Abstract :
Plan: To suggest some guidelines for improving the manufacture of ayurvedic Äsava and ariá¹£á¹a so thatthey conform to the specification set by Government of India.
Prologue: Ayurveda employs several classes of medicine in the treatment of diseases. Spirituous liquors(Äsava, ariá¹£á¹a) form an important one among them. Nearly sixty such fermented medicines are used in contemporary Ayurvedic practice. Ä€sava and ariá¹£á¹a are traditionally prepared by mixing the decoction or juices with jaggery or honey, powders of specific herbs and flowers of Woodfordia fruticosa. It is believed that flowers of W. fruticosa are the source of the inoculum. The analytical laboratory of CARe Keralam Ltd has been estimating the alcohol content of commercial samples of Äsava, ariá¹£á¹a since 2012. A look at the results of more than 500 samples analyzed here reveals interesting information. According to Ayurvedic pharmacopoeia of India Äsava and ariá¹£á¹a should contain not less than 5% and not more than 11% alcohol. However, in reality commercially manufactured Äsava and ariá¹£á¹a have varying content of alcohol, many of them not conforming to the specifications set by Government of India.
Outcome: This problem can be solved by adopting fermentation method employed in the modern brewery science. Paying closer attention to factors like insoluble solids,available nitrogen, acid level, yeast and temperature control can improve the quality of the Äsava and ariá¹£á¹a.
Keyword :
Ariá¹£á¹a,Ä€sava, Fermentation, Brewing, Woodfordia fruticosa, yeast