European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

AN ANALYTICAL STUDY ON SAMSAKARA (PROCESSING) WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO RICE

*Dr. Sapna, Dr. Shiva Kumar Harti and Dr. Mangalagowri V. Rao

ABSTRACT

Sanskaras are the methods by which food can be processed or changing their consistency and form or transformation of food in different forms to make them good enough for consumption. Rice is a staple food and known as grain of life for more than half of the world’s population, and the major single food source of carbohydrate and energy in Asian countries. It is not only food, several medicinal properties and usage of rice preparations by doing different Samskaras are mentioned in diseases like fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, haemorrhage, burns. Even today different varieties of processing are used in various states like Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Western Ghats, Himachal Pradesh. The sanskaras in the form of washing, roasting, cooking make rice light and the adjuvants like spices ginger, pepper, asafoetida enhance digestion and absorption and seasoning with cumin, asafoetida, ghee alleviate vata. Thus Judicious use of rice along with processing help individuals where rice is Satmya.

Keywords: Spices, roasting, seasoning, traditional foods, diseases.