Chyawanprash

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Chyawanprash is a herbal dietary supplement. Chyawanprash spoonful.JPG
Chyawanprash is a herbal dietary supplement.

Chyawanprash (also spelled chyavanaprasha, chyavanaprash, chyavanaprasam, chamanprash and chyawanaprash) is a cooked mixture of sugar, honey, ghee, Indian Gooseberry (amla) jam, sesame oil, berries and various herbs and spices. [1] It is prepared as per the instructions suggested in Ayurvedic texts. Chyawanprash is widely sold and consumed in India as a dietary supplement.

Contents

Origin

Chyawanprash is an ancient formulation and product. [2] Various Indian holy books like Mahabharata, Puranas etc., relate that Ashwini Kumar brothers, the twins, who were Raja Vaidya (Royal Physicians) to Devas during Vedic times, first prepared this formulation for Chyawan Rishi at his Ashram on Dhosi Hill near Narnaul, Haryana, India, hence the name Chyawanprash. [3] The first historically documented formula for chyawanprash appears in the Charaka Samhita , the ancient Ayurvedic treatise [4] from the early first millennium BCE.

Taste and appearance

Chyawanaprash tastes sweet and sour at the same time. The taste is largely dominated by the flavors of honey, ghee (melted butter and heated as well) and amla and the smell by ghee and other spices including sandalwood, cinnamon and cardamom.

Consumption

Chyawanaprash is usually consumed directly or along with warm milk or water . The recommended consumption is usually about 1 tsp twice a day.

Composition

The recipe of chyavanprash is mentioned in manuscripts written for ayurvedic method of treatment viz. Ashtangahridayam, Charakasamhita, Sangandharasamhita. Amla is a primary ingredient of Chyawanaprash which makes it rich in Vitamin C (445 mg/100g). [5] The number of herbs used may vary from 25 to 80 but the main ingredient of all Chyawanprash is amla. [6] Other chief ingredients are:

Market

The market size of chyawanprash in 2010 was Indian Rs 4 billion (about $80 million USD). Chyawanprash in India is marketed through film stars and sports persons such as Amitabh Bachchan, Ramdev, Shahrukh Khan, Ravi Kishan, Virendra Sehwag, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni. [7] , and Randhir Singh.

See also

  1. History of branding
  2. Health Benefits of Chyawanprash

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References

  1. Vora, M.S. (2015). Rasayana: The Fountain of Life. Partridge Publishing India. p. 217. ISBN   978-1-4828-4315-6 . Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  2. Gupta, S.K. (2001). Pharmacology and Therapeutics in the New Millennium. Springer Netherlands. p. 332. ISBN   978-0-7923-7059-8 . Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  3. Panda, H; Handbook On Ayurvedic Medicines With Formulae, Processes And Their Uses, 2004, p10 ISBN   978-81-86623-63-3
  4. Bates, D, Knowledge and the Scholarly Medical Traditions Cambridge University Press 1995, p325 ISBN   978-0-521-49975-0
  5. 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.
  6. Johnston, Robert (2004). The politics of healing : histories of alternative medicine in twentieth-century North America. New York: Routledge. p. 226. ISBN   0-415-93338-2.
  7. Economic Times SRK, Dhoni, Ravi Kishan do wonders for chyawanprash