Rehydrating Drink
Hi and welcome! I’m Evangeline—mom, Registered Massage Therapist, Yoga teacher, and lover of all things health and wellness. I started this blog back in the early days of Covid19 as a way to stay in touch with my clients, and it’s grown into a space to share what I love most. Here you’ll find simple, nourishing recipes I make for my family, sprinkled with Ayurveda and Yoga wisdom. My hope is that these posts inspire you to care for yourself in small, joyful ways and feel a little more balanced in everyday life.
This all-natural rehydrating drink quenches thirst while replenishing your body’s minerals and electrolytes—gently and effectively.
Rehydration Drink: “Ayurvedic Gatorade”
This deeply replenishing herbal drink was developed by my teacher, Vaidya R. K. Mishra, to restore minerals and rehydrate the body during cleansing and detoxification. Known fondly as the Ayurvedic Gatorade by his students, it is traditionally recommended during detox regimens to maintain hydration.
What makes this drink unique is its inclusion of all six tastes—sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent—offering a holistic balance to the body’s physiology.
When to enjoy it:
On hot, sunny days
After yoga, walking, or any physical activity
During an SV Ayurveda home cleanse
While soaking in a warm detox bath
On long driving trips to support hydration and reduce water retention
Clients share they avoid drinking water on long trips to prevent washroom stops. But when water is not properly absorbed, it can increase bloating and fatigue. Ingredients like cumin aid the digestion and assimilation of water—because even water needs to be digested.
Ingredients & Ayurvedic Properties
Raw sugar – Sweet taste; nourishes and energizes
Fresh lime juice – Sour and astringent; post-digestively alkalinizing
Soma salt – A cooling, mineral-rich rock salt revered in Ayurveda (from the Charak Samhita); aids mineral replenishment and digestion
Mint leaves – Cooling, pungent, and aromatic; soothes the senses and supports digestion
Cumin seeds – Pungent and slightly bitter; enhances absorption of water and nutrients
Rehydrating Drink Recipe
2 cups spring water
4-8 mint leaves torn and crushed
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
⅛ tsp toasted cumin seeds crushed
½ - 1 tsp raw cane sugar or sucanat
2 pinches soma salt
Dry toast whole cumin seeds first in pan, then grind. I keep a week’s worth of toasted ground cumin and store it in a small jar to make this drink in a jiffy.
Combine and stir all ingredients together and strain if you wish, or put it all in your water bottle, and sip throughout the day on summer days.
Enjoy!
References
Vaidya R. K. Mishra- Notes from Shaka Vansiya Ayurveda Courses, Practicum, Conferences and Lectures 2003-2015
