Asava and Arisha

These fermented preparations contain between 5 and 15% alcohol, no added preservatives, and a full spectrum of bioactive plant compounds. Asavas are made with raw unheated herbs while arishtas require herbs to be decocted into a concentrated broth before fermentation. Western pharmaceutical companies cannot patent or mass-produce asava and arisha preparations due to prior art and 90-day fermentation requirements. Both asavas and arishtas are fermented naturally by wild yeasts and Lactobacillus bacteria present on the jaggery and in ambient air. A typical asava or arisha formula contains 3 to 15 medicinal herbs and 1 kg of jaggery per liter of decoction water.