INTERNATIONAL AYURVEDIC

MEDICAL JOURNAL

Review Article ISSN: 2320-5091 Impact Factor: 6.719

A REVIEW ON AYURVEDIC AND MODERN CONCEPT OF APPETIZERS

Harshita Gautam1, Ravi Kumar 2

1. PG Scholar, Department of Swasthavritta and Yoga, National Institute of Ayurveda deemed to be university,
Jaipur, Rajasthan.
2. Associate professor, Department of Swasthavritta and Yoga, National Institute of Ayurveda deemed to be
university, Jaipur, Rajasthan.
3.
Corresponding Author: harshitagautam0311@gmail.com

https://doi.org/10.46607/iamj2813022025
(Published Online: February 2025)
Open Access
© International Ayurvedic Medical Journal, India 2025
Article Received: 06/01/2025 - Peer Reviewed: 30/01/2025 - Accepted for Publication: 09/02/2025.

ABSTRACT
Purpose: The system that controls energy intake (food consumption) and related motivational states like hunger is
called the appetite system. The need to eat is a psychological and physiological phenomenon. An appetizer is a
part of a food item that stimulates and makes you eat more. It might be a food ingredient or a small portion of
food that activates the digestive system. The underlying cause of illness, according to Ayurveda, is Mandagni
(suppression of fire). Other Ayurvedic ideas are connected to the concept of Ahara (food), which keeps the diges-
tive fire in a balanced state. Ahara Kalpanas (food preparations) are mentioned in classics as appetizers consumed
before or after a meal. Deepana and Hridhya Dravya serve as appetizers in Ayurveda. According to Ayurveda,
Deepana is a substance that stimulates the digestive system but does not digest Ama. The term that is healthy for
the heart and mind is referred to as Hridhya. This literary analysis tries to clarify the modern and Ayurvedic con-
cepts of appetizers, the drawbacks of modern appetizers and the benefits of Ayurvedic food appetizers. Using an-
cient food preparations as appetizers should encourage the development of policies that lessen and prevent the
adverse effects of modern appetizers.

Keywords: Appetite, Agni (digestive fire), Appetizers, Ahara Kalpna (food preparations), Deepana.
 Harshita Gautam & Ravi Kumar: A Review on Ayurvedic and modern concept of appetizers

INTRODUCTION
Appetite, by definition, is the system that influences ishra, these substances comprise Agni and Vayu Ma-
energy intake (food consumption) and associated mo- habhuta.
tivational states, such as hunger. It is a psycho- In food technology, hospitality, and medicine, appe-
physiological phenomenon referred to as the urge to tizers are a food category used as adjectives. Adipose
have food1. An appetizer is a component or food item tissue, the hypothalamus, several hormones, and oth-
that exerts stimulating action, creating the desire to er neurophysiologic components, among others, play
consume food2. In Ayurveda, appetite can be corelat- unique roles in the expression and control of appetite.
ed with Kshudha Vega (appetizing sensation). Diges- The expression of appetite is influenced by a person's
tive fire is assessed by ingestion and digestion power physiological state, food consumption, and feelings
(Abhyavarana and Jarana Shakti). Digestion of food of fullness8. In today's society, pre-meals consist of
is also affected by the type and amount of food con- sophisticated appetizers in a tiny amount of food.
sumed. As earlier said, the Ahara Matra (quantity of These can be sold in ready-to-eat, ready-to-drink, or
food) depends upon the strength of digestive fire and ready-to-reconstitute forms. Due to their potent active
the food substance. Food is the main pillar among ingredients, including gingerol, capsaicin, piperine,
Trayopasthambha (three sub-pillars) of Ayurveda cavacrol, etc., spices and herbs increase appetite and
showing its importance in one’s life3. There are some gastric juice output. The appetizers are used as
rules and regulations related to food which are fo- packed mixes and preservatives and are available in
cused on maintaining digestive fire and digestion. In ready-to-cook form. These appetizers can hurt health
Ayurveda, the substances which enhance digestive due to their constituents like preservatives, flavor
fire are known as Deepana (Ayurvedic appetizers). enhancers, colors, etc. Ayurveda emphasises more
“Deepana” means ‘inflaming the fire’ or ‘stimulating focus on the rules of food in which there’s the con-
fire’. Aacharya Sharangadhara defined Ayurvedic cept of a complete plate that consists of all Rasa, sol-
appetizers as the substance that enhances Agni but id diet, liquid diet, appetizers and mouth-clearing
does not digest Ama. Mishi4. Ayurvedic appetizers are substances. Ayurveda has the idea of preparing appe-
also discussed in Brihatrayis; Acharya Charaka has tizers in the form of food, which can be used as an
mentioned Deepaniya Mahakashaya. Acharya Gan- alternative to modern appetizers.
gadhara Sen, in his commentary, mentioned Ayurve- Material and methods-
dic appetizers as the substance helpful to stimulate In this review, Ayurveda classics and international
Agni, and Acharya Yogindranath Sen defined it as databases such as Google Scholar, Scopus, and Med-
‘Antaragni Sandhukshana’5. Acharya Sushruta also line (using PubMed as the search engine) were
discussed appetizing properties in some specific searched for keywords “Appetite,” “Agni,” “Appetiz-
groups like Pippalyadi Gana, Brihat Panchamoola, ers,” and “Deepana ” in fields, title, abstract, and
Trikatu, Triphala, Guduchyadi Gana and Aamlakyadi keywords.
Gana6. Acharya Yogindranath Sen, in his commen- Observations-
tary on Charaka Samhita, mentioned a group of Trip- Modern and Ayurvedic appetizers and their
tighna substances as Ayurvedic appetizers and also health effects-
known as Rochana7. These substances can be called Modern appetizers- Appetizers in the Western
Swadu, Hridhya, and Priya, which please the heart world are an old concept that updated time. It has
and mind like sour substances. Ayurvedic appetizers many different varieties. It is classified as follows:
have attributes of Katu (pungent), Amla (sour), and 1. Cocktails—usually juices of orange, pineapple,
Lavana (salty) in Rasa, Ushna (hot) in Veerya (po- grapefruit, or tomatoes served with cold salad
tency), and Teekshna (sharp), Ushna (hot), and Laghu dressing. They may be fruit or vegetable juice
(light) in qualities. According to Acharya Bhavam- mixed with a small alcoholic beverage or seafood

