It has since been considered to be the mother of all health elixirs comprising all sorts of roots, shoots, herbs, seeds and fresh ingredients. One of the most prominent ingredients in the Chyawanprash is the Amla or the Indian Goosberry. It has more Vitamin C than citrus fruits and is vital to combat respiratory illnesses, prevent muscular spasms and boost immunity.
Chyawanprash can be had either in the morning or evening or both times, if so prescribed. For children, it is best to have a small spoonful once a day. It can be mixed with desi cow milk or just eaten off the spoon. Some folks like to spread it on bread for breakfast but that does not conform to traditional practices so the efficacy of that might not be as potent. The Chyawanprash also helps dispel lethargy or listlessness of the brain and body.
When we cook more often using the vessels made with natural materials, by artisans, closer to our homes, the body is said to be more receptive to absorbing those nutrients from the food that is cooked in them.
Kal chatti or soap stone utensils made in the South of India need to be seasoned with rice water for several days before being placed on heat. The starch and nutrients from the rice water helps in sealing the porous pockets naturally found in the soft stone and renders it safe for cooking.
We have by now been able to transition from plastic to fully biodegradable cardboard boxes for 80% of our products. Seen above in the picture are cardboard fitments. Most of our glass containers are being shipped in these boxes now. There have been cases of spillage, we are learning and promise to fix the gaps.
We had also shared small sneak peaks into the making of the cloth-bags on our Social Media channels. These are made by the same team in Kolhapur who make our Dhoop sticks.
This 'Ninja team' also does a quality check of the bags to see if any threads are out. This is because, we want to be using resources responsibly. While we are thinking about the sturdiness of the bags to carry our foods during transit, we also want these bags to be of use to you in many more ways. Reuse, re-purpose to store your green chillies, curry leaves, lime etc in the fridge or use it the way you want to store anything.
The turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, dry ginger, black pepper and whole coriander seeds which have been ground together to make this immunity boosting powder have been farmed under strict adherence to traditional farming practices where each ingredient is respected and allowed to grow as it should.
The blending of these spices have also been done with as much reverence as they deserve. Slow roasting over firewood to gently coax out their inherent properties, unhurried pounding to break it down without damaging the nutrients and mixing it all carefully with great attention to detail is what also goes into making this aromatic powder.
Dry ginger and whole black pepper are spices and shoots which are so typically Indian. ‘Sukku kaapi’ is a dry ginger & warm water concoction that the people of Kerala swear by. The Indian diet primarily consisted of black pepper to add that spiciness to the food. The chillies came much later from the ‘new world’ and are not a part of ancient Indian cooking.
A case in point is when looking at food offerings (prashaad) in places of worship...the food would be devoid of onion, garlic or tomato and would contain copious amounts of pepper, cumin, curry leaves, rice, lentils and ghee.
The feedback for this immunity boosting powder has been positive and extremely encouraging. While we do tend to highlight the respiratory distresses that this powder helps ease, it must be mentioned that the addition of whole spices also have anti inflammatory and digestive properties making it ideal for the gut. All food absorption and assimilation happens at the digestive tract so only if that were in a condition to absorb what is necessary will it then help the immune system.
