Medicinal pesto is everything I love. It’s a therapeutic food, full of enzymatic herbs that compliment digestion. It’s customizable. It’s full of raw oils, which are essential for brain health. Making it is a creative process that even the most clumsy cook can pull off. Maybe what I love the most is that it makes easy, somewhat boring meals more healthy and more delicious. Having a hard time getting something green into every meal? Well, then pesto is for you.

I used to think of pesto in a strict way: basil, garlic, olive oil, Parmesan, and salt. Italian and traditional ONLY! Many chefs are hung up like that, but hey, when you reform your idea of pesto as being this platform for creative nutritional play, as a way to make eating healthier more easy, it’s becomes more natural to break the boring old rules. Especially when it tastes this delicious.

Pesto is a great gateway for home cooks struggling to mobilize from beginner to intermediate. Pesto is an excellent way to illuminate the medicinal properties of culinary herbs, which are hella materia medica in Ayurveda. Herbs and spices are preventative medicine, aiding absorption and elimination in the digestive system. An unbalanced digestive system is the first place where disease manifests, says Ayurveda. Ayurveda also says that beneficial foods should taste good. If your austere or super regulated is dull and uninspiring, it’s going to be hard to stay on that diet, and if you aren’t having those vibrational “yum yums,” something is off. Food should taste good. When it tastes good, we are getting more out of it.

But let’s reform our ideas of tasting good. Cross out overly sweet foods, processed foods, foods laden with refined salt, foods heavy with rancid, inappropriate cooked fats. Let’s try fresh pesto, with raw oils and medicinal properties in tact, with raw seeds for further EFA support, and let’s salt it to taste with high quality mineral salts, like Celtic sea salt. And then, let’s put it on everything!

The Herbs

Basil is a great place to start. It’s the traditional choice and many people have bumper crops each summer. Vatas and kaphas especially benefit from basil’s warming energetics. Pittas, who have more fiery tendencies, may want to put basil in their pestos only in the cooler months, though I don’t find basil to be quite as heat stimulating as, let’s say, chiles. Basil is said to be great for the memory, a nervous system soother, and a diaphoretic, which means it opens pores for perspiration. And it imparts that classic pesto flavor.

I turn to cilantro always for those fired-up pittas, but it’s by no means off the table for vatas and kaphas—the cold and cool constitutions. Cilantro makes a pesto that tastes quite a bit different from the usual basil, but I think you’ll like it. And mixing cilantro and basil is always nice because cilantro is often cheap year-round, while basil is more difficult to obtain inexpensively when it’s not in season. Cilantro is far more wonderful than you may know! Also known as coriander, this herb (called “soapy” flavored by some, reportedly loathed by culinarian Julia Child—more for us!) helps to remove heavy metals like mercury from the system, as well as dispelling digestive gas, relieving hay fever, alleviating skin conditions, chilling inflammation, and soothing the urinary tract. Cilantro is reportedly so amazing at filtering out heavy metals that researchers in Mexico have used to the herb to make a water filter to remove lead, nickel, and other heavy metals. Researchers reported that just a handful of cilantro was enough to remove lead from the pitcher full of contaminated water! Imagine what it might do for you when spread on your daily egg sandwich! Those who want the medicinal effects of cilantro but perhaps are concerned about it being too cold for their system should add a big chunk of fresh, peeled ginger to their pesto to warm it up.

Who doesn’t love arugula in salads, why not try it in pesto? This leafy green is a mild bitter—perfect for pittas and kaphas, as bitter flavors both reduce heat in the body (pitta) and can assist kaphas in their battles with excess weight and water. Arugula can be nicely inexpensive and wonderfully flavorful, as well as powerfully medicinal, aiding in skin conditions and assisting the function of the liver and spleen.

While we appreciate the bitter splendor of arugula, why not tout dandelion greens? Also great for pittas and kaphas because of the bitter flavor’s action on the liver and spleen, dandelion greens are a top-notch cleansing food, and an affordable medicinal pesto base. Vatas and the chronically dehydrated beware: Dandelion greens help to rid the body of fluids and in some cases, will dry people out. However, as a dry person myself, I find that the greens, when pulverized and drowned in olive oil, pesto style, can be good for all in moderation.

