Simplified Chyawanprash
This herbal jam helps build daily immunity and vitality.
Avoid during acute illness — Chyawanprash is for building, not fighting. Diabetics: even unsweetened versions have natural amla sugars; monitor. Honey heating destroys enzymes (and is considered ama-producing) — add after cooling. Not for children under 12 months.
About this recipe
A simplified household version of *Chyawanprash* — the most famous Ayurvedic *avaleha* (herbal jam), classically containing 30-50 herbs cooked into a base of amla pulp and ghee with jaggery. This streamlined version captures the essence with the most-important herbs. Take 1 tsp daily, especially in fall and winter. The classical formula was created for the sage Chyawan to rejuvenate him in old age — hence the name.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Amla powder (vitamin C · tannins)Master rasayana — supports Immune & Defenses · Liver & Detox · Mind & Cognition · Skin
- 1/4 cup ghee (yogavahi vehicle)Fat-soluble vehicle — supports Digestive · Skin · Liver & Detox
- 1/4 cup raw honey or jaggery (added after cooking and cooling) (polyphenols)Antimicrobial vehicle — supports Respiratory & Breathing · Digestive · Immune & Defenses · Skin
- 1 tsp ground cardamom (cineole)Digestive aid — supports Digestive
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon (cinnamaldehyde)Blood sugar balance — supports Digestive · Immune & Defenses
- 1/2 tsp ground long pepper (pippali) (piperlongumine)Digestive fire — supports Digestive · Respiratory & Breathing
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger (gingerols)Nausea relief — supports Digestive · Immune & Defenses
- 1 tsp Ashwagandha powder (withanolides)Stress adaptation — supports Energy & Adaptogens · Sleep & Rest · Nervous System & Mood · Hormones & Women's Health
- 1 tsp Shatavari powder (saponins)Female reproductive tonic — supports Hormones & Women's Health · Digestive · Sleep & Rest
- 2-3 tbsp water for cooking
Method
- 1 Melt ghee in a small saucepan over very low heat.
- 2 Stir in Amla powder; cook 5 minutes until aromatic.
- 3 Add cardamom, cinnamon, long pepper, ginger, ashwagandha, shatavari. Stir constantly 3-4 min — toasts the spices.
- 4 Add 2-3 tbsp water; cook 5 min more until thick paste.
- 5 Cool fully (under 140°F).
- 6 Stir in honey or jaggery until smooth.
- 7 Transfer to a clean jar. Take 1 tsp daily in warm milk or on the tongue.
What you'll notice
- Daily 1 tsp builds long-term vitality
- High vitamin C from amla
- Strengthens immunity in cold seasons
- Supports women's reproductive health
- Take in warm milk for best absorption
Tips & storage
Daily 1 tsp in warm (not hot) milk before bed, or on the tongue first thing in the morning. Commercial Chyawanprash from Dabur or Patanjali is the closer-to-classical formulation if you want to compare. This simplified version is the household-makeable approximation.
Cool, dry, tightly sealed. 6 months at room temp; longer refrigerated.