Navara Rice
Oryza sativa var. indica
Also known as: Njavara · Shashtika Shali
India's first GI-tagged rice (2007) — the only rice used in Ayurvedic Panchakarma treatments.
Fiber
8.08 g/100g
Zinc
14.85 mg/100g
GI Tag
2007 (India's first)
Maturation
60 days
About
What is Navara Rice?
Navara is not a food grain in the ordinary sense — it is also a medicine. This small, red-husked rice from Kerala's Thrissur and Palakkad districts is the only rice variety sanctioned by Ayurveda for therapeutic use in Panchakarma (specifically the Kizhi and Pizhichil treatments). Navara has an unusually short maturation cycle of 60 days (classified as Shashtika Shali — the '60-day grain' in Charaka Samhita). Its fiber content of 8.08g/100g is among the highest of any Indian rice variety, and its zinc content of 14.85mg/100g is exceptional.
Key Compound
Tricin (flavonoid)
A flavone found almost exclusively in grasses. Anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and under investigation for cancer-preventive properties.
Nutritional Profile
What’s inside?
Health Applications
Why it matters
Neuromuscular disorders
Used in Navara Kizhi (rice bolus massage in Panchakarma) to treat paralysis, neuromuscular degeneration, and arthritis.
Diabetes
Moderate GI (50–57) combined with very high fiber dramatically reduces postprandial glucose response.
Bone & immune health
Exceptional zinc content (14.85mg) — zinc is critical for wound healing, immune response, and bone mineralisation.
Pregnancy nutrition
Prescribed as Karkidaka Kanji (therapeutic rice gruel during monsoon) for strength and fetal nourishment.
Ancient Wisdom
In Ayurveda
Dosha Effect
Tridosha balancing
Guna (Quality)
Laghu (light), Snigdha (unctuous), Madhura (sweet)
Best Season
Karkidaka (monsoon — July/August)
Classical Note
Charaka Samhita specifically recommends Shashtika Shali (Navara) as 'the best of all rice varieties.' The traditional Karkidaka Kanji made from Navara is a ritual monsoon health food in Kerala, consumed during the 4th month of the Malayalam calendar.
Origin Story
From the field
Kerala · South India
Navara is cultivated in a narrow belt across Thrissur and Palakkad districts of Kerala by smallholder farming families who have maintained the variety for centuries. The 60-day crop cycle means two crops are possible per year on the same land. Seed selection is ceremonial — the healthiest panicles are hand-selected after harvest, dried separately, and stored in sealed earthen pots lined with neem leaves. Kerala's Ayurvedic hospitals (including the famous Arya Vaidya Sala, Kottakkal) source Navara directly from these farmers. Receiving India's first-ever GI tag in 2007 formally recognised what Ayurvedic physicians had known for millennia.
There are 23 ingredients in the Field Guide.