Punch-packing herbs: You can put any herb in pesto, but many culinary herbs are far too strong to use as a base herb. Cilantro, basil, arugula, dandelion greens or a mix are the best herbs to comprise the bulk of your herbal paste, but feel free to try to add bits of these other herbs to supercharge the medicine, to customize it for whatever’s up with you these days. Beware: some combinations may be too intense and taste less than delicious. Start simple!

Rosemary VK- P+ (aka good for those who are on the cold and cool side, less so for those dominated by heat) Rosemary is considered an ancestor plant, a grandmother. Add rosemary to your pesto in tribute to those who’ve passed, or enjoy its stimulating energetics. It improves circulation, clears mucus from the respiratory system, and aids brain function.

Thyme VK- P+ Another pungent, thyme is amazing for the lungs, dispels gas, and aids in immunity. It’s quite powerful, use it sparingly at first and add more if you like it.

Celery leaves VK+ P- Great for pittas, if your celery leaves manage to escape the stock pot, throw them into a fresh pesto mixture. Celery will cool off pittas and are hydrating in the short term—beware long-term overuse of this delicious leaf, it could have astringent effects over time.

Marjoram VK-P+ A pungent that expels mucus, but again, very strong! Go slowly when adding to pesto.

Mint V+P- K= (neutral) Mint is the best friend of those suffering from inflammatory bowel diseases like colitis or Crohn’s disease. As well as soothing inflammation in the digestive tract, mint relieves nausea and refreshes the body.

Dill V-PK+ Dill is comforting to those with griping gas pains, and it helps to build gut flora.

Fennel bulb, VPK=, while not an herb, is a creative pesto component that is approved for all bodies, a perfect tri-doshic veggie that actually goes great in pesto. Rich in minerals and electrolytes, when chopped roughly this hydrating bulb pulverizes nicely into a pesto mixture, and the feathery fronds can be used to impart a mildly licorice-y flavor to your pesto. A great digestive calmer, also a hormone balancer, fennel will also combat bad breath.

The pungents

Yes, traditional pesto reeks strongly of garlic, but raw garlic is not for everyone, especially fired-up pittas. But an allium flavor is always welcome in pesto. For a less biting pesto, use a leek in place of garlic. Leek is especially useful in the winter, when rich foods and lack of exercise add up to excess mucus. Leek helps to clear the mucus and free up the lungs.

Raw ginger is another stellar pungent to add to pesto, especially for those vatas and kaphas who crave extra warmth. Even pittas are assisted by raw ginger and should prefer it to the highly spicy ground ginger. Raw ginger can be peeled and chunked and added to the pesto mix.

Finishing touches

Squeezing fresh lemon into the mix as it swirls in the blender or food processor adds to the flavor, as well as keeping it verdantly green. I also add a scoop of probiotic powder, sauerkraut juice, or whey to culture the pesto, keeping it fresher longer, as well as imparting beneficial bacteria.

Nuts: I like raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds. I don’t measure them, I just take a liberal handful and toss em into my pesto. Pumpkin seeds are tridoshic, excellent for men’s health and the prostate, said to release lactic acid from the muscles, and super for the nervous system. I am always tempted to buy pumpkin seed oil and then balk at the price, but adding pumpkin seeds to pesto brings that medicinal magic with much less cost. Hemp seeds are another great addition to pesto and are specific for those with nervous system issues—super food in your pesto, what’s up?!

Oil: You are going to need a lot of extra-virgin olive oil for your pesto. Way more than you thought you would. While organic is best, especially when it comes to fats, I can’t afford it, so I buy 3 liter jugs of Sagra or Partanna olive oil from Italy. Glug, glug, glug, if your pesto is not coming together, add more oil! While you should prefer EVOO for the majority of your pesto oil, go ahead and experiment with flax oil or hemp oil. Hemp oil has the optimal omega-3 and omega-6 ratio of essential fatty acids, and flax oil also is rich with EFAs, helping to fortify the myelin sheath, which protects nervous system cells and their function. Or even better, add some Udo’s Oil to your pesto blend, which is an amazing and kind of expensive blend of EFAs that are optimal for brain health. Eat fat, support your brain! Much, much more on this later.

