A conserve, not a powder
Majoon is a semi-solid preparation in the Unani tradition: powdered herbs, ground nuts and seeds, and warming spices, folded into a sweet base until they form a rich conserve. The format is old and deliberate. A powder separates, oxidises and is unpleasant to take daily. A conserve holds its ingredients in suspension, protects them from air, and can be taken with a spoon without measuring.
The base is what makes it a majoon rather than a churan or a powder blend. It carries the botanicals, it preserves them, and it makes the whole thing palatable enough to actually be used every day, which is the only way a traditional preparation does anything at all.
Where the quality actually sits
Three things separate a good majoon from a poor one, and none of them are visible in the jar.
The first is the ratio of active botanicals to base. A preparation that is eighty per cent sweetener with a dusting of herbs will look, smell and taste much like one that is sixty per cent botanicals. The difference only shows up in the composition — which is why so few products publish one.
The second is the quality of the individual inputs. Ashwagandha root varies enormously by source and age. Saffron is among the most adulterated ingredients in the world. Almonds and pistachios go rancid. None of this is detectable once everything is ground and folded into a base.
The third is preparation. Heat applied badly degrades the aromatics; a base cooked too little will not keep. Traditional preparation is slow for reasons that are practical rather than romantic.
What to ask before you buy one
Ask what percentage of the jar is active botanicals rather than base. Ask which herbs, by name, and at what proportion. Ask what the base is made of. If a seller cannot answer those three questions, the honest interpretation is that the answer is not flattering.
Majoon-e-Zafrani is 60.2 per cent active botanicals across thirteen named ingredients, with the remaining 39.8 per cent as the traditional base. Every figure is published, and they sum to one hundred.