This presentation introduces basic concepts of asavas and arishtas and largely deals with their method of preparation. The content is made so as to cater to undergraduate students in pharmacy and basic science learners. This topic is in herbal drug technology of PCI curriculum

1. TRADITIONAL FERMENTED AYURVEDIC
FORMULATIONS : ASAVA - ARISHTAS
Dr P J Prasuna Sundari
Pharm., PhD
jpspingali2014@gmail.com

2. Fermented liquid ayurvedic formulations
 self generated herbal fermentations.
 novel, but least exploited.
 continuous hydro alcoholic extraction method.
 prepared by fermenting the herbal juices or their decoctions.
 They are alcoholic, sweetish and slightly acidic with an agreeable aroma.
1. Arishtas (fermented decoctions)
2. Asavas (fermented infusions)

3. Merits
1.The extraction method: Presence of alcohol in the preparation
offers several advantages:
 improvement in the efficiency of extraction of drug.
 improvement in drug delivery to the target sites.
 enhanced therapeutic efficacy
 better keeping quality.
2. Fermentation process:
removes most of the undesirable sugars from plant
material thereby eliminates side effects such as gas and
bloating.
causes bi-directional flow of cell contents and menstruum,
and help increase the extraction efficiency.

4.  creates an active transport system that moves the
dissolved constituents from the herbal material to the
menstruum.
Yeast cell walls naturally bind heavy metals and pesticide
residues, and therefore, act as a natural scavengers.
 induce biotransormation of phytochemicals making them
more potent, less toxic and more bio-available.

5. General properties
Asavas
strengthen mind and body
Appetizers
 reduces sadness and induces happiness.
Arishtas
 superior and are more potent than asavas.

6. Preparation method ( Sandhana kalpana )
Steps involved:
1. Preparation of Infusion or decoction.
2. Addition of sweeteners, flavours and other additives.
3. Transfer into a fermenter.
4. Addition of fermenting agent.
5. Incubation at specified conditions, for a specified period.
6. Filtration.
7. Packing.

7.  Sweeteners
Sugar/jaggery/
honey
Flavoring agents
Arishta :Decoction
Asava : Infusion/expressed
juice/powder
fermenter
Inoculum of
fermenting
agents
filtration
Asava/arishta
Flow chart for preparation of Asava and Arishta

8.  General proportion of constituents for the preparation of asava
arishta
Constituents of asava-arishta:
1. drug substance:
 in arishta hard materials like barks, roots are used.
in asava, generally soft and volatile materials are used.
2. liquids : water (Pippalyasava) ;cows urine (Chitrakasava) ; curd
(Gandeerasava) ; cowdung (Gandeerasava) ; buttermilk (Takrarishta );
decoction (Dasamoolarishta ); expressed juice ( Dhatryarishta).
water 12.288 lts
jaggery 4.8kg
honey 2.4kg
additives 480g.

9. 3. sweetening agent and flavoring agents
jaggery, sugar, molasses, candy sugar and honey are the major
sweetening materials used in asavaristhas.
 flavoring agents : clove, cardamom, cinnamon bark and
leaves, trikatu( black pepper, long pepper and ginger).
4. Fermenting agents:
Flowers of Woodfordia fruiticosa, Madhuka longifolia,
surabeeja or kinwa (remnant portion of the previous arishta)
serves as a source of mother yeast. All these drugs are
possessing rich amount of yeast cells which facilitates the
fermentation process.
Presently ayurvedic industry is preferring to use yeast due to
easy handling, improved hygiene, quick alcohol production,
low acidity and reduction in cost and time.

10. 1.Decoction
The crude drug is boiled in a specified volume of water (1:4 or 1:16.)
for a defined time (one-fourth its original volume ); cooled and
strained or filtered. This procedure is suitable for extracting water-
soluble, heat-stable constituents. Then, the concentrated extract is
filtered and used as such or processed further.
Infusion
Macerating the herb for a specified time period in cold or hot water.
Equipment:
powdering, grinding and mixing - mills, pulverizers and mixing
machines.
decoctions - large steam jacketed boilers, heated by superheated
steam under pressure.
filtration - electric filter presses with filter sheets.

11. Exceptions for this common rule
eg: - Takrarishta even though it is named as arishta, no decoction is prepared.
75% of drugs are volatile and soft in nature.
In kumaryasava, Kashaya is used even then it is named as asava. In this
formulation Terminalia chebula being hard is made into decoction and the
remaining procedure followed remains similar to asavas.
2. Addition of sweeteners and flavoring agents.
sugar (cane sugar), jaggery/or honey are added and completely dissolved.
should be pure.
Old jaggery should be used as fresh jaggery is known to aggravate kapha and
impair digestion.
The ideal amount of sugar needed for fermentation i.e.. 39.06%. But this ideal
amount varies from formulation to formulation.

