Breathing & Immunity

Seasonal preparations, and how a course is kept

Classical practice holds the change of season to be the moment that asks for attention, and this group reflects that. Dashamoola appears here both as a decoction and as a tablet. Chyawanprash — the best known Ayurvedic preparation anywhere — belongs here too: Charaka names it first among the rasayanas, and specifically in connection with the chest and the breath.

These are traditionally kept as a course across a season rather than reached for on a difficult day. Buying for an elderly parent, the tablet and the jam are considerably easier to sustain than a decoction taken twice daily.

Three ways the shelf is used

1. A seasonal course — The traditional pattern — a defined stretch of weeks as the weather turns, rather than occasional use.
2. Chyawanprash daily — A spoonful, usually in the morning. The most approachable thing here, and where a household generally starts.
3. Decoction or tablet — The same classical recipes in two forms. The decoction is the older and the bitterer; the tablet is the one most people finish.

See also Herbal Decoctions & Teas, Energy & Vitality. Kairali has made Ayurvedic formulations in Kerala since 1908.

Always read the label and directions on the pack you receive, and speak with your physician before starting anything new — particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, managing a health condition or taking prescription medicine.