IN OCTOBER last year, I was in Denmark for a healing workshop. The combination of long trip, fatigue and cold weather, smacked me with a terrible cold and flu. My dear friend Riku, a Nepalese Sherpa, picked me up at the hotel where I was staying at, when she heard about my condition, and brought me straight to her lovely house in Lyngby, close to Copenhagen. She let me settle in her beautiful shala with a small but cozy Tibetan Buddhist meditation corner that made me feel at home right away.
The intoxicating aroma coming from her kitchen was undeniably the best essence that I ever smelled. Excited and curious to see the concoction she was skillfully preparing, I sat still in front of Buddha, closed my eyes, while the parade of scents cheered my spirit.
Sherpas are one of the castes who live in the borders of Nepal and Tibet in the Himalayan region. They are known as the best mountaineers who serve as professional guides of mountain climbers going up Mount Everest and other mountains with high altitudesin the world. Sherpas are naturally physically strong. They have a mysterious connection to the mountainsthat makes you think they can converse with them.
The Sherpas have been part of my family. It was 15 years ago, when I first encountered the Sherpas. They were the ones who took care of my group, pilgrimaging to Mount Kailash in Tibet. I saw what hard work really meant when I witnessed how they pitched our tents in the middle of the freezing weather, packed them the next day, carried them on their back together with our luggage, heading up to our next stop without any traceof tiredness in their faces. On top of that, they cooked our meals, prepared our warm beds and hot tea in the morning and evening, delivering it inside each tent.
The deep connection I had with the Sherpas never left me. Three years ago, I was invited by my Sherpa brother Furi, to attend his nephew’s wedding engagement in Kathmandu, Nepal. During the ceremony, I noticed a tall, slender, beautiful woman, who looks different from the other ladies. Little did I know, that she will become a dear friend, her name is Riku Sherpa-Halfdaner.
Riku was the first female Sherpa mountaineer guide in Himalayas. She got married to a nice Danish guy, Mikhael, who also became a friend. I requested her to share the recipe that she made for me, that instantly made me feel better and restored my sound health the very next day. She said the blend is a safe homemade vitamin which her family take as a super power boostershot. The herbal drink helps the elderly in the Himalayas to live a long life and ideal to those with weakened immune system due to a cold, infection, respiratory issues, gout, arthritis, digestive concerns, hypertension, and other health disorder. She calls it Riku Winter Medicine, I refer to it as “Amrutha,” a Sanskrit word which means the nectar of immortality.
Preparation: Pour 2 liters of water in a pot. Peel 150 grams of ginger, 150 grams of turmeric and chop them to small cubes. Toss in 2 sticks of cinnamon bark and 100 grams of honey. Bring it to boil, then add the sliced (round shape) 4 big oranges and 4 lemons, do not peel. Bring it to slow boil and simmer it for 1 hour and 30 minutes, adding little water if necessary.
Pour the brew through a sieve. Drink a full cup of warm Amrutha in the morning and for the evening, you have the option to add 2 deciliter of dark rum, especially in cold season. For children, the dosage ishalf cup, 2 times a day, without the rum. For adults:take 2 cups a day, morning and evening, as preventive medicine. For healing purposes, 3 times a day is ideal.
Namaste.
