The short answer
Gandhak Rasayana is a mineral medicine, not a herbal one: gandhaka is the Ayurvedic Formulary of India's name for sulphur. The official recipe still awaits verification against printed AFI Part II, so this page does not yet list its ingredients, how it is made or the uses the formulary gives for it.
The one trial we found used it as a rectal suppository for pain in 40 people after anal surgery, where improvement was similar to a diclofenac suppository over five days. That tells us nothing about taking it by mouth for skin problems. Read the label on your pack, and tell your doctor you take it.
What is in it
The official recipe still awaits verification against printed AFI Part II, so no ingredient list is shown yet. Makers' recipes can differ, so read the label.
What the evidence says
RCTTrial after anal surgery, 2022. Forty patients were randomly split into two groups of 20. One group got Gandhaka Rasayana as a rectal suppository and the other a diclofenac suppository, for five days after surgery. The authors report improvement of 85% and 80.39%, without saying clearly how improvement was measured. A suppository for post-operative pain is a different use, and a different route, from tablets taken for the skin.[2]
Safety notes
- A mineral medicine, named after gandhaka, the formulary's word for sulphur, not after a plant.[1]
- Until the official recipe is checked in print, the label of your pack is the only guide to what is in it. If you have diabetes, check it for sugar.
- 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 Gandhak Rasayana good for skin problems like acne or itching?
We cannot say yet. We are still checking the formulary's list of uses against the printed edition, and the one trial we found tested it as a suppository for pain after surgery, not for the skin.[2]
Related
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The evidence is thin. Curcumin has some trial support in psoriasis, we found no eczema trial, and one Ayurvedic psoriasis medicine contains arsenic.
FormulationKhadirarishta
An arishta of khadira, devadaru, bakuchi and triphala, listed for skin disease. It contains alcohol from fermentation and is heavy in honey and sugar.
FormulationMahamanjishthadi Kwath
A manjishtha-based decoction sold for skin problems. Its official recipe is not yet confirmed, and we found no clinical trial of it.
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. Appendix, list of single drugs of mineral origin, printed page 299: gandhaka, sulphur.
- Deshpande R, Prakash NS, Swaroop M, Muralimohan M, Shetty A. A randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effect of Gandhaka Rasayana rectal suppository in post operative pain management in ano-rectal disorders. J Ayurveda Integr Med. 2022;13:100485. PMID 35120806.
Awaiting review by The Good Vaidya Medical Board. Prepared from the sources below and checked against each one.
Published 4 November 2026 · Last updated 4 November 2026
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