आसवारिष्टभेद: - ആസവാരിഷ്ട ഭേദങ്ങൾ

आसवारिष्टभेद: - ആസവാരിഷ്ട ഭേദങ്ങൾ

"द्रवेषु चिरकालस्थं द्रव्यं यत्सन्धितं भवेत्।

आसवारिष्टभेदैस्तु प्राच्यते भेषजोचितम् 

यदपक्वौषधाम्बुभ्यां सिद्धं मद्यं स आसवः।

अरिष्ट: क्वाथ सिद्धस्यात्तयोर्मानं पलोन्मितं”।

(शार्ङ्ग.म.ख. )

*ആസവാരിഷ്ട ഭേദങ്ങൾ*

"ദ്രവേഷു ചിരകാലസ്ഥം

ദ്രവ്യം യത് സന്ധിതം ഭവേത്

ആസവാരിഷ്ട ഭേദൈസ്തു

പ്രോച്യതേ ഭേഷജോചിതം

യദപക്വൗഷധാംബുഭ്യാം

സിദ്ധം മദ്യം സ ആസവ:

അരിഷ്ട: ക്വാഥസിദ്ധ: സ്യാത് 

തയോർ മാനം പലോന്മിതം "

( ശാർങ്ങ്ഗധരം ; മദ്ധ്യമ ഖണ്ഡം )

Arishtas are made by fermenting decoctions of herbs in boiling water ( kashayam )

   while asavas are prepared by directly using fresh herbal juices , 

   both are fermented with either jaggery, sugar or honey.

Dravadravya refers to Kwatha, swarasa or liquid preperations. Madhura Dravya refers to sweetened preparation. It refers to Jaggery, Honey, or sugar being infused to make it easier to consume and increases alcohol (a solvent used to extract medicine from herbs). Sandhana drava is referring to the catalyst. These are flowers like dhataki and madhuka which innoculate the intent mud pot with the required strains of yeast. Asava and arishta are the two major medicines that result from this process.

 Advantages of Fermented Medicines

Self-generated alcohol acts as a preservative. This improves the shelf life of the medicine. In fact, these medicines become more potent and better over time.

Tikshnadi Gunas: quick absorption and assimilation improves for these medicines.

 Arishtam is a good solvent capable of extracting the medicinal properties most efficiently from the herbs.

These medicines are in liquid form. This means that the exact dosage is easy to measure and administer. This is advantageous for pediatric and geriatric patients. Also, Arishta has an uncanny ability to make the taste more palatable. So the bitter taste of herbs is masked.

Being made from jaggery, sugar, grapes, and honey: This is nutritious to the body and taste is easier to mask.