The mention of gud/gur or jaggery is found in ancient Ayurvedic texts and is an important component in ayurvedic medicines, especially those made in the liquid forms – Arishtas and Asavas. Ayurvedic text Ashtanga Hrudayam Sutrasthana explains that regular consumption of pure jaggery decreases kapha dosha and serves as a diuretic.
In Ayurveda, gud is used for external as well as for internal use.
Externally gud is mainly used in ‘agnikarma’ and internally for many formulations.
Gud is used in many preparations of Ayurveda like it is used as binding material in gutivati i.e. tablets. It’s also used as prakshepakadravya in kwatha, used in churna.
Ayurvedic practitioners strongly recommend using old jaggery – which is at least one year old for promoting digestion, cleansing gastrointestinal tract, urinary bladder, boost heart function and beat anaemia.
As mentioned in Ayurveda, Gud is one unique ingredient that can beat all seasonal difficulties be it in winter or summer. It serves as an amazing natural coolant in hot weather while in winter it aids in combating various respiratory ailments. A powerhouse of anti-allergen properties, it detoxifies the body and eases muscles. A piece of jaggery with little ginger helps in expelling mucus and clears airways.
In Hindu religion shadrasa bhojana is important and in which madhura rasa is one of the main rasa. In some auspicious days guda is also given as divine food. Hindus consider gud as one of the five elixirs of immortality (Panchamrita)
In temples, gud is poured over the deities in a ritual called Gudabhisheka. The Vedas and other ancient literature describe jaggery as a great medicinal and health food. Gud is also one important ingredient in Ayurvedic medicine preparations, gudapaka is one of them.
Ayurveda says, that the quality of the jaggery is judged by its colour; brown means it is higher in impurities and golden-yellow implies it is relatively pure. Due to this grading scale, there are malpractices of adding colour or harmful chemicals to simulate the golden colour. To avoid this adulteration one can opt for Instantly Dissolvable Gurmae Jaggery cubes, which are made to perfection using 100 percent organic jaggery and packed hygienically in convenient individual packs.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF JAGGERY
Although the term “jaggery” is generally used for the molasses obtained from the juice of sugar cane, it also refers to the jaggery made from the sap of palms, like coconut palm, Date palm, Palmyra, Toddy palm and a few other plants. Various types of Jaggery has different taste.
As per Ayurveda, Jaggery is full of health benefits. Still we have replaced it with harmful refined sugar for the simple reason that it’s not convenient to use. Let’s look at the reasons why jaggery has taken a backseat even after being so potent as a sweetener.
Jaggery, because of its moisture absorbing property is avoided in monsoons.
Jaggery is so much more flavourful than refined sugar but since it doesn’t dissolve easily in cold beverages and recipes, we have started replacing it with refined sugar.
Jaggery is not convenient to preserve due it its inherent sticky nature, hence refined sugar has taken the lead.
To solve all these issues, an innovation has been done after 3 years of rigorous research. So that jaggery gets its well-deserved place in our lives and diet. All these issues have now been solved with the arrival of Gurmae Jaggery cubes, a product which is 100 percent organic, convenient, pure, tasty, healthy and hygienic.
CONCLUSION
It can be concluded that jaggery is an invaluable natural substance with many diverse usages. It helps in many diseases with single use or as a part of medicine. It also helped in preparation of medicine as binding agent or as preservative or as an ingredient. But it must be pure and genuine.
