Shikanjabin is one of the oldest preparations in the Unani pharmacopoeia, an oxymel of sour and sweet that physicians reached for when bile ran high and the stomach turned. Laraib makes the adviyati, medicinal grade — properly tart, built on real lemon rather than acidified sugar water, and prepared to Pakistan Tibbi Pharmacopoeia standards.
What it is traditionally used for
- Removing safrawi, bilious complaints in which everything tastes bitter and heavy
- Settling vomiting and the persistent nausea that comes with it
- Easing loose motions and calming an over-active gut
- Taken traditionally as a cooling, supportive drink alongside medical care when the liver is under strain
- Cutting through summer heat with a clean, tart taste that revives the appetite
How it is made
Lemons from a single growing belt are pressed fresh and the juice strained clear, then combined with matured natural vinegar and a slowly cooked sugar base in the classical oxymel proportion. The mixture is finished off the boil to protect the fruit’s brightness. Nothing artificial is added — no citric acid, no colour, no essence.
How to take it
Take two tablespoons in a glass of chilled water, once or twice a day, preferably after food rather than on an empty stomach. When nausea is the problem, sip it slowly over several minutes instead of drinking it down. A pinch of black salt suits it well in the heat.
Good to know
- Supplied in an 800 ml bottle
- Prepared to Pakistan Tibbi Pharmacopoeia standards from pure ingredients
- 100% natural and halal marked, with no synthetic souring agents
- Naturally acidic — always dilute, and refrigerate once opened
Hamza Jamil (verified owner) –
Bought this on my sister’s advice in Islamabad when the heat left me nauseous and off my food. A week later I was eating normally again. The lemon tastes real, not like a flavouring.
Aamir Lodhi (verified owner) –
Genuinely tart, which is the point, but be warned it is not a sweet drink. My wife finds it too sharp. I add black salt and drink it in the afternoon and it keeps me steady in the heat.
Ahmed Raza (verified owner) –
I could not keep anything down for two days. Sipped slowly with water this settled my stomach better than anything from the chemist. Now I keep a bottle in the fridge in Larkana permanently.
Laiba Kazmi (verified owner) –
Our family hakeem in Multan has recommended shikanjbeen for years and this is a proper one, sour the way it should be. I take it after lunch through the summer and the bitter taste in my mouth is gone.