Salt: You get what you pay for when it comes to salt. Invest in the good stuff. Celtic sea salt, Himalayan mineral salt, French Atlantic grey—these salts are much tastier than your average refined sea salt (see the 75 cents per pound varieties) and better for you. Not all sea salt is alike! Prefer the salts that are on the expensive side, prefer the salts that seem a bit moist in their container, prefer salts with variation in color and texture. Consume these salts and feel better. Always prefer these salts in your pesto. More on this coming soon!

The process

You will absolutely need a blender or food processor to make your pesto. It’s quite possible that your pesto will come out like a paste and with less texture than some pestos, and I think that’s fine. When you have many disparate ingredients, it takes more effort to blend it all together and the results come out with less texture. When loading your pesto ingredients into your appliance, place the oils, salt, nuts, garlic or leek, and fennel bulb at the bottom near the blade, followed by the leaves; this makes for a more even blending. You may have to frequently agitate the contents of the blender jar or processor bowl, you may have to add more oil than you expected, you may want to add more kraut juice to get it juicy enough to blend evenly. Don’t be afraid, just do it!

When I first started exploring Ayurvedic studies, I was spooked by the different food categories for different people. I mean, if you are an ice-cold vata living with a smoking-hot pitta, how the heck do you eat the same meals? If people can’t break bread together, so to speak, doesn’t that mean the destruction of relationships? I couldn’t wrap my mind around it. But it’s not that bad! Make a base pesto blend and customize it for different family member’s diets, it’s pretty easy.

Examples: Pesto for your type

Vata pesto for a super dry, cold person with constipation: arugula, cilantro, basil base, with ginger and fennel bulb, small amounts of dill and rosemary, leek, fresh ground black pepper, pumpkin seed, flax oil, olive oil, Celtic sea salt, touch of sauerkraut juice and or lemon. Use generous amounts primarily on warm, cooked food.

Pitta pesto for inflammation and angry attitude: dandelion, cilantro, arugula base, fennel bulb, a touch of mint, hemp seeds, hemp oil, olive oil, Celtic sea salt, touch of sauerkraut juice and or lemon

Kapha pesto for lethargic, heavy person: arugula, dandelion, cilantro base, fennel bulb, ginger, garlic, touch of thyme and marjoram, pumpkin seeds, fresh ground black pepper, olive oil, Celtic sea salt, touch of sauerkraut juice and or lemon

Screw juice, try pesto!

Pesto is our post-juice, super-nutritious, supplement-slaying heritage condiment. Juice is too cold for most, juice is stripped of valuable fiber, but juice drinkers do mean well; they just didn’t know when they bought an expensive juice, they should’ve bought pesto making ingredients. Pesto means pasta with a nutrient-boosting conscience. Pesto means there’s no shame in another night of beans and rice. Pesto on toast is a commendable breakfast for a light morning eater. Pesto travels well and injects nutrition into crappy on-the-road meals. Pesto keeps for weeks in the fridge, just make sure there's always a film of oil over the herb mixture to prevent mold. Make your pesto on a day off once a month, and enjoy the smells and textures of making your own awesome medicine!

Pesto means, somebody loves me, and that’s me!

Eva Saelens is a professional member of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association, with over 1500 hours of training in Ayurveda, massage therapy, and Ayurvedic treatments. She graduated from the California College of Ayurveda in 2013. Subsequently, Eva spent a year interning and studying Ayurveda, Tibetan medicine, whole foods nutrition, aromatherapy, and pancha karma at the dhyana Center in Sebastopol, Calif., and in India.

Eva is a cook, an experimental musician and composer, a writer and proofreader, as well as an Iyengar yoga enthusiast. She grew up in Michigan and now lives in Oakland, Calif. with her husband.