Ayurveda for Women: Gut, Hormones & Holistic Care with Liz of Vedic Wild
Ayurveda for Women: Gut, Hormones & Holistic Care with Liz of Vedic Wild
Hey there! Today we sat down with Liz of Vedic Wild—an Ayurvedic doctor (8+ years of study; she just defended her dissertation on gestational diabetes!)—to talk about women’s health through a truly holistic lens. If you’ve ever wondered how digestion, hormones, skin, hair, and daily habits all connect, this one’s for you.
What Is Ayurveda (and why women love it)?
Ayurveda is a 5,000-year-old system of medicine from India that uses diet, lifestyle, and herbs to help you reach your health goals. In the U.S., you’ll meet two types of practitioners: Ayurvedic doctors (like Liz), who are trained under disease models and can guide deeper detox protocols, and Ayurvedic health counselors, who focus on lifestyle and nutrition coaching.
With Liz, her work centers on women in life transitions—pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, and menopause. A consult looks at your whole picture: health history, what and when you eat, sleep/wake times, energy, bowel habits, skin, and more. Instead of isolating one symptom, Ayurveda sees the connections—mind, body, and environment—so the support you get is cohesive, practical, and personal.
Agni, “Perfect Poops,” and Why Coffee Isn’t a Constipation Strategy
A core concept is Agni—your digestive fire. Strong Agni = better processing, energy, mood, and skin/hair. Sluggish Agni = stagnation, low hunger in the morning, constipation, sticky stools, and feeling “off.”
Constipation isn’t just “take a laxative.” Liz shared a favorite (and free) home remedy: boiled water. Warm, boiled water can gently support digestion. (Her mom literally called her from an Arizona hike to report a very successful day-three result. We laughed. It worked.)
Also, that “coffee to poop” habit? Coffee is a stimulant and a diuretic—so while it may move things short-term, the drying effect can make constipation worse over time. Ayurveda goes for root-cause support over quick fixes.
FYI on poop: The “Ayurveda ideal” is like one soft banana that floats, at least once daily (up to three times can be normal). If it’s sticky or you’re going every few days, that’s a signal your system wants support.
Hormones Touch…Everything (hair, skin, mood, bloating, sleep)
We talked hair texture changes, scalp oil, flakes, and hair shedding—especially postpartum and around perimenopause/menopause. In Ayurveda, hair is a byproduct of bone nourishment, so hair/nails/teeth often travel together. If nourishment isn’t reaching deeper tissues, hair shows it first.
Even if Ayurveda doesn’t use the word “hormones” traditionally (it uses frameworks like Agni and Ojas/immunity), it absolutely addresses hormone-driven symptoms—through food timing, warm/cooked foods, sleep hygiene, daily rhythm, herbs, and nervous system support.
Postpartum & Menopause Support (Mothering the Mother)
Liz offers postpartum home visits (yes, she cooks!) with nutrient-dense meals to rebuild minerals like iron and magnesium, baby massage, mother’s oil massage, and belly binding to support core, pelvic floor, and lower back. Results her clients notice: steadier energy, gentler hair shedding at months 4–5, and feeling truly cared for.
For perimenopause and menopause, Liz works integratively alongside your MD/HRT plan. Think of Ayurveda as the lifestyle-and-digestion layer that makes everything else work better—meal timing, stress support, sleep, daily movement, herbs—so you feel results without constantly chasing new fixes.
Feeling Unheard? Ayurveda Makes Space for You
One of the biggest gifts we heard from Liz: being listened to. Many women feel dismissed or rushed. With Ayurveda, you get a knowledgeable advocate who helps you ask better questions, consider complementary modalities (acupuncture, craniosacral, etc.), and make changes that actually fit your life. It’s not one-and-done—real change stacks over weeks and months—but you’re not doing it alone.
Our Favorite “Wait, What?!” Moments
- Boiled water > fancy laxatives, sometimes.
- Coffee-for-poops can backfire (because drying).
- The “perfect poop” floats. (You’ll never un-know this.)
- Hair is a
bone byproduct in Ayurveda, so nails/teeth/hair often tell the same story.
- You can be on meds and still use Ayurveda for lifestyle + digestion—together is powerful.
Dr. Elizabeth Marie Swamy
Dr. Elizabeth Marie Swamy is an Ayurvedic Doctor and Postpartum Doula who blends her background in nonprofit leadership, medical research, and education with her deep commitment to women’s health and Ayurveda.
She holds a Master’s in Nonprofit Business from NYU, conducted clinical research trials on Vitamin D insufficiency and breast cancer treatments at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Hospital, and led operations for a Montessori preschool in New York City.
For more than seven years, Liz has been practicing Ayurveda, studying closely under Dr. Anusha Sehgal. She lives in San Jose with her husband, Tushar, their daughter, Maya, and their French bulldog, Pali.
How to Reach Dr. Swamy + Her Gift
Beauty Lab listeners can grab a free online consultation by emailinghello@vedicwild.com with the subject line: Listener of The Beauty Lab Podcast. You can also find Dr. Swamy at her website and on Instagram.
Until next time, let’s keep experimenting with your holistic routine—gently, consistently, and with lots of self-kindness.
