nails with little “hills” on them) a thyroid issue or other metabolic imbalance. A deficiency in B-complex vitamins, especially biotin, will produce ridges along the nail bed.           
  • Yellowing – Can indicate a parasite, infection, or excess ama (toxins) in the body                         
  • White spots – May indicate some sort of trauma to the nail, but oftentimes, it is an indication of a missing nutrient or malabsorption.  
  • Dry brittle nail – A diet lacking in calcium

Ayurvedic Nail Treatment:

  • Eat a Vata-pacifying diet. 
  • Massage your nails and cuticles with warm sesame oil or jojoba oil. The nourishing oils will help to hydrate the nails and keep the skin around the nails soft and nourished.
  • Eat Chyawanprash daily. Chyawanprash is full of tridoshic herbs and spices that nourish and tone the entire system and help to balance each dosha.
  • Take Triphala. Triphala helps to balance the digestive system and aids in the absorption of nutrients, which helps to strengthen asthi dhatu.
  • Exercise helps in burning the ama and increases circulation and metabolism
  • Vaman Dhouti or yogic vomiting balances Pitta, by relieving the stomach of symptoms like heartburn and acid reflux.
  • Meditation, cooling forms of pranayama, and gentle yoga postures should be practiced.

Take a look at your fingernails – are they smooth and perfectly rounded with a healthy pink glow? Your nails aren’t dead – they just contain dead cells. Nails are actually linked up to a richly vascular system in your fingertip. So if you want healthy fingernails, you have to nourish yourself from the inside out…