Sweeteners · Classically cited

Cane sugar

Sharkara·शर्करा

Also called: sugar, white sugar, zucker, cheeni

Sweet and cooling — settles Vata and Pitta.

How Cane sugar affects your doshas

In Ayurveda a food's effect depends on your constitution. This is the lens the app uses to suggest what to favour and ease off.

Effect of Cane sugar on each dosha
DoshaSuitabilityNotes
Vata Balancing Calms Vata — favour it when Vata runs high.
Pitta Balancing Calms Pitta — favour it when Pitta runs high.
Kapha Use sparingly Can raise Kapha — go easy when Kapha runs high.

Taste: Sweet  ·  Potency: Cooling (śīta)  ·  Post-digestive: Sweet  ·  Qualities: Heavy, Moist

When to go easy

Heavy and sweet, so it adds to Kapha; the refined form is the least wholesome of the sugars.

In the classical texts

Cane sugar is attested in the Charaka Saṃhitā (Sutrasthana 27) — Sharkara is classical; sweet, cooling character is consensus. Refined white sugar is the modern, least-wholesome form..

Classically cited. Directly attested in the classical Ayurvedic corpus.

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