Traveling, while usually fascinating and delightful, is quite taxing on the mind and body. The change in physical location, traveling at high altitudes if flying, sitting for long periods if driving, and changes in time zones all have profound effects on your body by increasing vata substantially and creating fluctuations in your digestive fire (agni).
How often have you noticed that you get constipated while traveling or find that you are more prone to getting sick after travel? The increase in vata creates more of the dry, light, cold, mobile, and subtle qualities in the body. That creates more bowel irregularity, poor sleep, discomfort in the head or digestive tract, muscle twitches, ringing in the ears, and other vata imbalance symptoms. The same qualities make your digestive fire quite irregular, sometimes creating an increase in appetite (if the light quality predominates) or a subdued appetite (if the digestive fire is “blown out”) and can contribute to occasional gas and bloating. A healthy agni is also key to a healthy immune system.
There are many things you can do to facilitate this process, such as being mindful of your diet, taking herbs, and ensuring proper rest during your travel. The non-alcoholic liquid extract, I Travel Well, was formulated to support your body during travel. It is a fantastic, all-in-one formulation, making it easy and practical to take. It is even an appropriate size for going through security at the airports!
The blend of herbs supports your immune, nervous, and respiratory systems—the systems most impacted by travel. Ashwagandha is one of the most renowned adaptogens, as it provides adaptability to stress and change, and overall vitality; it is also a powerful aid for more restful sleep, particularly during time zone and environmental changes.1, 2 Ginger not only strengthens the digestive fire, but, in doing so, it assists the body in adjusting to different time zones and climates. Consider the unique study done in guinea fowl, which showed that dietary supplementation with dry ginger supported food digestion and gut health (including the microflora)!3 Fennel also gently supports the digestive fire. For an added support to the immune system, amalaki and turmeric4 were added. These herbs, along with tulsi, help clear natural toxins that may accumulate during travel and its stresses. And let's not forget the mind. To aid in both tranquility and alertness, bacopa and gotu kola are perfect additions to the formula, along with gokshura, which adds a little extra balance to the nervous system.
Give it a try the next time you are about to embark on a trip. Start taking a dose of I Travel Well the day before travel, if your journey starts in the morning, or the morning of travel, if it starts later in the day. Take the extract every two to three hours until you reach your destination. You can then ease off and take it less frequently until the end of your trip. You can play with dosing according to your body's needs. Because of the various needs of each situation, we recently have converted the liquid extract into a non-alcoholic, glycerin base making this a wonderful form that can be taken any day, any time, by just about anyone.
