Natural Kewra Water

In Odihsa about 200 kilos of ruh Kewda are prepared each year at a cost of $ 7000 per Kilo as compared to $1500 - $ 1800 for a fine attar. The attar contains , on the average about 3 to 5 % essence of kewra with the rest being sandalwood oil DOP base and de Orderized Solvent.

When rooh kewra is being prepared 5 different stills are changed with 600 flowers each. Three Distillations are done on one batch of flowers. It means the three receivers are assigned to each deg. The First distillate (Agri) yield 10 - 12 Kilos of Aromatic water , the second distillate (pichari) yields the same. In the third (tigari) liquid paraffin is sometimes kept to prepare quality “attar” or only the distillate is kept for making  an hydrosol. Only the first two distillate (Agari and Pichari) are kept for making the rooh. these are cooled down and in the evening the aromatic water is poured into one deg. It is immediately sealed and the bamboo pipe is connected to the receiver . Very gentle heat is given to the deg and about 5 - 6 kiolos of distillate is collected in the receiver . During this time the receiver must to be kept very cool and it is Constanstly rotated while the fresh water is added four to five times. It is takes about 1 hour to produce 5 - 6 kilos of distillate. The Receiver is then hung horizontally on the wooden stand. The water is separated and oil is collected by a special separating funnel . all of the remaining hydrosol is used making the next batch of rooh which commences on the next day. About a thousand of flower (about 370 lbs) of flowers produce 1 once of rooh kewra. Th rooh is very potent.

Types of Kewra Flower : The Male and Female flower are produced on different plants. The male Flowers are ketaki Viphala and and Female flowers are called swarna ketaki in Sanskrit . The Plant flowers three times a year , in summer , monsoon and winter . july – september or monsoon season is the best time for the flowers to bloom , with 60 % flowers growing in the season.

Male Kewra Flowers:

Male kewra flowers have rose - like sweet and fruity fragrance. Only the male flowers are used to extract fragrance.

Female Kewra Flowers:

Female kewra flowers have no fragrance and hence, left as it is to develop into fruits.

Use of Kewra

Kewra is used as a food flavour and in aromatic industry. It is also used in Ayurveda to provide symptomatic relief in diabetes, fever, joint pain, earache and to manage threatened abortion as well as psychiatric conditions. Kewda is very popular among Medicinal Plants.

types of Kewra Extracts

Kewra Ruh (Oil)

Extracted from male flowers, it is 100 percent pure oil. 370 pounds of oil is extracted in bhattis by processing over 1,200 flowers. This is used in Ayurveda to heal degenerative diseases.

Kewra Attar (Perfume)

With only three to five percent of the kewra oil and the rest of sandalwood oil, it is mainly used in aromatic, perfumery and cosmetics industry.

Kewra Jal (Hydrosol)

The kewra jal is produced as a primary product from low - quality flowers or it is mainly a secondary product developed in the production of either oil or attar. Kewra water is only 0.02 percent of kewra oil. 20 flowers can produce kewra jal, which is mainly used to mildly flavour desserts like rasmalai, gulab jamun or rasgulla. Sometimes, it is also used to enrich biryani.