Chyawanprash
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Chyawanprash, also spelled chyavanaprasha, chyavanaprash, chyavanaprasam and chyawanaprash, is a jam-like mixture of herbs, spices, and other ingredients from the Ayurvedic tradition. It is widely used in India due to health benefits.[1] The market size of chyawanprash in 2010 was Rs 4 billion (about 80 million US dollars).[2]
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[edit] Origin
It is said that Chyawan Rishi was the first to prepare this tonic, hence the name chyawanprash.[3][4] The first historically documented formula for chywanprash is found in Charaka Samhita, the ancient Ayurvedic treatise[5]
[edit] Appearance and Usage
It is a brown-colored, sticky paste with the consistency of jam and a sweet/sour/spicy taste. It can be eaten directly or mixed in warm milk or water. It can be used like any other jam, spread onto crackers or bread.
[edit] Claimed benefits
The main ingredient is amla (also known as Indian gooseberry), which is rich in Vitamin C (445 mg/100g),.[6] About 20g of amla contains the Dietary Reference Intake of Vitamin C. Anti-aging benefits claimed due to chyawanprash can be due to the anti-oxidant effect of Vitamin C. Another claimed benefit is improved immunity towards diseases like the common cold, which may also be due to high Vitamin C content.[7]
[edit] Composition
There is no exact recipe for chyawanprash. The number of herbs used in preparation of the paste varies from 25 to 80, but the main ingredient of all Chyawanprash is amla.[8] Other chief ingredients are:[9]
- asparagus
- bamboo manna
- blue Egyptian water lily
- cardamom
- chebulic myrobalan
- Chinese cinnamon
- cinnamon bark
- clove
- Indian rose chestnut
- country mallow
- feather foll plant (or Bhumiamalaki)
- galls
- ghee
- Giant potato (Ipomoea mauritiana or Kiribadu Ala)
- honey
- Indian kudzu
- Irish root
- liquorice
- Long pepper (Piper longum)
- Malabar nut (Seed of Adhatoda vasica)
- nut grass
- Potassium sorbate
- raisins
- Round zedoary
- sandalwood
- sesame oil
- Spreading hogweed (Boerhavia diffussa)
- Sugar
- Tiger's claw or Ice plant
- Wild black gram
- Wild green gram
- Winter cherry (or Ashwaghanda)
[edit] References
- ^ Puri, H.S. (2003) Rasayana: Ayurvedic Herbs for Rejuvenation and Longivity. Taylor & Francis, London
- ^ Economic Times SRK, Dhoni, Ravi Kishan do wonders for chyawanprash
- ^ Healthepic.com
- ^ Panda, H; Handbook On Ayurvedic Medicines With Formulae, Processes And Their Uses, 2004, p10 ISBN 9788186623633
- ^ Bates, D, Knowledge and the Scholarly Medical Traditions Cambridge University Press 1995, p325 ISBN 9780521499750
- ^ Tarwadi K, Agte V (Aug 2007). "Antioxidant and micronutrient potential of common fruits available in the Indian subcontinent". Int J Food Sci Nutr 58 (5): 341–9. doi:10.1080/09637480701243905. PMID 17558726.
- ^ Gorton, HC; Jarvis, K (Oct 1999). "The effectiveness of vitamin C in preventing and relieving the symptoms of virus-induced respiratory infections.". Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics 22 (8): 530–3. doi:10.1016/S0161-4754(99)70005-9. PMID 10543583.
- ^ "Chyavanaprasha Rasayan." Logayurveda.com. Accessed September 2011.
- ^ "Colors of India.com" Accessed October 2011
