Chyawanprash

Chyawanprash (also spelled chyavanaprasha, chyavanaprash, chyavanaprasam and chyawanaprash) is a jam-like cooked mixture of sugar, honey, Triphala, ghee, sesame oil, berries and other herbs and spices. It is prepared as per the instructions suggested in Ayurvedic texts. Chyawanprash is widely sold and consumed in India as a dietary supplement.

Origin

Various Indian holy books like Mahabharat, Puranas etc., relate that Ashwini Kumar brothers, the twins, who were RajVaidhya (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. The first historically documented formula for chyawanprash appears in the Charaka Samhita, the ancient Ayurvedic treatise 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 (clarified butter) and triphala, and the smell by ghee and other spices including sandalwood, cinnamon and cardamom. Its appearance resembles semi-molten tar - a thick dark brown paste.