12. The flavoring agents clove, cardamom, cinnamon bark and leaves,
trikatu( black pepper, long pepper and ginger) are added as coarse
powders to the sweetened extract. . These impart flavour and color
and also have therapeutic action. Very fine powder of the flavoring
agent is undesirable as it causes sedimentation in the preparation and
makes filtration difficult.
3. Fermentation
a) Fermenting vessel
Earthen pots: maintains the proper temperature, inert in
nature , drawback is that they are easily breakable.
replaced by plastic and steel tanks
In large scale, the fermentation is carried out in huge
wooden vats with wooden covers. The vat is made air tight.
Reference of using gold vessel in the preparation of
saraswatharishta.

13. b) Pretreatment of the fermentation vessel
smearing the interior of the pot with a paste made from a
combination of herbs and cow ghee prior to the
fermentation process.
(blocking of minute pores, helps maintain temperature and
inhibit fungal growth ).
Cleaning fermenter for reuse: washing with hot water for 3
to 4 times, later with lime water (prepared in 1:15 ratio) and
finally rinsing with hot water until the litmus paper turns
blue.
(checks microbial growth thereby preventing acidic
fermentation ).
 fumigation with herbs : chandana, karpoora, guggulu,
agaru, jatamamsi, maricha
( to remove bad odor and augments its sterilization ).

14. c) When the pot or the jar is ready,
the sweetened and flavored drug extract is poured up to
three fourth of the capacity.
Then, the inoculum of fermenting agent has to be added to
initiate fermentation, the inoculum of yeasts comes from the
flowers, which contain the wild species of yeast. These
flowers have nectar and tannin. The flowers are added and
the contents are stirred well to distribute the inoculum of
yeast. Other ingredients like honey and resins are added they
also are source for wild yeasts. The yeasts multiply rapidly by
division in a short time .
 Finally, the vessel should be closed and sealed.
After sealing, the vessel is placed in a dark place without
much circulation of air. It may be kept in a grain store buried
in a heap of grain or into a pit in the soil. Soft packing of
straw should be provided around the vessel to prevent
breakage .

15.  time required for initiation of fermentation is 6 days during autumn
and summer seasons, In winter, 10 days and during rainy and spring
season it is 8 days.
The fermentation vessel is left undisturbed for a month and then
opened. (7-10 days are enough in the hot tropical climate and the long
period of 30 days in cold climate). This period is subject to change. For
instance in the case of vasarishta, vasa is the only major ingredient so it
might need short duration for fermentation where as in case of
gugguluasava many ingredients are there and guggulu being a resin
might take long period to transform to asava, so the variation is
observed.
4. Filtration: The fermented liquid is filtered and taken for use. If the filtered
solution shows further sedimentation, it is allowed to stand for few more days
and again filtered to separate the sediment.

16. Characteristics of Asava Arishta
should be very clear.
characteristic aromatic alcoholic odor
There should be no froth at the top.
 should not become sour.
Preservation of Asava Arista
It is mentioned in the Ayurvedic classics that well prepared asava and
arishta do not have an expiry date, means they can be kept and used for
indefinitely. They should be kept in a sealed bottles or jars.
Note:
 Honey, whenever or wherever mentioned, should be not be dissolved or
boiled. It should be used as such in natural form.
 As Asava Arishta contains jaggery, sugar or honey, it is not recommended
for diabetic patients.

17. S.N
o
Formulation Use
1 Ashokarishta menstrual cycle regulator, to control excessive menstrual bleeding,
urinary disorders.
2 Dashamularishta Normalization of physiological processes after childbirth in women;
anti-inflammatory, Piles, jaundice, sterility in female, Pneumonia.
3 Aravindasava Pediatric tonic, Appetizer
4 Arjunarishta Cardiotonic
5 Drakshasava General tonic, influenza, Blood toner/nourishment
6 Kumaryasava Liver disorders, piles, constipation, enlargement of spleen, cooling
effect, Endocrinal deficiency, Blood toner/nourishment
7 Lohasava Anemia, Piles, spleen disorder, diabetes, Ascites
8 Saraswatharishta Seminal weakness
9 Mrithasanjeevaniarishta Sexual stimulating tonic, Weakness
Formulations of asav-arishta along with their uses

18. REFERENCES
1. AK Mishra, A Gupta, V Gupta, R Sannd, P Bansal; Asava and Aristha:
An Ayurvedic Medicine – An overview; International Journal of
Pharmaceutical & Biological Archives 2010; 1(1): 24 –30.
2. A M Srelal, Ganti Y Basavaraj, Saokar M Reshma ; Critical Analysis
on Pharmaceutics of Alcoholic Preparations (Asava-Arishta) in
Ayurveda; JAHM, ISSN‐2321‐1563.

19. THANK YOU