Battisaa & Lawangari:
The Medicinal Core of Chaku Wasa:

The two Ayurvedic herbal compounds that have made this Newa preparation a household medicine for centuries.

When Shova Laxmi Gosai lists the fourteen ingredients that go into a batch of Chaku Wasa:, most are familiar — jaggery, ghee, almonds, cardamom. But two names catch the attention of anyone who knows traditional Newa medicine: Battisaa and Lawangari.

These are not single herbs. They are classical Ayurvedic compound formulations — each containing dozens of ingredients — that have been used by Newa vaidya (traditional physicians) for centuries to treat cold, cough, fever, indigestion and seasonal weakness. Their inclusion in Chaku Wasa: is what elevates it from a sweet to a medicine.

"It is the Battisaa that makes it medicine. Without it, you have only sweet."

— Madan Kaji Shakya, Vaidya Aausadi Pasal, Itumbaha

What is Battisaa? बत्तीसा

The name comes from the Sanskrit word for thirty-two — battis. Battisaa is a classical Ayurvedic formulation traditionally composed of thirty-two herbs and minerals, used across the Indian subcontinent and Nepal for respiratory conditions, digestive complaints, and general seasonal immunity.

In the Newa apothecary tradition, Battisaa is one of the most commonly prescribed compounds — available in every vaidya pasa (Newa Ayurvedic shop) from Itumbaha to Bhaktapur. It is warming, expectorant, and anti-inflammatory. It is given to children at the onset of cold, to adults with chronic cough, and — most relevantly for Chaku Wasa: — to new mothers to prevent post-delivery illness.

What is Lawangari? लवंगरी

Lawangari takes its name from lwang — clove — and is a clove-forward Ayurvedic compound used primarily for digestive and respiratory conditions. Where Battisaa is broad-spectrum, Lawangari is more targeted: it acts on the stomach, the lungs, and the throat.

In the postpartum context, Lawangari is valued for its ability to reduce bloating and support digestion during the recovery period — when the body's digestive fire (agni in Ayurvedic terms) is considered weakened. New mothers are often fed warm, easily-digested foods for this reason; Lawangari in Chaku Wasa: helps the body absorb all the other nourishing ingredients.

Why Together in Chaku Wasa:?

The pairing of Battisaa and Lawangari within the same preparation is not accidental. In classical Ayurveda, compound formulations are often prescribed together — the broad-spectrum compound addresses systemic weakness while the targeted compound addresses the specific organ system under stress.

In Chaku Wasa:, they work alongside twelve other ingredients — the iron of jaggery, the fats of ghee and almonds, the bone-supporting edible gum, the galactagogue fenugreek — to create a preparation that is greater than the sum of its parts. This is the principle of synergy that underpins all classical Ayurvedic formulation.