A major part of my childhood as a Bengali kid has been eating and drinking several bitter stuff that I was so sure is never going to help me, whatever it is that my mother says to convince me otherwise. So, I used to make faces every time she used to feed me neem-begun or karela makha or chiratar ras. Now that I have grown up and know a little better, I am the one suggesting these bitters to people and talking about their advantages, just like Iam going to do now.
Coming to chirata, it is an extremely bitter herb with many health benefits. It grows in the Himalayan region between Kashmir and Bhutan and is known as the bitter stick, the amalgamation of its look and its taste. This bitter bark is an aid for liver issues, malaria and diabetes.
Chirata is also used to increase healthy appetite in a person. The herb itself might be bitter, but it sure helps in making your body crave other food. This herb is naturally rich in nutrients like antioxidants as well as glycosides like xanthones, chiratanin, chiratol, palmitic acid and many more.
Chirata drink | Instagram - @shwastimart
Let us look at a few advantages of adding chirata to your diet -
- Chirata is great for your brain and your nervous system. This is due to the compound that Chirata produces known as Swertiamartin.
- The herb heals and relaxes the nervous system, which in turn is helpful in treating acute stress and anxiety.
- Chirata is great for the consumption if you have liver issues.
- One should also try to include chirata in their diet if they have low appetite.
- It helps in treating constipation.
- Lastly, drinking water or tea infused with chirata can improve several skin issues like rashes, itching, and redness.
Let us look at this simple recipe to make chirata water, that you can drink first thing in the morning for extracting all the health benefits out of chirata.
- In a pan, boil 2 cups of water.
- Add 2 chirata sticks to the water and boil till the water reduces to half.
- Store this potion in a glass container and consume a couple teaspoons every morning.
Drink this chirata water regularly and you will be able to notice a vast difference in your health and lifestyle. The herbs mentioned in Ayurveda never fail and the magic effects of chirata are proof enough for that.
