Halacha: What Blessing Is Recited Over Medicine?
Curious about the blessings for medicine, the first and last blessings? Find all the information you need, including an explanation of the amount required for eating.
- הידברות
- פורסם כ"ב חשון התשע"ז

#VALUE!
On the medicine without taste, no blessing is required. With a pleasant taste, recite the Shehakol (first blessing).
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The amount of food needed to require an after-blessing (from "Halacha Yomit", based on the rulings of Maran Rabbi Ovadia Yosef of blessed memory):
For anything a person eats, one must recite a "first blessing" over it, such as "Shehakol" or "Ha'etz". Even if only a small amount of the food is consumed, a blessing is required, provided it is eaten with the intention of eating. (However, if one merely tastes the food to improve it with spices or the like, no blessing is made on that tasting.) Therefore, one chewing flavored gum, even if only swallowing very little of it, must still recite a blessing for enjoying the taste. Similarly, anyone drinking something must bless it, even if only drinking a single drop of that beverage.
However, all of this specifically pertains to the first blessing, but the after-blessing is only recited if a "significant eating" occurs, defined as the amount of a "kazayit", approximately twenty-seven grams, and for drinking, the amount is "revi'it", which is eighty-one grams.
Additionally, the eating or drinking must occur within a time span that allows the consumption to be considered contiguous. For instance, if one eats a "kazayit" piece of bread over an entire day, crumb by crumb, they certainly cannot then recite the Grace After Meals. Instead, the "kazayit" consumption must happen within the timeframe known as "achilat pras", with varying opinions stating this is between five to seven and a half minutes. (There are other perspectives as well.) Therefore, it is prudent to always eat the "kazayit" (especially during Shabbat meals) within four and a half minutes to satisfy all opinions.
Regarding an after-blessing for a beverage, one must drink a "revi'it" (eighty-one grams) in one go. If there are pauses between sips, no after-blessing is recited. Therefore, someone eating soup with a spoon does not bless it afterward, as they have not consumed a "revi'it" all at once. Similarly, someone drinking hot coffee or tea cannot bless it afterward, as it cannot be consumed all at once.