Abstract

CORRELATION OF ARTIFICIAL RIPENING OF FRUITS AND GARAVISHA WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO VIRUDDHAHARA

Dr. Akshay Satish Patil* and Dr. Rajendra D. Lambat

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Abstract

Fruits are an important part of diet. Most nutritional and global recommendations include consumption of at least 2 servings of fruits per day for adults. They contain vitamin, mineral, dietary fiber, and, more recently, dietary bioactive content. Regular consumption of fruit is associated with reduced risks of cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, Alzheimer disease, cataracts and some of the functional declines associated with aging. Ripening is the process in the fruits by which they attain their desirable flavour, quality, colour, palatable nature and other textural properties. Due to increasing urbanisation and rapid development of fruit trade, there has been an increase in the artificial ripening to facilitate rapid production. The commonly used ripening agents are calcium carbide, acetylene, ethylene, propylene, ethephon (ethrel), glycol, ethanol and some other agents. Calcium carbide related ocular burn injuries are reported during mango ripening season of West Bengal in India. Garvisha is the toxic combination of poisonous or non-poisonous substances which is also called as Kritrimvisha by Acharya Vagbhat. Garvisha are not to digested but they take long time to digest hence they are not fatal. Certain diet and its combinations, which interrupts the metabolism of tissue, which inhibits the process of formation of tissue and which have the opposite property to the tissue are called as Viruddhanna or incompatible diet. The present study correlates the use of the artificial ripening agents with the Garavisha and Sampadviruddha (richness of quality) topic under Viruddhahara of Ayurveda.

Keywords: Fruits, Incompatible diet, artificial ripening, calcium carbide, Garavisha, Sampadviruddha.