Glaring discrepancies
Chyavanprash, an ayurvedic formulation named after Chyavan Rishi, is a compound formulation extensively used as an immunomodulator to boost the immune system so that the body is able to resist infections and diseases. It contains as many as 38 ingredients. Rawat and Mehrotra have prepared Chyavanprash at the NBRI laboratory after collecting the ingredients themselves or buying them and comparing them with the genuine samples present in their herbarium. On comparing the quality of their preparation with commercial preparations marked differences were found.
For instance, amla ( Emblica officinalis ), one of the major constituents, a major source of vitamin C and active in building resistance against cold, cough, and pulmonary diseases was in the range of 0.004 per cent to 0.02 per cent as against 0.4 per cent present in the NBRI preparation. The amount of honey in some commercial samples was also significantly low.
Ratanjyot