Vidaryadi Lehyam

What it is

A lehyam is a semi-solid herbal confection, a soft jam taken by the spoon and slowly licked or swallowed. The word comes from the idea of licking, and it names one of the oldest ways Ayurveda has of carrying a group of herbs into the body in a rich, palatable form. A confection of this kind belongs to the patient, nourishing side of the tradition rather than the clearing side.

Vidaryadi Lehyam is one such preparation, and it takes its name from its foundation. Vidari is the tuber of Pueraria tuberosa, a sweet, cooling, building root that Ayurveda has long counted among its nourishing herbs, and adi means “and the rest.” Vidaryadi therefore means “Vidari and the others,” and points to a whole classical group of herbs, the Vidaryadi gana, gathered around that root.

To the Vidari the recipe adds a chosen set of nourishing and breath-supporting herbs of the same family, among them Bala, Ashwagandha, Yashtimadhu (licorice), Shatavari, Kantakari, Draksha and Pippali. These are brought together with ghee, honey and sugar and cooked into a semi-solid jam. The character of the finished confection follows its parts: it is Brimhana (nourishing), Balya (strengthening) and Rasayana (rejuvenating), a support to the breath and the voice, and broadly settling to Vata and Pitta.

What Ayurveda uses it for

In the classical texts Vidaryadi Lehyam sits among the nourishing confections, the preparations reached for where the body is depleted and worn thin and where the breath and the voice need support. Its sweet, heavy and unctuous nature was understood to feed the tissues, an action the tradition calls brimhana, and to steady the drying, mobile quality of Vata while cooling the heat of Pitta.

Within that role the classical literature describes the confection as traditionally indicated in a familiar set of conditions, each named here in its classical Sanskrit term with a plain gloss:

• Kshaya and Shosha: wasting and depletion of the tissues, the confection’s foremost use and the state its nourishing quality is chiefly called upon for.
• Kasa and Shwasa: cough and laboured breathing, where its soothing, building character is directed to the chest and the breath.
• Swarabheda: hoarseness and disturbance of the voice, which the tradition connects with this preparation.
• Daurbalya: debility and weakness, where its strengthening quality is drawn upon.
• Raktapitta: a classical bleeding tendency, for which its sweet, cooling nature is described.
• Urakshata: a classical complaint of the chest, listed among its traditional uses.

These are the traditional textual indications recorded in the classical literature. They set out how Ayurveda has long understood the preparation and are given for reference and study, not as statements of medical effect or as advice to treat any condition.

What is in it

The foundation of the confection is Vidari, the sweet, cooling tuber that gives the preparation both its name and its building character. Around it the recipe gathers the companion herbs of the Vidaryadi group, chosen for the same nourishing and steadying nature.

Among them are Bala and Ashwagandha, two of the classical strengthening herbs valued for settling Vata and feeding the tissues; Yashtimadhu, the licorice root, sweet and soothing and long associated with the throat and the breath; and Shatavari, a cooling, nourishing root. Kantakari is included among the herbs the tradition directs to the chest and the breath, Draksha (raisins) adds a sweet, cooling, building note, and Pippali, the long pepper, is folded in in small measure as a herb held to carry the action of the others and to keep the digestion lit under so rich a jam.

These herbs are brought together in the fats and sweeteners that are themselves part of the preparation: ghee as the unctuous medium, sugar as the sweet base that both preserves the confection and adds to its building nature, and honey folded in for its carrying quality. Ghee and honey are the classical bases of a confection of this kind, and no other animal ingredient belongs to the recipe.

How it is taken

The classical way is the simplest. A small measure, by tradition a spoonful, is taken on its own and licked slowly from the spoon, or stirred into a cup of warm milk. Warm milk is the traditional partner for a nourishing confection of this kind, held to carry its building action into the body, though warm water serves where milk does not suit.

It is taken in modest amounts, and like most confections of its class it is used as a course over a stretch of days rather than as a single dose. The sweet, sugar-rich base is a reason for particular care in anyone who has been told to watch their sugar, and the amount and the length of the course are best settled with a practitioner.

Good to know

Vidaryadi Lehyam belongs to the slow, building side of Ayurveda, taken as a course over time rather than as a single dose, and it sits among the nourishing rather than the clearing preparations. Its whole design is toward feeding and steadying a body that has been worn thin, which is why the tradition places it first among the confections for wasting and depletion and reaches for it alongside where the breath and the voice need support.

Because its nature is sweet, heavy and building, the sources settle most firmly on its nourishing and Vata- and Pitta-settling role. The same heaviness that feeds a depleted body is a reason it is taken thoughtfully and in measure rather than freely, and the making of it follows the unhurried classical method for a confection, in which the delicate herbs and the honey are folded in only once the jam has cooled, so their quality is not lost to the heat.

This entry describes the classical Ayurvedic understanding of the preparation. It is not medical advice, and anyone with a health condition should speak to a qualified practitioner.

Frequently asked

What does the name Vidaryadi mean? It means “Vidari and the rest.” Vidari is the sweet, cooling, nourishing tuber that forms the foundation of the preparation, and adi means “and the others.” The name points to the whole classical group of herbs, the Vidaryadi gana, gathered around that root and cooked with ghee, honey and sugar into a soft confection.

Why is it taken with warm milk? Because the tradition sees warm milk as carrying the nourishing action of a building confection, and as a gentle partner to a preparation meant to feed a depleted body. It is the classical pairing for a lehyam of this kind, though the confection can also be licked from the spoon on its own, or taken with warm water where milk does not suit.

What form does it take? It is a lehyam, a semi-solid herbal jam or confection, taken by the spoonful. It is neither a powder nor a liquid but a soft, sweet paste, made by cooking the herbs with ghee, sugar and honey until the mixture holds its shape, and taken as a course over a stretch of days.