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 Harshita Gautam & Ravi Kumar: A Review on Ayurvedic and modern concept of appetizers

like shrimp, crabs, or lobsters served with a Other classification in use

slightly seasoned sauce. 1. Cocktails.
2. Hors D’ Oeuvres- “Outside the work”, a small 2. Hors d’ oeuvres.
portion of highly seasoned foods, a combination 3. Canape.
of canapes, olives, stuffed celery, pickled radish- 4. Relishes/Crudites.
es, and fish. 5. Salads.
3. Canapes are made out of thin slices of bread in 6. Soup & Consommé
different shapes. The bread may be toasted, 7. Chips & Dips.
sauteed in butter, or dipped in a well-seasoned Soup: soup in the diet is a long-standing concept in
mixture of egg, cheese, fish, or meat, then deep almost all cultures. It specifically belongs to the
fat fried. Stone Age, when man started boiling food. Soup was
4. Relishes/ Crudites are pickled raw, crisp vegeta- initially used as a main meal, but nowadays, it has
bles such as julienne carrots or celery sticks. become an appetizer. The general approach to using
5. Petite salad- small portions usually display the soups as appetizers was to stimulate digestive fire
characteristics found in most salads. through spices, temperature, and the active ingredi-
6. Chips and Dips- popular accompaniments to po- ents of vegetables.
tato chips, crackers, and raw vegetables. Types of Soups-
7. Fresh fruits and vegetables- an attractive appear- soup has been classified as thin, thick, cold or inter-
ance, fragrance, appealing taste and delicious fla- national. Broadly, it is classified into thin and thick.
vor. Thin means clear and is categorised as passed and
8. Anything smaller- any food item could be picked unpassed. Thick consists of cream, puree, etc. Now,
up with fingers. soup mixes are available in the market and ready to
cook. Some of the soup types with their ingredients
are given below in Table 1.

Table 1. The ingredient profile of commercial soup mixes 9

s.no. Soup Ingredients
1. Vegetarian Sweet corn Vegetable Soup Corn flour, Dehydrated Vegetables, sugar, salt, Fat powder, Edi-
ble vegetable fat, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, green chili pow-
der, garlic powder, yeast extract powder, soy sauce powder, fla-
vor enhancer-627 and 631, spices and condiments, traces of
wheat and nuts
2. Thick Tomato Soup; Homestyle Rich Refined wheat flour, Corn flour, tomato powder, sugar, salt, Fat
Tomato Soup powder, Edible vegetable fat, onion powder, beetroot juice pow-
der, garlic powder, yeast extract powder, dehydrated coriander
leaves, Acidity regulator-330, Flavor enhancer-627 and 631/635,
spices and condiments, traces of soy and nuts
3. Hot and Sour Vegetable Soup, Home- Corn starch, maltodextrin, sugar, iodized salt, soy sauce powder,
style Hot and Sour Vegetable Soup onion, tomato powder, colour 150d, edible vegetable oil, carrot
flakes, green bell pepper, wheat flour, noodle bits, garlic powder,
cabbage bits, mixed spices, acidifying agents-330, coriander
leaves, flavor enhancer-627, traces of almond and milk
4. Home-style Mixed vegetable soup, Wheat flour, corn starch, sugar, salt, edible vegetable oil, milk
Mixed Vegetable Soup solids, cabbage, carrot, peas, onion powder, garlic powder, acidi-
fying agent-330, Flavor enhancer-635/627/631, mixed spices,
traces of soy and nuts

