South India is all set to celebrate 'Vidyarambham' ceremony, which initiates kids to the world of knowledge in the Navaratri season. Honey ('then' in Malayalam) and sweet flag, aka 'vayambu,' a medicinal herb, has a special place in the ceremony, and it's not just that of beliefs. In many places, the first alphabet is written on a child's tongue with a gold ring dipped in honey, mixed with a sweet flag. What is the reason for this practice? Dr Sreelatha Chandroth, faculty at Govt Ayurveda Medical College, Kannur, explains:

Combination of a brain stimulant with honey
Dr Sreelatha says that 'vayambu,' which is scientifically called 'Acorus Calamus,' is a brain stimulant. She explains, "Its combination with honey is an auspicious mix for vidyarambham and the mix also has many medicinal properties. Ayurveda terms 'vayambu' a 'nedyam' (herb with rejuvenating and nourishing properties that can promote health). Similarly, honey can balance and alleviate the one among Ayurvedic doshas called 'Kapha,' which are often associated with children as they can be prone to diseases like cold and flu. Moreover, it's believed that honey has 'Lakshmivasam' (The presence of Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of prosperity), alongside its numerous medicinal properties. 

How to mix them right?
Dr Dinesh K S, Head of the Department of Kaumarabhritya at Vaidyaratnam PS Varier Ayurveda College, Kottakkal, says that while having honey and 'vayambu' is an age-old Ayurvedic medicinal practice, it is purely a ceremonial practice during Vidyarambham. Regardless, he explains the various ways in which the mix is prepared. "In the olden times, our homes had a stone especially to grind medicines. It was called 'urakallu.' One way of preparing the then-vayambu mix was rubbing a stem of 'vayambu' three times on an urakallu and adding a drop of honey to it. Using one finger, this mix was rubbed on children's tongue for vidyarambham. The presence of gold was purely for auspicious reasons," explains the doctor. Interestingly, there is also a practice of inserting a thin rod of gold into the 'vayambu' stem and rubbing it on the grinder stone, three times. This ensures both the 'vayambu' and gold get ground to make the mix. 

A third way, according to him, is mixing 50 milligrams of gold dust with 5 gms of 'vayambu' and 300 milligrams of honey. "This needs to be stirred for 6 hours continuously to get the right quality consistency. The mix is available in the name of 'swarnaprasam' in the markets too, but there is now way of understanding whether it was prepared after the six-hour-stirring," explains Dr Dinesh. Interestingly, though this is a medicinal mix for children, elders also commonly have it, he explains. 

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