A SURVEY ON USAGE OF KOLA KANDA (HERBAL GRUEL) AMONG SRI LANKAN POPULATION

Abstract

The Charaka Samhita has mentioned the three pillars of life, i.e. Ahara (Food), Nidra (Sleep) & Brahmacharya (observance of celibacy). Among these, food is a major supporting pillar which helps in sustenance of life and maintenance of health. Malnutrition is the most prevalent disease due to lack of having proper food. Malnutrition is a major health problem in Sri Lanka. To overcome the malnutrition a lots of nutritious and profitable food supplements can be implemented. Among them Kola kanda (herbal gruel) is a most profitable breakfast. The study was aimed to survey on usage of Kola kanda among Sri Lankan population. Data collected by using convenience sampling from randomly selected ten participants from each province of Sri Lanka, by a questionnaire in Sinhala or Tamil. Questionnaire was filled by the participants. The juice of edible leaves is the very specific ingredient in Kola kanda which are rich in vitamins and minerals. Hence they are very essential for human body as micro nutrition; a glass of Kola kanda fulfills that requirement easily. The other ingredients; i.e. grains and coconut milk in Kola kanda are very rich in carbohydrates, proteins and fats. The calories includes in ingredients of Kola kanda, it is obvious that one glass of Kola kanda contains enough calories as a breakfast. As per the findings the usage of Kola kanda among Sri Lankan population was very low percentage, which may be due to the busy life styles. So the study proposed to make aware the society about this divine drink.