How do jamun and karela differ from ordinary juices, and why drink them at all? — Jamun and Karela juice, Sattva Ayurveda, 1 liter

Most everyday juices are sweet: apple, orange, grape. Jamun and karela sit at the opposite end of the taste spectrum, and that is precisely what makes them interesting for those who deliberately shape their diet.

Jamun (Syzygium cumini) is a dark fruit with an astringent, slightly puckering taste. It is rich in natural polyphenols and other plant compounds that are rarely found on a standard European menu. In Indian cooking and Ayurvedic tradition, jamun has long been used, both as a fruit on its own and as an ingredient in drinks.

Karela, or bitter gourd (Momordica charantia), is known perhaps for the most pronounced bitter taste among cultivated plants. In Ayurveda, bitter foods are traditionally included in the diet as a complement to heavy, fatty or sweet food, as it is believed that they help maintain balance in eating.

Together these two ingredients give a rich, unfamiliar taste for most people. The drink is not intended for those seeking something sweet or neutral. It is for those who deliberately add bitter and astringent plant foods to their diet, following Ayurvedic principles of eating or simply widening the variety of their diet.

This is a food supplement, not a medicine. It does not replace a full and varied diet.