Torsten Peterson, Wellness Assistant Manager
One of my favorite ways to support my mood and whole body vitality this late winter is Ayurvedic restorative formula Chyavanprash which addresses mood and spirit within its whole body setting.
What is it?
Chyavanprash is a lehyam, closest related to an herbal jam, made with jaggery, honey, and ghee to suspend, extract, and combine multiple healing herbs and spices. These ingredients not only assist consumption but add nutrients and moistening quality. This balances the warming and gently bitter herbs which secrete digestive juices, endocrine activity, expectoration, and blood flow and help to clear stagnancy in all parts of the body. The flavor of Chyavanprash is sweet and slightly tart from the flavor of amla berry, warmed by cardamom and long pepper. Herbs that would be bitter on their own, such as Ashwagandha and Vasaka, are incorporated into an easy-to-take formula. It is traditionally with warm raw milk, but some people incorporate it in ways you might use a western style jam such as on toast! I take mine straight from the spoon and have milk alongside.
Through assisting methods of elimination, issues caused by accumulation of stagnancy or amma can be relieved. Through herbs that increase secretion and movement of fluids, issues caused by underactive tissues can be relieved. Through herbs that relieve tension in the body, issues caused by overactive or inflamed tissues can be relieved. Our nervous system also faces issues related to stagnancy, underactivity, and overactivity. In a balanced formula all of these aspects can be addressed.
A little history –
The first written record of Chyavanprash’s formula is in the Charaka Samhita, written in the early first millennium BCE, however it is mentioned in many older Hindu scriptural texts such as the Rigveda, Brahmanas, Mahabharata, Bhagavata Purana as being prepared by Vedic gods of medicine, the Ashvin twins, for Chyavana Rishi to restore him to strength and vigor after a life of struggles due to early birth and from the rigors of practicing austerities, such as allowing himself to be covered in termites during meditation and samadhi. This formula is hence named Chyavanprash as it was first given as medicine to restore him from the brink of death.
Herbal formulas from this period of time are accepted as coming from vast amounts of meditation of the Rishis and their interpretations of the elements of nature. This is why these herbal formulas such as Chyavanprash contain many, often dozens, of herbs as they bring together many elements of the natural world which are mirrored within the human body and mind.
Chyavanprash is understood to help support the entire body and spirit, as it was designed to rejuvenate Chyavan entirely, stimulating the liver and the immune, digestive, respiratory, and nervous systems, and boosting vitality in ways we might view today through an adaptogen lens. Each Vaidya (Ayurvedic medicine maker)’s take on the ancient wisdom of Chyavanprash is a little different, Banyan Botanicals balances the elements of herbs essential to Chyavanprash, within a version made only with herbs that have organic sourcing available.
This Chyavanprash is made with Jaggery, Honey, Ghee, Amla, Cardamom, Long Pepper, Ashwagandha, Vasaka (Malabar Nut Tree Leaf), Haritaki (Chebulic Myrobalan), Punarnava (Boerhavia Root), Gokshura (Tribulus), Yellow-Fruit Nightshade aerials, Guduchi (Indian Tinospora), Vidarikand (Indian Kudzu), Musta (Cyperus Root), Bael fruit, and Shatavari root.
While it would take a much longer article to discuss the benefits of each herb, in very abbreviated form we see in this formula that mood and hormonal health is supported by Ashwagandha, Amla, Gokshura, Musta, and Shatavari; that the liver is supported by nearly every herb in the formula including Ashwagandha, Punarnava, Guduchi, and Kudzu; the digestive system is regulated by the aromatic spices, Amla, Haritaki, Punarnava, Guduchi, and Bael Fruit, respiratory function is regulated by Vasaka, Cardamom, Yellow-fruit Nightshade, Haritaki, and Shatavari; kidney and urinary health is supported by Shatavari, Punarnava, Gokshura, and Punarnava, reproductive function is supported by Ashwagandha, Gokshura, Shatavari, Musta, and Kudzu.
Every herb impacts multiple systems, such as Ashwagandha’s ability to assist with sleep, liver secretion, immune resilience, and hormonal health, so to discuss all the benefits is complex. For more specific questions on each herb within the Chyavanprash formula, feel free to ask Torsten in the Wellness aisle, check out the resources below, or consult the Charaka Samhita.
For more reading:
Chyawanprash: A Traditional Indian Bioactive Health Supplement
