Dashamoolarishta

The short answer

What is in it

The official recipe is in the Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I (2003), entry 1:18 Dasamularishta, printed pages 13 to 15.[1]

Quantities are for one batch, from the printed 2003 edition. The printed edition gives citraka and pushkara as 1.200 g each. The electronic transcription differs; we do not resolve that discrepancy here. Jivaka, rishabhaka, meda, mahameda, kakoli, kshirakakoli, riddhi and vriddhi are rare plants for which the formulary's appendix gives alternative or substitute sources, so we leave their botanical names out. Makers' recipes can differ, so check the label.[1]

Classical source

The formulary takes the recipe from the Sharangadhara Samhita, Madhyama Khanda, chapter 10, verses 78 to 89.[1]

What it is used for

• The formulary lists it for digestive complaints: aruci (loss of taste), chardi (vomiting), grahani (malabsorption), gulma (abdominal lump), udara (abdominal swelling), arsha (piles), bhagandara (anal fistula) and agnimandya (weak digestion).[1]
• For breathing and wasting: kasa (cough), shvasa (breathlessness), kshaya (wasting disease), dhatukshaya (tissue wasting) and karshya (emaciation).[1]
• For urinary complaints: meha (excess urination), sharkara (gravel in urine), ashmari (stones) and mutrakricchra (painful urination).[1]
• And also vatavyadhi (vata disorders), pandu (anaemia), kamala (jaundice), kushtha (skin disease), vandhyatva (infertility), shukrakshaya (low semen) and daurbalya (weakness).[1]

What the evidence says

AnimalRats and mice, Mumbai, 2015. Animals were given Dashamoolarishta (1.8 ml/kg in rats, 2.5 ml/kg in mice), aspirin, both together, or water. Dashamoolarishta reduced pain responses and swelling in several standard models, about as much as aspirin. The combination offered no advantage over aspirin alone, and in the 8-day granuloma model its effect was not statistically significant. Animal results do not show what happens in people.[3]

In vitroIn the same study, platelets from six healthy men were tested in the lab with a bought watery dashamoola extract (the kwath, not the arishta, because alcohol would have damaged the platelets). It reduced platelet clumping about as much as aspirin, alone and with aspirin added. This was a different preparation, tested outside the body.[3]

In vitroTwelve bottles of dashamoolarishta, ashwagandharishta and balarishta from four Sri Lankan makers held 5.80 to 8.35% alcohol by volume. This was a lab test of products, not a study in people, and Indian brands may differ.[4]

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]
• Each batch contains 19.2 kg of jaggery and 1.5 kg of honey. If you have diabetes, mention it to your doctor.[1]
• Dashamoola reduced platelet clumping in a lab test, about as much as aspirin. If you take aspirin, another antiplatelet medicine or a blood thinner, or have surgery coming up, tell your doctor.[3]
• Contains kasturi (musk), an animal product, at 3 g per batch.[1]
• Several of its herbs have their own interaction pages, for example Turmeric and blood thinners, Giloy and diabetes medicines, and Gokshura and blood pressure medicines.

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

Related

Sources

1. Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I, 2nd revised English edition, 2003. Dasamularishta, 1:18, printed pages 13-15.
2. Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I, 2nd revised English edition, 2003. Section 1, Asava and Arishta, Definition, printed page 3.
3. Parekar RR, Bolegave SS, Marathe PA, Rege NN. Experimental evaluation of analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anti-platelet potential of Dashamoola. J Ayurveda Integr Med. 2015;6(1):11-18. PMID 25878458.
4. 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.