ABSTRACT:
Ayurveda, meaning the science of life, is one of the ancient systems of medicine which is being practiced for several thousands of years by Indian civilization. Ayurveda consists of different type of dosage forms among which asava and arista are stated as the fermented products as these are exposed to the fermentation by the addition of fermentative agents, Saccharomyces cerevisiae obtained from dhataki puspa. Asava and arista, the unique dosage forms of Ayurveda known as “older the better it is” due to their easy palatability, effectiveness and indefinite shelf life. Preparation of asava and arista was described under ‘Madyakalpana’ and were emphasised during Samhita period due to their faster absorption and longer shelf life. The use of these formulations has been proved during Vedic period by many researchers which were a revolutionary innovation during that period. In this article attempt is made to describe the different constituents essential for preparation of asava and arista. These involve dravya (drug substances), dravadravya (solvents), sandhaneeya dravya (fermentative agents), prakshepa dravya (additives) and madhura dravya (sweetners). Further, sandhana patra (fermentation container), patra samskaras prior to sandhana (pretreatment of container before fermentation), sandhana sthala (fermentation place), sandhana avadhi (duration of fermentation), time of fermentation and the duration of process for preparing asava and arista have also been highlighted.