The short answer
Hingvashtak Churna is a powder of eight spices in equal parts: dry ginger, black pepper, pippali, ajmoda, rock salt, white and black cumin, and purified hing (asafoetida, हींग). The Ayurvedic Formulary of India lists it for weak digestion, colicky pain, gulma (an abdominal lump) and vata disorders.
Our exact-name search found no clinical study; other spellings still need review. These are common kitchen spices, but a sample sold online as Hingwastika, tested in a 2008 US study, contained mercury, which is not part of the recipe. One eighth of the powder is rock salt, which matters if you have been told to limit salt.
What is in it
The official recipe is in the Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I (2003), entry 7:37 Hingvastaka Curna, printed pages 117 and 118.[1]
| Ingredient | Botanical name | Part used | Proportion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shunthi (dry ginger) | Zingiber officinale | Rhizome | 3 g |
| Marica (black pepper) | Piper nigrum | Fruit | 3 g |
| Pippali (long pepper) | Piper longum | Fruit | 3 g |
| Ajamoda (ajmoda) | Apium graveolens | Fruit | 3 g |
| Saindhava lavana (rock salt) | - | - | 3 g |
| Shveta jiraka (white cumin) | Cuminum cyminum | Fruit | 3 g |
| Krishna jiraka (black cumin) | Carum carvi | Fruit | 3 g |
| Hingu (hing, asafoetida), purified | Ferula foetida | Exudate | 3 g |
Equal parts by weight, from the printed 2003 edition. Makers' recipes can differ, so check the label.[1]
Classical source
The formulary takes the recipe from the Bhaishajya Ratnavali, Agnimandyadi Roga Adhikara (the chapter on weak digestion), verse 37.[1]
What it is used for
- The formulary lists it for agnimandya (weak digestion), shula (colicky pain), gulma (abdominal lump) and vataroga (vata disorders).[1]
What the evidence says
Classical text onlyThe uses above come from the Bhaishajya Ratnavali as the formulary records them. A search of Europe PMC for the exact name 'Hingvashtak Churna' returned no studies. Other spellings have not all been searched yet.[1]
Safety notes
- In a 2008 US study of Ayurvedic medicines bought online, a product sold as Hingwastika (Bazaar of India) held 34.5 micrograms of mercury per gram; lead and arsenic were below the reporting level. Mercury is not an ingredient of the formulary recipe. This was one product tested years ago, not every maker or batch.[2]
- One eighth of the powder by weight is rock salt (saindhava lavana). This matters if you have high blood pressure, heart failure or kidney disease and have been told to limit salt.[1]
- Contains black pepper and pippali. In a small study of people with epilepsy, a single dose of piperine, a compound in pippali and black pepper, raised blood levels of phenytoin. That study used isolated piperine, not this powder. See Pippali and phenytoin. Ginger has its own page too: Ginger and blood thinners.[3]
- 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), 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 Hingvashtak Churna the same as hing?
No. Hing (asafoetida) is one of its eight ingredients, in equal share with dry ginger, black pepper, pippali, ajmoda, rock salt and two kinds of cumin.[1]
Related
Avipattikar Churna
A classical acidity powder that is half sugar and one third trivrit, a purgative root. Its only study we found was in rats.
FormulationLavan Bhaskar Churna
A digestive powder of four salts and spices. By weight it is about 41% salt, which matters for high blood pressure, heart and kidney disease.
InteractionPippali, black pepper and phenytoin
Piperine, the compound in pippali and black pepper, raised phenytoin blood levels in two small Indian studies. Phenytoin has a narrow safe range.
ConditionIBS (irritable bowel syndrome): what Ayurveda offers
The one placebo-controlled trial of an Ayurvedic herbal mix in IBS found no benefit. A whole-system programme beat a single powder in another.
Sources
- Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I, 2nd revised English edition, 2003. Hingvastaka Curna, 7:37, printed pages 117-118.
- Saper RB, Phillips RS, Sehgal A, et al. Lead, mercury, and arsenic in US- and Indian-manufactured Ayurvedic medicines sold via the Internet. JAMA. 2008;300(8):915-23. PMID 18728265.
- Pattanaik S, Hota D, Prabhakar S, Kharbanda P, Pandhi P. Effect of piperine on the steady-state pharmacokinetics of phenytoin in patients with epilepsy. Phytother Res. 2006;20(8):683-686. PMID 16767797.
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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