The short answer
Ashokarishta is a fermented liquid made from ashoka bark, jaggery and dhataki flowers, with small amounts of 12 other herbs and spices. The Ayurvedic Formulary of India lists it for women's complaints such as painful periods and white discharge, and for bleeding disorders, piles, fever and poor digestion. Like every arishta, it contains alcohol made during fermentation. 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 thin. In one small open study, 51 women with menopausal symptoms improved on Ashokarishta combined with ashwagandha powder and praval pishti, so what Ashokarishta did by itself is not known. It is made with twice as much jaggery as ashoka bark, which matters if you have diabetes.
What is in it
The official recipe is in the Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I (2003), entry 1:5 Ashokarishta, printed page 8.[1]
| Ingredient | Botanical name | Part used | Proportion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashoka | Saraca asoca | Stem bark | 4.800 kg |
| Water for decoction | - | - | 49.152 l, reduced to 12.288 l |
| Guda (jaggery) | - | - | 9.600 kg |
| Dhataki | Woodfordia fruticosa | Flower | 768 g |
| Ajaji (white cumin) | Cuminum cyminum | Fruit | 48 g |
| Mustaka (musta) | Cyperus rotundus | Rhizome | 48 g |
| Shunthi (dry ginger) | Zingiber officinale | Rhizome | 48 g |
| Darvi (daruharidra) | Berberis aristata | Stem | 48 g |
| Utpala (blue water lily) | Nymphaea stellata | Flower | 48 g |
| Haritaki | Terminalia chebula | Pericarp | 48 g |
| Bibhitaka | Terminalia bellirica | Pericarp | 48 g |
| Amalaki (amla) | Emblica officinalis | Pericarp | 48 g |
| Amrasthi (mango seed kernel) | Mangifera indica | Seed kernel | 48 g |
| Jiraka (white cumin) | Cuminum cyminum | Fruit | 48 g |
| Vasa | Adhatoda vasica | Root | 48 g |
| Candana (white sandalwood) | Santalum album | Heartwood | 48 g |
Quantities are for one batch, from the printed 2003 edition. White cumin appears twice in the printed list, as ajaji and as jiraka. Makers' recipes can differ, so check the label.[1]
Classical source
The formulary takes the recipe from the Bhaishajya Ratnavali, Striroga Adhikara (the chapter on women's diseases), verses 114 to 116.[1]
What it is used for
- The formulary lists it for women's complaints: asrigdara ruja (rendered in its English edition as dysmenorrhoea, painful periods), yoniruja (vaginal pain) and shveta pradara (white discharge, leucorrhoea).[1]
- It also lists jvara (fever), raktapitta (bleeding disorders), arsha (piles), mandagni (weak digestion), arocaka (loss of taste), meha (excess urination) and shotha (swelling).[1]
What the evidence says
Small clinical studyWomen with menopausal symptoms, 2012. Fifty-two were enrolled and 51 finished. They took Ashokarishta together with ashwagandha powder and praval pishti, and their scores on two menopause symptom scales improved. The study was open, so everyone knew what they were taking, and with three products given together it cannot show what Ashokarishta did by itself.[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; Ashokarishta was not tested.[4]
- Each batch is fermented with 9.6 kg of jaggery, twice the weight of the ashoka bark. If you have diabetes, mention it to your doctor.[1]
- Our search for side-effect reports, interactions 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 Dabur, 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 Ashokarishta good for periods?
The formulary lists it for painful periods and white discharge. That is what the classical recipe is for, not a trial result. The one human study we found tested it in menopause, mixed with two other medicines.[1][3]
Can I take Ashokarishta during pregnancy?
Ask your vaidya and your doctor before taking it. Ashokarishta contains alcohol that forms as it ferments.[2]
Related
Dashamoolarishta
A fermented dashamoola tonic with alcohol, lots of jaggery and a little musk. Studied in rats and mice; the kwath slowed platelets in a lab test.
FormulationAshwagandharishta
A fermented ashwagandha tonic with alcohol and a lot of honey. One trial in depression compared it, with Brahmi vati, against escitalopram.
ConditionPCOS and PCOD: what Ayurveda offers
Curcumin improved blood sugar markers, and periods a little, in small trials. Most Ayurveda studies of PCOS are single case reports.
FormulationShatavari Kalpa
A shatavari preparation sold in India as granules. Recipes vary between makers, so read the pack for sugar if you have diabetes.
Sources
- Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I, 2nd revised English edition, 2003. Ashokarishta, 1:5, printed page 8.
- Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I, 2nd revised English edition, 2003. Section 1, Asava and Arishta, Definition, printed page 3.
- Modi MB, Donga SB, Dei L. Clinical evaluation of Ashokarishta, Ashwagandha Churna and Praval Pishti in the management of menopausal syndrome. Ayu. 2012;33:511-516. PMID 23723668.
- 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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