The short answer
Arjunarishta is a fermented liquid made mostly from arjuna bark, with raisins, mahua flowers, dhataki flowers and jaggery. The Ayurvedic Formulary of India lists it as Parthadyarishta, for heart disease (hridroga), lung disorders and loss of strength. Like every arishta, it contains alcohol that forms as it ferments. That matters if you avoid alcohol or have liver disease. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, ask your vaidya and your doctor before taking it.
Evidence in people is missing. The one study of Arjunarishta itself that we found was in rats on a high-fat diet, where three months of it lowered blood sugar, blood pressure and blood fats. Arjuna bark has its own interaction pages, including blood thinners, statins and digoxin. If you take heart medicines, tell your prescribing doctor before you start it.
What is in it
The official recipe is in the Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I (2003), entry 1:21 Parthadyarishta, printed page 16.[1]
| Ingredient | Botanical name | Part used | Proportion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Partha (arjuna) tvak | Terminalia arjuna | Stem bark | 4.800 kg |
| Mridvika (draksha, raisin) | Vitis vinifera | Dried fruit | 2.400 kg |
| Madhuka (mahua) | Madhuca indica | Flower | 960 g |
| Water for decoction | - | - | 49.152 l, reduced to 12.288 l |
| Dhataki | Woodfordia fruticosa | Flower | 960 g |
| Guda (jaggery) | - | - | 4.800 kg |
Quantities are for one batch, from the printed 2003 edition. Makers' recipes can differ, so check the label of the bottle you have.[1]
Classical source
The formulary takes the recipe from the Bhaishajya Ratnavali, Hridroga Adhikara (the chapter on heart disease), verses 73 to 74½.[1]
What it is used for
- The formulary lists it for hridroga (heart disease), phupphusa roga (lung disorders), balakshaya (loss of strength) and viryakshaya, which the English edition renders as azoospermia, no sperm in the semen.[1]
What the evidence says
AnimalRats fed a high-fat diet were given standardised Arjunarishta, an arjuna bark extract or rosuvastatin (a statin) for three months. Blood sugar, systolic blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides fell. The abstract does not say how many rats were used. Animal results show what may be worth testing in people; they do not show that it works in people.[3]
Safety notes
- Contains alcohol. The formulary defines arishtas as preparations that ferment in sugar or jaggery and generate alcohol, which also preserves them. This matters if you avoid alcohol or have liver disease. Tell your doctor about any other medicines you take. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, ask your vaidya and your doctor before taking it.[2]
- For scale, twelve arishta samples from four Sri Lankan makers held 5.80 to 8.35% alcohol by volume. Those were ashwagandharishta, balarishta and dashamoolarishta; Arjunarishta was not tested.[4]
- Each batch is fermented with 4.8 kg of jaggery. If you have diabetes, mention it to your doctor.[1]
- Arjuna bark, the main herb, has its own interaction pages. See Arjuna and blood thinners, Arjuna and statins, Arjuna and digoxin, and Arjuna and blood pressure medicines.
- Our search for side-effect reports and regulator alerts on this product is not complete. Finding none so far is not a sign that it is harmless.
Who makes it
Sold in India by makers including Baidyanath, Dhootapapeshwar. We list names so you can match your bottle to this page. We do not recommend or sell any brand.
Withheld until review
Questions people ask
Is Arjunarishta the same as Parthadyarishta?
Yes. The Ayurvedic Formulary of India prints the recipe under the name Parthadyarishta, with Arjunarishta as its synonym. Partha is another name for the arjuna tree.[1]
Related
Arjuna and blood thinners
In the lab, arjuna bark extract slowed platelet clumping and blocked enzymes that clear warfarin. We found no study of bleeding or INR with blood thinners.
InteractionArjuna and statins for cholesterol
In the lab, arjuna bark extract blocked CYP3A4, an enzyme that clears atorvastatin. Nobody has measured statin levels with arjuna.
InteractionArjuna and digoxin
No study has looked at people taking arjuna with digoxin. In the lab, arjuna made one digoxin blood test read slightly low.
InteractionArjuna and blood pressure medicines
Arjuna capsules lowered blood pressure further in people taking telmisartan, in one small 28-day trial. Other BP drugs are untested.
Sources
- Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I, 2nd revised English edition, 2003. Parthadyarishta (synonym Arjunarishta), 1:21, printed page 16.
- Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I, 2nd revised English edition, 2003. Section 1, Asava and Arishta, Definition, printed page 3.
- Shengule SA, Mishra S, Joshi K, et al. Anti-hyperglycemic and anti-hyperlipidaemic effect of Arjunarishta in high-fat fed animals. J Ayurveda Integr Med. 2018;9(1):45-52. PMID 29249636.
- Fernando N, Pigera S, Rashani N, et al. Screening for performance enhancing substances and quantification of ethanol in different Arishta manufactured in Sri Lanka. Ceylon Med J. 2020. PMID 34825559.
Updated 4 November 2026
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