Rooh Afza is a concentrated drink. It was formulated by Hakeem Hafiz Abdul Majeed and manufactured by the companies founded by him and his sons, Hamdard (Wakf) Laboratories

Hamdard (Wakf) Laboratories

Hamdard Laboratories, India is an Unani and Ayurvedic pharmaceutical company in India & Pakistan. It is the world's largest manufacturer of Unani medicines. It was established in 1906 by Hakeem Hafiz Abdul Majeed in Delhi, and became a waqf in 1948. Some of its most famous products include Safi,...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 since 1906 and Hamdard (Waqf) Laboratories

Hamdard Laboratories (Waqf)

Hamdard Laboratories Pakistan is a famous pharmaceutical company in Pakistan. It was established in 1948 by Hakim Mohammed Said in Karachi, and became a waqf in 1953...

, Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

, since 1948. It is also made in Bangladesh by Hamdard Laboratories (WAQF) Bangladesh.

Ingredients

Its original formulation included:

• Herbs: Khurfa seeds (Portulaca oleracea), Kasni (Cichorium intybus), Munaqqa (raisins from Vitis vinifera Linn.), Nilofar (Nymphaea alba
  Nymphaea alba
  Nymphaea alba, also known as the European White Waterlily, White Lotus, or Nenuphar, is an aquatic flowering plant of the family Nymphaeaceae....
  
   Linn., Nymphaea stellata Willd., Nelumbo
  Nelumbo
  Nelumbo is a genus of aquatic plants with large, showy flowers resembling water lilies, commonly known as lotus. The generic name is derived from the Sinhalese word Nelum. There are only two known living species in the genus. The sacred lotus is native to Asia, and is the better known of the two...
  
   lotus Linn.), Gaozaban (Boraginaceae
  Boraginaceae
  Boraginaceae, the Borage or Forget-me-not family, include a variety of shrubs, trees, and herbs, totaling about 2,000 species in 146 genera found worldwide.A number of familiar plants belong to this family....
  
  ), Hara Dhania (Coriander)
• Fruits: orange, pineapple, carrot and watermelon
• Vegetables: spinach, mint and hari ghia (Luffa cylindrica)
• Flowers: rose and keora (Pandanus fascicularis
  Pandanus fascicularis
  Screw Pine is a species of Pandanus native to southern Asia, from southern India east to Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands south of Japan, and south to Indonesia.-Uses:...
  
  ), lemon and orange
• Roots: 'khas' (Vetiveria zizanioides)

Other Preparation

Rooh Afza is said to be a satisfying alternative for strawberry milk. It is often mixed with milk and ice. Sometimes people make it with ice cream, 7 Up

7 Up

7 Up is a brand of a lemon-lime flavored non-caffeinated soft drink. The rights to the brand are held by Dr Pepper Snapple Group in the United States, and PepsiCo in the rest of the world, including Puerto Rico, where the concentrate is manufactured at the Pepsi facility in Cidra...

, and Coke. Rooh Afza is traditionally made in preparation for breaking the fast during Ramadan

Ramadan

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 or 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and...

, the holy month of fasting for Muslims. It is most commonly used to make a refreshing drink (cheeni) and adding to lemonade for a refreshing treat. Rooh Afza can also be consumed with water by those who are lactose intolerant (in the form of Sharbat

Sharbat

Sharbat or Sherbet is a popular Middle Eastern and South Asian drink that is prepared from fruits or flower petals. It is sweet and served chilled...

). The same preparation for milk is used and is popularly served in India with water as a refreshing drink for visitors and in some northern Indian restaurants.

Rooh Afza is now found in the western market, with supermarkets such as Tesco

Tesco

Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...

, Sainsburys and Morrisons

Morrisons

Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, headquartered in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The company is usually referred to and is branded as Morrisons formerly Morrison's, and it is part of the FTSE 100 Index of companies...

in the UK selling it. It is also available in small Indian/Pakistani/Bengali shops in Australia. In Melbourne, every Ramadan the sales of Rooh Afza goes up, despite the winter season.

External links

• Rooh Afza or Sharbat Rooh Afza at Hamdard (Wakf) Laboratories, India website
• Rooh Afza at Hamdard (Waqf) Laboratories, Pakistan website
• Rooh Afza at Hamdard (Waqf) Laboratories, Bangladesh website