Lohasavam

What it is

Lohasavam is an arishtam, a gently fermented herbal tonic. An arishtam is made by leaving a herbal decoction to ferment slowly with jaggery and a flower that starts the fermentation, so that the finished liquid carries a small amount of its own naturally formed alcohol. That self-made alcohol preserves the tonic and, in the tradition’s view, helps the body take up the herbs within it.

The name tells you its character. Loha means iron, and Lohasavam is built around prepared iron set among iron-rich and digestive herbs. It belongs to the family of rasayana preparations, the ones taken over time to build and steady the body rather than for a quick effect.

What it is used for

Lohasavam is named, again and again, among the preparations that nourish the blood. In Ayurvedic terms it is raktavardhaka, a builder of the blood tissue, the rakta dhatu. The tradition reaches for it where the body looks pale and worn, where the tissues seem thin or undernourished, the sort of depletion that follows long strain, poor appetite or a hard season.

Two ideas sit behind it. The first is the iron itself, which the tradition links directly with the quality of the blood. The second is digestion. Lohasavam carries ginger, black pepper and long pepper, the warming spices Ayurveda uses to kindle the digestive fire, agni, on the understanding that nothing nourishes the tissues unless digestion first carries it there. A tonic that feeds the blood and kindles digestion at the same time is, to the classical mind, doing two halves of one job.

How it is made

Lohasavam is made the way all arishtams are made, in stages.

First a decoction is prepared. The dried herbs, among them the three myrobalans, haritaki, bibhitaki and amalaki, together with vidanga and the warming spices, are simmered in water until the liquid is reduced and strongly drawn. Amalaki, the Indian gooseberry, carries the sour, cooling note that runs through the finished tonic.

The strained decoction is cooled, and the prepared iron is stirred evenly through it once the heat has dropped, so the mineral is not exposed to high heat. Jaggery is dissolved in to feed the fermentation and to add its own warming, blood-nourishing quality. Then the flowers of dhataki are added; these carry the wild yeasts that set the fermentation going.

The whole mixture is sealed into a clean earthen or glass vessel, loosely enough to let the gas of fermentation escape, and kept in a steady warm place. Over a span of days to weeks it ferments quietly, turning sour and clear as it works. When the bubbling has settled and the liquid has cleared, it is filtered and stored away from light. A well-made arishtam keeps for a long time.

Good to know

Lohasavam is a warming, building tonic, taken as a course over weeks rather than as a single dose. The classical way is to take it after food, diluted with an equal measure of warm water, so that it meets a digestion already at work.

Because it is warming, the tradition gives it in smaller measure to those who already run hot, the Pitta-predominant, and is easier with it in the dry, depleted and cold. As a preparation that contains a prepared mineral, it belongs firmly in the hands of a qualified practitioner.

This entry describes the classical Ayurvedic understanding of the preparation. It is not medical advice, and anyone with a health condition should speak to a qualified practitioner.

Frequently asked

Why is it fermented rather than just brewed? Fermentation does two things the tradition values. It produces a small amount of natural alcohol that preserves the tonic and lets it keep for years, and it is held to make the herbs easier for the body to take up. That is what sets an arishtam apart from a plain decoction.

What does the iron in Lohasavam do? The iron is the reason for the name, and the tradition links it directly with the blood, which is why Lohasavam sits among the blood-nourishing tonics. The herbs around it, the spices especially, are there to make sure digestion can carry that nourishment to the tissues.

How is it taken? As a course, over weeks, usually after meals and diluted with an equal measure of warm water. It is a slow, building preparation, not a single-dose remedy, and because it contains a prepared mineral it should be taken under qualified guidance.