Alcohol in India today is synonymous with commercially distilled alcohols, foreign liquors and Indian-made Foreign Liquors (IMFLs), that pretty much define modern day social indulgence and intoxication. However, traditional liquors have been brewed in India for centuries, and for reasons and purposes beyond intoxicated revelries. Alcohol brewing in India has a rich history and place in Indian culture across the subcontinent. It was even considered sacred, woven into the rituals and spiritual practices in many communities, and was also used widely for its medicinal properties. The call for statewide prohibition that started around the time of our country’s independence has led to alcohol only being associated with intoxication, and an erosion in the rich native knowledge systems and traditions around indigenous liquor production and consumption.
Alcohol as medicine in ancient times
The use of medicinal liquors in India can be traced back to ancient texts including the Vedas, Charaka Samhita, and Sushruta Samhita. “Soma” finds mention in the Rig Veda, believed to impart strength and immortality. According to the Satapatha Brahmana (VI. 1.3.10) and Sushruta, Soma was the beverage of gods and considered to be the supreme medicine. And then there was the “Sura”, a healing or reinvigorating alcoholic drink mentioned in Śrauta Sūtra, which was useful in the treatment of malnutrition, bloating, flatulence, ureteral obstruction, and lactation problems.
Ayurveda also includes a variety of medicinal uses for alcoholic beverages called “Madya”, “Asavas”, “Arishtas” “Sura” etc. Ayurvedic physicians prescribed medicinal liquors in specific dosages for specific ailments. For example:
Sarkara, a wine made using sugar was used as a cardiac tonic and digestive stimulant
Gouda, a jaggery and dhataki (Woodfordia Fruticosa) flower-based wine would promote digestion, and improve appetite, complexion, and strength
Pakvarasa Sidu, a boiled sugarcane juice-based wine was prescribed for curing constipation, adiposity, piles, asthma, and abdominal diseases.
Kapisa or Mardvika was made from fruits such as grapes, and is prescribed as a laxative, cardiac tonic, and strength builder. It was also prescribed to cure anaemia, pulmonary tuberculosis, urinary disorders, typhoid, intestinal parasites and piles.
Sura was a grain-based alcohol used in the treatment of abdominal lumps, duodenal, and kidney disorders.
Arishtas or tonic wines, were prepared by steeping medicinal herbs in wine for several weeks, and prescribed as a digestive.
Even though Ayurveda is practised today, these preparations are not prescribed due to the inadvertent use of alcohol and lack of modern scientific studies proving these claims. And although these ancient recipes might seem obsolete with time, it is interesting to note the depth and breadth of ancient wisdom regarding alcohol.
Indigenous Alcoholic Brews
Many indigenous communities across the country continue to brew traditional liquors using recipes passed down through the generations. There are about 350 types of major traditional beverages prepared using indigenous knowledge and fermentation techniques. While It is uncertain as to how many of these are alcoholic, all of them are made with natural ingredients, thus containing extracts of plants, with traces of minerals and bioactive compounds beneficial for health.
Handia is brewed by tribal communities in Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha. It is a rice beer that is believed to aid in digestion, address cholesterol, endocrine function and immunity building.
Mahua traditionally brewed in Central India, Bengal, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, is a flower based liquor, believed to be a revitalising tonic, digestive aid and pain reliever. Traditionally, a mix of herbs and roots called Raanu is used to initiate the fermentation of the mahua flowers. With Mahua liquor finding commercial success, jaggery has replaced Raanu, which tribal communities believe is an adulteration of their recipe.
Urrak is a traditional Goan drink made from cashew fruit, and is one of India’s earliest distilled alcoholic brews. This drink is also believed to have antibiotic, pain relieving and immunity building properties.
Dudhshiri/Dukhshiri is also an indigenous drink from Goa. Made from the Indian Sarsaparilla root, also known as Ananthamool or Nannari in Indian languages, the liquor is believed to be a rheumatic pain reliever.
Raksi is a rice/ millet based distilled alcoholic drink popular in Nepal and in the Himalayan regions of Darjeeling and SIkkim in India. The liquor is believed to be a remedy for high altitude sickness. Recent research has highlighted the respiratory protective, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties of this liquor.
Present Day: A fading symphony
With tribal communities largely considered to be uneducated masses, indigenous healers and master brewers, who were the custodians of this knowledge, are dwindling in numbers. Younger generations have little respect for or interest in learning and preserving these traditions. Urbanisation, globalisation, the rise of modern pharmaceutical alternatives, and climate change are a few of the factors contributing to the decline in indigenous medicinal alcohol brewing.
Shifting beliefs: The increasing dominance of allopathic medicines has relegated traditional practices and modern generations often lack awareness, and access, and are sceptical about the medicinal properties of indigenous recipes.
Commercialization & Dilution: Commercial production and widespread availability of foreign alcohols, IMFLs, and standard beverages have overshadowed the traditional, often family-run production of liquors.
Legal restrictions: Incessant regulations, prohibitions, and taxes imposed on liquor production and sale have deterred small producers and created economic challenges for communities reliant on traditional fermentation practices. A 2022 study by the CRB (Centre for Responsible Business) found that over 70% of traditional medicinal liquor producers face economic hardships due to regulations and market dynamics.
Climate Change & Sustainability: Unsustainable resource management, environmental degradation, human & land rights, and climate change threaten the availability of raw ingredients like herbs, fruits, and flowers, and impact liquor production.
Beyond Nostalgia:
The diminishing medicinal liquor culture signifies more than just lost beverages and traditions. It represents the loss of valuable indigenous knowledge, a disconnect from ancestral wisdom, potential loss of natural remedies adapted to local ecologies and preventable healthcare. It underlines the cultural homogenization and fading diversity of the country’s rich heritage.
Moving Forward:
We may have lost the recipes for Soma, Arishta, and other potent elixirs granting immortality, but we must use modern science and technology to study the recipes we still have access too, and find ways to preserve and use them in our modern lifestyles, all the while protecting the custodians of these knowledge systems.
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