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 Harshita Gautam & Ravi Kumar: A Review on Ayurvedic and modern concept of appetizers

5. Baby corn spring onion soup concen- Baby corn, spring onion, ginger, garlic, sugar, salt, chili powder,
trate citric acid, corn flour, spices
6. Non -Vegetarian Sweet corn chicken Corn flour, Dehydrated vegetables, salt, dehydrated chicken
shreds, edible vegetable fat, dried glucose syrup, hydrolyzed
vegetable proteins, green c
chili powder, garlic powder, yeast extract powder, soy sauce
powder, flavor enhancer-627 and 631, spices and condiments,
traces of wheat, milk and nuts
7. Classic hot and sour chicken soup Corn starch, refined wheat flour, sugar, salt, soy sauce powder,
dehydrated vegetables, dried glucose syrup, dried chicken, hy-
drolyzed vegetable protein, green chili powder, garlic powder,
yeast extract powder, flavor enhancer 627 and 631, acidity regu-
lator [296 and 451(i)], spices and condiments, softening agent
(500-ii)
vascular diseases, stroke, etc. It is depleted in nu-
Probable harms of soup mixes- trients and contains harmful additives. The refin-
1. Maize starch/ corn flour—Commercial soup ing process results in nutrient loss, along with the
mixes contain starch as their major ingredient, addition of harmful bleaching agents such as po-
which gets gelatinized during reconstitution and tassium bromate, chlorine gas, or benzoyl perox-
imparts thickening, but it also gives a feeling of ide13.
fullness, which suppresses appetite. 7. Dehydrated vegetables—Any deteriorative im-
2. High-carbohydrate and high-fat soups have pact of dehydrated vegetables is not found, even
been shown to reduce food intake and sup- though they are concentrated sources of energy
press appetite. and dietary fibres.
3. Palm oil/palm oil use has increased along with 8. Colorants- cancer, hyperactivity, asthma, mi-
increased processed food production and con- graine, headaches, DNA damage14
sumption. Palm oil is a source of saturated fat- 9. Sweeteners- leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma
ty acids, which have been found to cause in- and cancer15.
creased blood levels of atherogenic LDL and Ayurvedic concept of appetizers-
higher mortality from ischemic heart disease10. Acharya Sushrut stated that the person should have
4. Acidity regulators- Chromosomal aberration, citric fruits like pomegranate, and liquid substances
mutation, dental cell toxicity11 should be consumed before solid food. The Amalaka
5. Flavor enhancer—Monosodium glutamate fruit can be consumed before, after or during the
(MSG) is a known flavor enhancer commonly meal. Before food, vegetables like Mrinala, Bisa,
used in Asian cuisine and processed foods. Its Kanda or Ikshu should be consumed16. Acharya Bha-
adverse effects include headaches, serious aller- vamishra also gave the example of an appetizer as
gic reactions, nausea, chest pains with heart at- Adraka Lavana before consumption of food, and in a
tack-like symptoms, brain oedema, weakness, review on Bhavprakash Nighantu, almost 71 drugs
and so forth.12 were found with Deepana quality17. So, some food
6. Refined wheat flour contains high starch and preparations mentioned in Ayurveda classics that can
less fibre, raising blood sugar and insulin and be used as appetizers are given below in Table 2 with
causing metabolic dysfunction. It increases the their health effects.
risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cancer, cardio-

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 Harshita Gautam & Ravi Kumar: A Review on Ayurvedic and modern concept of appetizers

