The identity of the five essences is uncertain; they are only a few mentions of the term in Kangyur, none of which identify what they are. According to most Tibetan dictionaries, such as the dung dkar tshig mdzod chen mo, they are honey (sbrang rtsi), raw sugar (bu ram), salt (tshwa), ghee (zhun mar), and sesame oil (til mar). Rotman notes that Ayurveda sources also list the five essences as “milk, sugar, honey, ghee, and long pepper (Piper longum).” See Rotman (2017), p. 543, n. 571.