The short answer
Chandraprabha Vati is a tablet of 37 ingredients. Guggulu and shilajit make up nearly half its weight, with camphor, triphala, spices, salts, sugar and two mineral ashes (bhasmas) of iron and of copper pyrite. The Ayurvedic Formulary of India lists it for a long list of complaints, led by urinary ones such as painful urination, stones and blocked urine, along with constipation, anaemia, jaundice, piles, skin disease, period pain and weakness.
It also contains danti root, which Indian drug rules list as a poisonous substance, so packs must say 'to be taken under medical supervision'. We have not found a study of the tablet in people that we could assess. Guggulu and shilajit each have their own interaction pages, including thyroid medicines, blood thinners and diabetes medicines.
What is in it
The official recipe is in the Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I (2003), entry 12:10 Candraprabha Vati, printed pages 185 and 186.[1]
| Ingredient | Botanical name | Part used | Proportion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Candraprabha (karpura, camphor) | Cinnamomum camphora | Sublimed extract | 3 g |
| Vaca (vach) | Acorus calamus | Rhizome | 3 g |
| Musta | Cyperus rotundus | Rhizome | 3 g |
| Bhunimba (kiratatikta, chirata) | Swertia chirata | Whole plant | 3 g |
| Amrita (guduchi, giloy) | Tinospora cordifolia | Stem | 3 g |
| Daruka (devadaru) | Cedrus deodara | Heartwood | 3 g |
| Haridra (haldi) | Curcuma longa | Rhizome | 3 g |
| Ativisha | Aconitum heterophyllum | Root tuber | 3 g |
| Darvi (daruharidra) | Berberis aristata | Stem | 3 g |
| Pippalimula (pippali root) | Piper longum | Root | 3 g |
| Citraka | Plumbago zeylanica | Root | 3 g |
| Dhanyaka (coriander) | Coriandrum sativum | Fruit | 3 g |
| Haritaki | Terminalia chebula | Pericarp | 3 g |
| Bibhitaka | Terminalia bellirica | Pericarp | 3 g |
| Amalaki (amla) | Emblica officinalis | Pericarp | 3 g |
| Cavya | Piper chaba | Stem | 3 g |
| Vidanga | Embelia ribes | Fruit | 3 g |
| Gajapippali | Scindapsus officinalis | Fruit | 3 g |
| Shunthi (dry ginger) | Zingiber officinale | Rhizome | 3 g |
| Marica (black pepper) | Piper nigrum | Fruit | 3 g |
| Pippali (long pepper) | Piper longum | Fruit | 3 g |
| Makshika dhatu bhasma (copper pyrite ash) | - | Bhasma (calcined ash) | 3 g |
| Yava kshara (barley alkali) | Hordeum vulgare | Whole plant | 3 g |
| Sarji kshara (svarji kshara) | - | - | 3 g |
| Saindhava lavana (rock salt) | - | - | 3 g |
| Sauvarcala lavana (black salt) | - | - | 3 g |
| Vida lavana (a salt) | - | - | 3 g |
| Trivrit | Ipomoea turpethum | Root | 12 g |
| Danti | Baliospermum montanum | Root | 12 g |
| Patraka (tejapatra, bay leaf) | Cinnamomum tamala | Leaf | 12 g |
| Tvak (cinnamon) | Cinnamomum zeylanicum | Stem bark | 12 g |
| Ela (small cardamom) | Elettaria cardamomum | Seed | 12 g |
| Vamsharocana (bamboo manna) | Bambusa bambos | Siliceous concretion | 12 g |
| Hata loha (lauha) bhasma (iron ash) | - | Bhasma (calcined ash) | 24 g |
| Sita (sugar) | - | - | 48 g |
| Shilajatu (shilajit) | - | - | 96 g |
| Guggulu | Commiphora wightii | Exudate | 96 g |
Quantities from the printed 2003 edition. They add up to 417 g, so guggulu and shilajit together are 46% and sugar about 12%. Makers' recipes can differ, so check the label.[1]
Classical source
The formulary takes the recipe from the Sharangadhara Samhita, Madhyama Khanda, chapter 7, verses 40 to 44.[1]
What it is used for
- The formulary lists it for urinary complaints: mutrakricchra (painful urination), prameha (urinary disorders), ashmari (stones) and mutraghata (blocked urine).[1]
- For the gut: vibandha (constipation), anaha (bloating with blocked stool and urine), shula (colicky pain), arsha (piles), bhagandara (anal fistula), aruci (loss of taste) and mandagni (weak digestion).[1]
- For women and men: striroga (women's disorders), artava ruja (painful periods) and shukradosha (disorders of semen).[1]
- And also pandu (anaemia), kamala (jaundice), granthi (cysts), arbuda (tumours), antra vriddhi (hernia), kati shula (low back pain), kushtha (skin disease), kandu (itching), plihodara (enlarged spleen), dental and eye disease, and daurbalya (weakness).[1]
What the evidence says
From the classical textsThe long list of uses above comes from the classical text as the formulary records it. We have not found a study of Chandraprabha Vati in people whose methods and results we could assess.[1]
Safety notes
- Not purely herbal. It contains two mineral ashes: hata loha bhasma (iron) and makshika dhatu bhasma. The formulary's mineral appendix identifies makshika as chalcopyrite, a copper pyrite.[2]
- Contains danti root. Danti is on Schedule E(1) of the Drugs Rules, the list of poisonous substances in Ayurvedic medicine, so packs must carry the words 'Caution: to be taken under medical supervision' in English and Hindi.[3]
- Contains camphor (karpura), listed first in the recipe, and sugar (48 of 417 g). The sugar matters if you have diabetes, which is relevant because prameha is among its listed uses.[1]
- Guggulu and shilajit make up nearly half the tablet. See Guggulu and thyroid medicines, Guggulu and blood thinners, Shilajit and diabetes medicines, and Shilajit and blood pressure medicines. Giloy, also in the recipe, has its own pages.
- 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 Dabur, Patanjali (Divya), AVP. 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 Chandraprabha Vati herbal?
Not entirely. Besides herbs and resins it contains shilajit, salts, sugar, and calcined ashes of iron and of copper pyrite.[1][2]
Is Chandraprabha Vati used for urine infection?
The formulary lists painful urination and other urinary complaints among its uses. That is the classical listing, not a trial result, and we have not found a study of it in urinary infection that we could assess.[1]
Related
Guggulu and thyroid medicine (levothyroxine)
Guggul raised thyroid hormone in mice. The one human trial in people on levothyroxine used a multi-herb tablet and cannot show guggul's own effect.
InteractionShilajit and metformin
Not studied in people. We found no human study of shilajit with metformin, and the one rat study could not be checked. Shilajit quality also varies.
FormulationGokshuradi Guggulu
A guggulu and gokshura tablet used for urinary complaints and gout. The one study we found was a rat toxicity test. Both herbs have interaction pages.
FormulationArogyavardhini Vati
A classical tablet that contains mercury by design, with copper, iron and mica ashes. In rats, mercury built up in the kidneys.
Sources
- Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I, 2nd revised English edition, 2003. Candraprabha Vati, 12:10, printed pages 185-186.
- Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I, 2nd revised English edition, 2003. Appendix, Names of mineral drugs appearing in formulations with equivalent English names, printed page 299.
- Central Drugs Standard Control Organization. The Drugs Rules, 1945 (2022 compilation). Rule 161(2) and Schedule E(1), list of poisonous substances under the Ayurvedic system, which includes Danti.
Updated 4 November 2026
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