Nimi - Sariva Churna - 100g

Ayurvedic flavours

Dosha: Pitta and Vata reducing

Rasa: sweet, slightly bitter

Guna: heavy

Vipaka: sweet

Virya: cold

Ingredients

Hemidesmus Indicus from certified organic cultivation

Sabine's comments on the Ayurvedic plant and its use

I first got to know Sariva while travelling through South India. There I was served Nannari, a cooling syrup made from Sariva, sugar and a dash of lemon. I was particularly surprised by the really pleasant flavour and the enticing aroma. Only a few Ayurvedic recipes had been able to convince me in terms of flavour until then. But I loved Sariva from the very first moment. Its exceptional flavour makes it an excellent spice for desserts or drinks. Even today, I always add Sariva to desserts, such as a sweet tsampa variation.

But I also prepare the syrup in summer as a cooling drink for my children. To do this, I mix 100g of rocked Sariva root powder with 1 litre of water. I leave this mixture to soak for 1 hour before simmering it with 5 cups of Ayurvedic sugar for 20-30 minutes. After this time, the consistency should be like a syrup. I leave the syrup to cool and then filter it through fine cotton cloths.

For a glass of nannari, I take 3 teaspoons of sariva syrup to a glass of water and a squeeze of lemon or lime.

On my later travels, I was able to experience the traditional use of sariva in a very practical way. A Vaidya took me to a climbing plant and dug out the root. It was remarkable that he took the root out of the ground with a stick. Metal tools are not suitable. I found this reasoning very interesting. Because I know it from our culture, where it was crucial how you got hold of a root to obtain its power. In old books it is still recorded, for example, that the plantain root must be dug up with antlers in order to seize the spirit of the root.

Vaidya pressed a juice from the root, which he used immediately. He assured me that immediate use was essential. Sariva is not traditionally boiled, but at most an infusion is made from it.

An infusion also serves as the basis for most external applications of sariva.

In Ayurveda, sariva is one of the rasayanas. It balances all three doshas, has a cooling effect and is sweet and bitter in flavour.