Rooh Afza

drink made from Rooh Afza syrup. Rooh Afza was founded by Hamdard's founder Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed in Ghaziabad, British India, and launched from the nearby city of Old Delhi. Following the partition of India in 1947, while the elder son, Hakim Abdul Hameed, stayed in independent India – the younger son, Hakim Mohammad Saeed, migrated to the newly created state of Pakistan on 9 January 1948 and started a separate Hamdard Company from two rooms in the Arambagh area of Karachi. Hamdard Pakistan finally became profitable in 1953. Hakim Mohammad Said had opened a branch of Hamdard in the former East Pakistan. According to Hakim Mohammad Said's daughter, Sadia Rashid, chairperson of Hamdard Pakistan in 2019, her father gifted the business to the people of Bangladesh after their independence from Pakistan in 1971. Indian company Dabur produces Rooh Afza under the brand 'Sherbat-i-Azam'. ==Ingredients==

Its original formulation included: • Herbs: • Deepak ("khurfa seeds", Portulaca oleracea) • Chicory • Wine-grape raisins (Vitis vinifera) • European white lily (Nymphaea alba) • Blue star water lily (Nymphaea nouchali) • Lotus (nelumbo) • Borage • coriander • Rosemary • Fruits: • Orange • Citron • Pineapple • Apple • Berries • Strawberry • Raspberry • Loganberry • Blackberry • Cherry • Concord grapes • Blackcurrant • Watermelon • Vegetables: • Spinach • Carrot • Mint • Sponge gourd (Luffa aegyptiaca) • Flowers: • Rose • Kewra (Pandanus fascicularis) • Lemon • Orange • Roots: • Vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides) ==Preparation==

Rooh Afza syrup is generally served mixed with cold milk or water and ice. Rooh Afza is often prepared as part of Iftar (the evening meal for breaking the fast or roza), during Ramadan. The concentrate can also be mixed with water, which is a common preparation in the hot South Asian summers. When mixed with water, the final drink is a type of sharbat. Rooh Afza syrup is often mixed with Kulfi ice cream and vermicelli to make a similar version of the popular Iranian dessert Faloodeh. == Variants ==

Hamdard Laboratories India has launched two ready to drink variants in India namely RoohAfza Fusion and RoohAfza Milkshake. In Pakistan, one of the ready-to-drink variants, called the Rooh Afza Go, is available in a can form. In addition a drink commonly prepared by parents for kids in Pakistan, is now available as a product from Hamdard Laboratories (Waqf) Pakistan, called the Doodh (milk) Rooh Afza. It is essentially Rooh Afza flavored milk, packaged in a 225ml milk carton. ==See also==