Balamritam is an effective Ayurvedic medicine for children. It is used as a general tonic which improves strength and immunity.
Benefits of Balamritam
This formulation is specially indicated to be used in children. It is beneficial in all types of allergic responses in children like respiratory infections and skin diseases.
It works as a general tonic for children. It helps to improve appetite, digestion, health, immunity, and strength. It is advised that it can be given in almost all diseases in children. It corrects Malabsorption. It is found beneficial in many life style diseases and deficiency disorders in children.
It helps to improve the child’s body weight and immunity.
It improves functions of digestive and respiratory systems. It is found beneficial in many diseases due to stomach problems and compromised immunity in children.
Indications of Balamritam
Preenanam Sushyata: siso: – Nourishing/general tonic
Sarvamayaharam – Cures all diseases of children
Balanam amritopamam – Like nectar for kids
Amaatustanya – Can be given to baby without mother’s milk
Ingredients of Balamritam
| Black grapes | Mridweeka/Draksha | Vitis vinifera L. |
Grapes are a nourishing and slightly laxative fruit that can support the body through illness, especially of the gastro-intestinal tract and liver. Because the nutrient content of grapes is close to that of blood plasma, grape fasts are recommended for detoxification. The fresh fruit is antilithic, constructive, cooling, diuretic and strengthening. The fruit is also helpful in the treatment of varicose veins, haemorrhoids and capillary fragility. The dried fruit is demulcent, cooling, mildly expectorant, laxative and stomachic. It has a slight effect in easing coughs. It is used as a remedy for skin diseases and in diseases of the eyes.
| Indian silver fir | Taleesapatra | Abies webbiana LINDL. |
It has anti-bacterial, mast cell stabilising, anxiolytic, anti-tumour, anti-inflammatory, anti-tussive, and CNS depressant properties.
| Kaattu mulak | Chavika | Piper retrofactum Vahl. |
It is useful in treating indigestion, abdominal colic, worm infestation, poisoning, anorexia, productive cough, asthma, bronchitis, fever, diarrhoea, IBS, haemorrhoids, fistula, chronic respiratory disorders, throat disorders, and rheumatic conditions.
| Black pepper | Maricha | Piper nigrum L. |
Black Pepper is extremely useful for respiratory disorders and asthma. In conditions like hoarse voice, dental caries, in removing bad breadth (halitosis), the gargling of Black Pepper Powder along with salt and warm water may be used. Black pepper is also used in case of Heavy diets as it aids digestion. Black pepper is also used in the weakness and loosening of the anal sphincter especially in case of piles. For Headache and migraine, nasal drops of Black pepper powder prepared in milk is used. It helps to remove the chronic headache. The same preparation can also be used as local application on fore head in the form of paste. Black pepper reduces itching and discharge through the lesions when used in the form of local application on skin disorders.
| Long pepper | Pippali/Magadhi | Piper longum |
It has carminative action and maybe used as appetizer. The fruit and root of Pippali are used in the form of powder to treat fever, diarrhoea, piles, cough, hiccough, asthma, hoarseness of voice, flatulence, colic, vomiting, acid gastritis, oedema, diseases of mouth, eye diseases, diseases of semen, diseases of women, jaundice, and earache.
Pippali mixed with honey alleviates cough, dyspnoea, fever splenomegaly, and hiccough.
| Long pepper – root | Krishnamoola | Piper longum |
It is pungent in taste and hot in potency. It breaks down thick sputum and is beneficial in sinusitis and asthma. It is also useful in the treatment of worm infestation, infected wounds, ascites, enlargement of abdomen, distension of abdomen, splenomegaly, asthma, tuberculosis and other chronic respiratory disorders. It improves taste and relieves anorexia.
| Dried ginger | Sunthi | Zingiber officinalis |
It is unctuous and hot in potency with pungent taste but becomes sweet after digestion. It is an aphrodisiac and balances Vata and Kapha.
It improves ability to taste and promotes digestion. Relieves cough cold and other respiratory problems. It is not a laxative, rather causes constipation.
| Liquorice | Yashti | Glycyrrhiza glabra L. |
It has anti-bacterial, anti-oxidant, anti-malarial, anti-spasmodic, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer, anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-hyperglycaemic and hepato-protective properties.
| Indian sarsaparilla | Sariba | Hemidesmus indicus (L.) SCHULT |
It is a coolant and a potent detoxifier. It is demulcent, alterative, astringent, diaphoretic, diuretic, tonic, anti-pyretic, and blood purifier. It is used in leprosy, other skin diseases, fever, asthma, bronchitis, syphilis, pruritus, diseases of the urinary tractand leucorrhoea.
| Walnut | Akshoda | Juglans regia Linn. |
It has antioxidant activity, antidiabetic, hypolipidemic, antimicrobial, and antihypertensive activities, as well as liver protection. It can be used in helminthiasis, diarrhoea, sinusitis, stomach ache, arthritis, asthma, eczema, scrofula, skin disorders, diabetes mellitus, anorexia, thyroid dysfunction, cancer and infectious diseases.
| Badam/Almond | Vaatama | Prunus dulcis. (Mill.) D. A. Webb |
Almond nut has many nutritious ingredients such as fatty acids, lipids, amino acids, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, as well as secondary metabolites. It is rather a dietary supplement than a medicine.