Table 2. List of appetizers according to Ayurveda classics-

Ayurvedic appetizers Appetizers Health effects References
category
Citrus fruits Orange Alleviates Vata and Pitta, slightly aggra- Kshemakutuhulam 11/4
vate Kapha, fragrant, appetizing and
mouth-clearing
Lemon Fragrant, digestive, pleasant, alleviates Kshemakutuhulam 11/6
Kapha and Vata, enhances digestive fire
and clears the mouth.
Amlaka (Indian goose- Alleviates Vata, Pitta and Kapha Sushrut Sutra 46/ 469
berry) Kshemakutuhulam 11/27
Dadima (pomegranate) Vatanulomana and stimulate digestive fire Sushrut Sutra 46/467
Parts of plants Shigru root Alleviates Vata and Kapha aggravates Pit- Kshemakutuhulam 11/25
ta, is a good remedy for haemorrhoids, and
cures the disease of Snayu.
Mrinal (stem of lotus) Increase instant appetite, treat bleeding Kshemakutuhulam 11/24
disorders, astringent, tasty, difficult to di-
gest
Flowers and sprouts of It stimulates digestive fire, alleviates Kshemakutuhulam 11/20
mango Kapha and Pitta, is pleasant to the heart,
removes bad taste in the mouth, and im-
proves appetite.
Adraka Lavana Stimulates digestive fire and cleanses Bhavprakash Purva
tongue and throat. Khand 5/130
Paanak Mango Alleviate Vata and slightly aggravate Kshemakutuhulam 12/53-
Kapha and Pitta, strengthening, appetiz- 55
ing, sour, heavy and pleasant to heart and
aphrodisiac.
Tamarind Act as an appetizer, alleviate Vata and Kshemakutuhulam 12/56-
slightly aggravate Kapha and Pitta. 58
Lemon Pacify pain, indigestion, cough, cold, ano- Kshemakutuhulam 12/61-
rexia, aggravated Vata and constipation. 62
Parushaka Pleasant to mind and heart Charak Sutra 27/280
Takra Takra Shunthi Strengthens digestive fire instantly Kshemakutuhulam 11/1
Takra Saraka Enhances appetite, alleviates Kapha and Kshemakutuhulam 11/2
Vata and slightly aggravates Pitta
Sattaka Pleasant, fragrant, sweet, light, unctuous Kshemakutuhulam 11/14
and alleviates Vata and Pitta, satiating,
strengthening and appetizing
Vishyandana Strengthening, heavy, appetizing, tasty, Kshemakutuhulam 11/19
and good for the heart, it promotes growth,
increases semen quantity, and alleviates
Pitta and Kapha.
Shukta Pleasant, Vatanulomana Charak Sutra 27/284
Aasuta Pleasant, Vatanulomana Charak Sutra 27/284
Shindaki Pleasant, Vatanulomana Charak Sutra 27/284
Grains Manda Stimulate digestive fire and sweat, Charak Sutra 27/251-252
Vatanulomana

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 Harshita Gautam & Ravi Kumar: A Review on Ayurvedic and modern concept of appetizers

Peya Stimulate digestive fire, induce sweat, Charak Sutra 27/250

Vata and Mala Anulomana,
Laja peya/ Laja manda Induce digestive fire Charak Sutra 27/253
Others Kanji Pacify burning sensations and fever, alle- Charak Sutra 27/192
viate Vata-Kapha, cure constipation and
act as an appetizer.
Raag-Shadav Pleasant to mouth and heart, stimulate di- Charak Sutra 27/281
gestive fire, improve appetite
Chutney Strengthening, nourishing, appetizing Charak Sutra 27/282
Tila Kalka Improves appetite, provides strength, stim- Kshemakutuhulam 11/12
ulates digestive fire and alleviates Vata
ardised further, and their nutritive values can be eval-
DISCUSSION uated.
Appetizers are an essential part of meals according to
Ayurveda and Western culture. The appetizers in use CONCLUSION
nowadays are popular as ready-to-cook or ready-to- This article aimed to highlight the concept of Ayur-
eat forms. They are widely available as packed and vedic appetizers and the drawbacks of modern appe-
processed food to achieve this aim. These packed and tizers in trend. After carefully reviewing the idea of
processed foods contain food additives which have modern appetizers, it has been found that food addi-
shown harmful effects. Such food additives are acidi- tives in these appetizers have harmful and deteriorat-
ty regulators, colours, flavor enhancers, artificial ing effects on health. To avoid these damaging ef-
sweeteners, emulsifiers, etc. The most common fects, Ayurvedic preparations are mentioned in clas-
harmful effects of these additives are headaches, al- sics as appetizing food that can be used as appetizers
lergic reactions, DNA damage, cancer, cardiovascular with new modifications according to a new era.
diseases and other metabolic disorders. Ayurvedic Among these preparations, some could be commer-
appetizers can be a good choice to avoid these harm- cialized and developed with new techniques accord-
ful effects. Ayurvedic literature has given numerous ing to their accessibility and availability to the public.
appetizers that are easy to prepare, palatable, and
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