The Duchess of Sussex says ancient Indian wisdom, including adaptogens and Sanskrit practices, helped her through motherhood.
London | May 8, 2025 —
Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, has revealed that she turned to Ayurveda, the ancient Indian system of holistic medicine, during her pregnancies with her children Archie and Lilibet. Speaking on her podcast Confessions of a Female Founder, Meghan shared that she followed Ayurvedic guidance, viewing “food as medicine” and incorporating adaptogens like mushrooms into her routine—despite some calling her methods “super woo-woo.”
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In conversation with Clevr Blends founder Hannah Mendoza, Meghan reflected on how an Ayurvedic practitioner helped shape her mindset about nutrition and wellness during pregnancy.
“During my pregnancies, I had an Ayurvedic doctor, and so much of it was about seeing food as medicine,” Meghan said, noting the grounding benefits of traditional Indian ingredients like mushrooms.
She acknowledged that some may find her approach unconventional:
“You say mushrooms, and now people have a connotation attached to it. But it’s just a food trend that’s been around forever,” she said. “It’s about what these have meant in our natural system for thousands of years.”
Not Just a Trend
Meghan also talked about public misunderstanding of adaptogens—natural herbs and mushrooms believed to help the body adapt to stress—highlighting how quickly people dismiss these wellness tools.
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“I think a lot of people, when they hear mushrooms, they go, ‘Okay, she’s talking about being hippie-dippy.’ But it’s actually rooted in centuries of tradition,” she added.
Sanskrit Songs and Baby Whispering
Markle also shared that during the birth of their son Archie, she and Prince Harry used Sanskrit chants in the delivery room, based on the advice of their Ayurvedic doctor. The same doctor suggested they whisper words of love into the newborn’s ears immediately after birth, a practice rooted in the belief that newborns absorb everything said to them in their first moments.
Interestingly, Prince Harry’s memoir Spare also details his own experimentation with psychedelics, including magic mushrooms, during a transformative period in California in 2016.
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Meghan Markle, Ayurveda, Pregnancy Wellness, Ancient Indian Medicine, Duchess of Sussex, Adaptogens, Prince Harry, Archie, Lilibet, Celebrity Wellness, Indian Traditions, Alternative Medicine, Holistic Health, Sanskrit, Podcast