Clinical studies have verified the modulatory effects on serum glucose, lipid and uric acid levels, the regulatory role on body weight, and protective effects against diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, recent researchers have also confirmed the prebiotic potential of almonds.
| Plantain | Kadali/Rambha | Musa paradisiaca |
It is a coolant and appetiser at the same time. It increases intestinal motility. It arrests bleeding. Being a rich source of anti-oxidants, it can be used in the treatment of gastric ulcer, dysentery & diarrhoea, bleeding disorders etc.
| Queen sago | Himtaalaphala | Cycas circinalis L. |
It has antibacterial activity.
| Fire flame bush | Dhaataki | Woodfordia fruiticosa Kurtz |
It is an anthelmintic, in dysentery, leprosy, blood diseases, leucorrhoea, and menorrhagia.
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Sugar
Honey
Details of the manufacturing
As already discussed, Balamrutam has 14 herbal ingredients, sugar, and honey.
All the herbal ingredients should be washed well and dried up in shade.
Take ½ Tulam of Draksha in a clean vessel. Add 2 Drona clean water into it. Make it boil. The fire should be kept low to make sure that all the active ingredients in the herbs needed are absorbed well into the water. Make sure to mix it in between with a wooden ladle. Reduce the quantity into one by fourth of the initial quantity. Once the quantity is reduced to one by fourth of the initial amount of water, remove the vessel from the fire. Squeeze and drain through a clean white cloth. Collect the decoction in a clean vessel and discard the solid waste. To this decoction, add
2 Tulam of sugar,
Powder of
Taleesapatra,Chavika&Maricha- 1 Pala each
Krishna&Krishnamoola-2Pala each
Sariba,Akshoda, Vaataama, Rambhaphala, Himtaalaphala- 1 Kudaba each
Honey – ½ Tulam
and 1 Prastha of Dhataki flower.
It should be transferred into an earthen pot coated inside with ghee. Cover it with a clean white cloth and keep it closed and airtight. Keep it for atleast 30 days in a dark place with low temperature. After 30 days or more, open it and filter through a clean white cloth. Keep it in an airtight glass bottle. Arishtam can be used for a longer period of time without any preservatives.
Dosha Dooshya Predominance with roga margas.
Balamrutam is Pitta-Kaphahara.
It acts on aabhyantara rogamargas
Dosage and Usage of Balamrutam
Dosage: 25-30 ml after food in adults. Dose should be less in children according to age and body build.
Usage:
Asava-Arishtas are advised to be taken after food, once the ingested food and medicine will digest together.
It is taken two times or three times a day immediately after food.
Exercises and Yoga.
In children, Yoga and other exercises should be done only with professional guidance and supervision if needed.
In elders, as Balamrutam targets mainly digestive tract and immunity following exercises and specific yoga asanas like Ardhamathsyentra asanam, Halasanam, Vakrasanam, Dhanurasanam etc recommended.
Regular exercise helps improve bioavailability of the medicine and food ingested and leads to positive health.
Yoga can maintain harmony within and with surroundings.
Ardha mathsyentra asanam
Halasanam
Vakrasanam
Dhanurasanam
All the exercises and physical exertions must be decided and done under the supervision of a medical expert only.
Recommended diet and behaviour
Diet:
- To be avoided
Heavy meals and difficult to digest foods – cause indigestion.
junk foods and spicy food- cause disturbance in digestion and reduces the bioavailability of the medicine
carbonated drinks – makes the stomach more acidic and disturbed digestion
refrigerated and frozen foods – causes weak and sluggish digestion by weakening agni (digestive fire)
curd – causes vidaaha and thereby many other diseases
- To be added
Light meals and easily digestible foods
Fresh fruits and vegetables
Milk, ghee, nuts and dry fruits in moderate quantity
Green gram, soups, buttermilk boiled with turmeric, ginger and curry leaves
freshly cooked and warm food processed with cumin seeds, ginger, black pepper, ajwain etc
Behaviour:
Avoid sedentary lifestyle. Be active.
Better to avoid exposure to excessive sunlight wind rain or dust.
Maintain a regular food and sleep schedule.
Avoid forcing or holding of natural urges like urine, faeces, vomiting, hiccups etc.
Side effects and contraindications
No known side effects reported.
Diabetic people and people with gastric ulcer should not take arishta-asavas.
Classical references
AYURVEDA PATENT/KOTTAKAL YOGAGRANTHA
Equivalent medicines.
Aravindasavam
Brands Available
AVS Kottakal
Research papers
Pippali
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5067934/
Kadali
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3644572/
Akshoda
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27641607/
Vaatama
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7146189/
Himtalaphala
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