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Honey in Ancient Sanskrit Texts on Ayurveda from India

By May 28, 2022October 12th, 2022Uncategorized

“ą¤šą¤•ą„ą¤·ą„ą¤·ą„ą¤Æą¤‚ ą¤›ą„‡ą¤¦ą¤æ ą¤¤ą„ƒą¤Ÿą„ą¤¶ą„ą¤²ą„‡ą¤·ą„ą¤®ą¤¦ą¤æą¤·ą¤¦ą¤æą¤§ą„ą¤®ą¤¾ą¤øą„ą¤°ą¤¦ą¤æą¤¤ą„ą¤¤ą¤Øą„ą¤¤ą„ ą„„ą¤°ą„‚ą¤•ą„ą¤·ą¤‚ ą¤•ą¤·ą¤¾ą¤Æą¤®ą¤§ą„ą¤°ą¤‚, ą¤¤ą¤¤ą„ą¤¤ą„ą¤²ą„ą¤Æą¤¾ ą¤®ą¤§ą„ą¤¶ą¤•ą¤æ ą¤°ą¤¾ ą„„”These shlokas are from the Ashtanga Hridayam, the ā€œHeart or Essence of all the Eight Branches of Ayurvedaā€, one of the primary ancient root texts of Ayurveda.They are part of a bigger hymn that tells us that madhu (or honey) is very good for eyesight and can quench oneā€™s thirst.

“ą¤šą¤•ą„ą¤·ą„ą¤·ą„ą¤Æą¤‚ ą¤›ą„‡ą¤¦ą¤æ ą¤¤ą„ƒą¤Ÿą„ą¤¶ą„ą¤²ą„‡ą¤·ą„ą¤®ą¤¦ą¤æą¤·ą¤¦ą¤æą¤§ą„ą¤®ą¤¾ą¤øą„ą¤°ą¤¦ą¤æą¤¤ą„ą¤¤ą¤Øą„ą¤¤ą„ ą„„

ą¤°ą„‚ą¤•ą„ą¤·ą¤‚ ą¤•ą¤·ą¤¾ą¤Æą¤®ą¤§ą„ą¤°ą¤‚, ą¤¤ą¤¤ą„ą¤¤ą„ą¤²ą„ą¤Æą¤¾ ą¤®ą¤§ą„ą¤¶ą¤•ą¤æ ą¤°ą¤¾ ą„„”

These shlokas are from the Ashtanga Hridayam, the ā€œHeart or Essence of all the Eight Branches of Ayurvedaā€, one of the primary ancient root texts of Ayurveda.

They are part of a bigger hymn that tells us that madhu (or honey) is very good for eyesight and can quench oneā€™s thirst. It mitigates the effect of poison and stops hiccups. It is extremely beneficial in curing gastrointestinal infections, worm infestations, urinary tract disorders and is used to treat wounds.

In fact, from the Charaka Samhita, to the Sushrutha Samhita, Ayurveda is full of such shlokas, heaping praise on several aspects of honey.

Ayurveda also cautions us to not heat it.

“ą¤‰ą¤·ą„ą¤£ą¤® ą¤š ą¤øą¤®ą¤—ą„ą¤°ą¤„ą¤‚ ą¤®ą¤§ą„: ą¤®ą¤¾ą¤°ą¤¾ą¤Æą¤¤ ą¤‡ą¤¤ą¤æ”

  • ā€œWhen honey is boiled (or heated at high temperatures), it will produce deleterious effects and act as a poison in due course.ā€

Unfortunately, due to mass industrialization and mass production, most of the honey that is sold in the market today is processed either at higher than suggested temperatures or in other harmful ways because of poor industry standards, making it more ā€˜Viruddha Aahaarā€™ or incompatible diet as per Ayurveda.

Some of the varieties of Himalayan Honey we have been able to ethically harvest are Chichiri, Shisham, Bharmour Forest, Acacia, Litchi, Kangra Forest, Lahaul Forest, and we are on a quest to find you more!

We bring to you pure medicinal honey, which is raw and unpasteurized, exactly as it is produced by honey bees so that you can not only relish its exquisite and unique flavor profiles but also introduce it in your diet as per some traditional recipes.

While a paste of raw honey with ginger or black pepper would smoothen your throat, you can also turn to raw honey as a replacement of sugar in your regular dose of tea or coffee with breakfast every morning. Though, remember to only add your honey later to your tea when it is not boiling!

Similarly, you can make face packs with raw honey and some gram flour, or turmeric, and lemon, and feel the magic of nature.

Sometimes it takes years to undo the misdoings of the past, and the same may be true for the modern use of unprocessed raw honey in our daily lives. However, it is in the ancient texts that we have found the answers and hope to re-establish the norms of body-compatible diets, learning from the ancient texts in Ayurveda.

Written by Ayush Kaushik

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