Sneha-paka
Sneha-pāka स्नेहपाक
preparation method
Also: oil-cooking, ghee-cooking, taila-paka, ghrita-paka
Sneha-paka is the canonical Ayurvedic method for cooking medicated oils (Taila) and medicated clarified butter (Ghrita). It is the single most important preparation technique in cosmetic Ayurveda.
The 1 : 4 : 4 ratio (Sharangadhara Madhyama Khanda 9)
For a target Sneha yield, the three components are:
| Component | Sanskrit | Ratio | At 1 Prastha (≈ 750 ml) yield |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sneha (oil or ghee) | – | 1 | 1 Prastha = ~750 g / ml |
| Kalka (paste of herbs) | – | ¼ of Sneha | ~190 g of herb paste |
| Drava (liquid medium) | – | 4 × Sneha | ~3 L of decoction or fresh juice |
Exceptions
| Drava | Ratio | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Plain water decoction | 1 : 4 | default |
| Milk (Ksheera) | 1 : 8 | Ksheera-paka rule |
| Fresh juice (Svarasa) | 1 : 4 per cycle | multi-cycle cooking |
The 5-step preparation
- Powder all Kalka herbs finely (#80 mesh). Mix with cold Drava to a smooth paste; rest 30 min.
- Heat the Sneha gently to 80 °C in a heavy-bottomed pot.
- Add the Kalka paste, stir continuously with a wooden ladle.
- Add the Drava in pours. Mixture will be watery initially.
- Cook on lowest flame until water evaporates and only Sneha + spent Kalka remain. Test for the correct paka.
Cookware
- Heavy-bottomed steel or cast-iron, dedicated. NOT aluminium. NOT non-stick.
- For anti-greying preparations, cast iron is essential (iron-tannin reaction).
- Stir with wooden ladle only.
The three correct end-points
- Mridu paka — for nasya and ear oils
- Madhyama paka — for daily abhyanga, internal Snehana
- Khara paka — for external lepas, long shelf life
Going past Khara into Dahyamana (“charred”) destroys the oil — discard.