Chyavanprash (), originally Chayavanaprasham, is a cooked mixture of sugar, honey, ghee, Indian gooseberry (amla) jam, sesame oil, berries and various herbs and spices. It is prepared as per the instructions suggested in Ayurvedic texts. Chyavanprash is widely sold and consumed in India as a dietary supplement.
Origin Chyavanprash is an ancient formulation and product. Various ancient Indian texts like Mahabharata, Puranas etc., relate that Ashvin twins, who are Vedic gods of medicine, first prepared this formulation for Chyavana Rishi, hence the name Chyavanprash.Panda, H; Handbook On Ayurvedic Medicines With Formulae, Processes And Their Uses, 2004, p10 The first historically documented formula for chyavanprash appears in the Charaka Samhita, the ancient Ayurvedic treatiseBates, D, Knowledge and the Scholarly Medical Traditions Cambridge University Press 1995, p325 from the early first millennium BCE.
Consumption and Taste Chyavanaprash is usually consumed directly. It can also be consumed along with warm water.
Chyavanaprash tastes sweet and sour at the same time. The taste is dominated by the flavors of honey, ghee (clarified butter) and amla, and the smell by ghee and other spices including sandalwood, cinnamon and cardamom.
Composition The recipe of chyavanprash is mentioned in manuscripts written for ayurvedic method of treatment viz. Ashtangahridayam, Charakasamhita, Sangandharasamhita. The number of herbs used may vary from 25 to 80 but the main ingredient of all chyavanprash is amla. Other chief ingredients are:
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera or Winter cherry) Shatavari (Asparagus racemosa) Amla Bamboo manna Blue Egyptian water lily (Makhana) Cardamom Chebulic myrobalan Chinese cinnamon Cinnamon bark Clove Indian rose chestnut Country mallow Feather foil plant (Phyllanthus niruri or Bhumiamalaki) Galls Ghee Giant potato (Ipomoea mauritiana or Kiribadu Ala) Giloy (Guduchi) (Tinospora cordifolia) 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 diffusa) Sugar Tiger's claw or Ice plant (Erythrina variegata) Wild black gram Wild green gram All of the major brands of chyavanprash were determined to be safe with respect to heavy metal content as of 2011 by Consumer Voice.
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