Drava

The liquid medium in which a Kalka is suspended for Sneha-paka cooking. Quantity = 4 × Sneha weight (8 × if Drava is milk).

Acceptable Dravas (per Sushruta Sutra 45):

• Water (Jala) — simplest
• Kashaya (decoction of herbs)
• Ksheera (cow milk)
• Dadhi (curd)
• Takra (buttermilk)
• Madya (fermented wine — Sura, Sidhu, Arishta)
• Mutra (cow urine — for some Kushtha-hara preparations)
• Svarasa (fresh expressed juice — e.g. Bhringaraja, Amalaki)
• Mamsa-rasa (meat juice — for some Vata preparations)

The Drava brings water-soluble actives into the oil during the long cook, while the heat slowly evaporates the water itself. Choice of Drava is recipe-specific and significant — substituting water for milk in a Ksheerabala Taila preparation changes the product fundamentally.