The short answer
Khadirarishta is a fermented decoction (an arishta) of khadira (khair) heartwood, devadaru, bakuchi, daruharidra and triphala, sweetened with honey and sugar. The Ayurvedic Formulary of India lists it for mahakushtha (major skin diseases), worms, anaemia, lumps and swellings, heart disease, cough and breathlessness.
Like every arishta, it contains alcohol made during fermentation. It is also heavy in honey and sugar, which matters if you have diabetes. We found no trial that tested Khadirarishta itself. Tell your doctor you take it, especially if you take a medicine that should not be mixed with alcohol.
What is in it
The official recipe is in the Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I, entry 1:14 (2003 printed edition, page 12).[1]
| Ingredient | Botanical name | Part used | Proportion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Khadira (khair) | Acacia catechu | Heartwood | 2.400 kg |
| Devadaru (deodar) | Cedrus deodara | Heartwood | 2.400 kg |
| Bakuchi | Psoralea corylifolia | Seed | 576 g |
| Darvi (daruharidra) | Berberis aristata | Stem | 960 g |
| Haritaki (harad) | Terminalia chebula | Pericarp | 960 g |
| Bibhitaka (baheda) | Terminalia bellirica | Pericarp | 960 g |
| Amalaki (amla) | Emblica officinalis | Pericarp | 960 g |
| Water for decoction | - | - | 98.304 l, reduced to 12.288 l |
| Makshika (honey) | - | - | 9.600 kg |
| Sharkara (sugar) | - | - | 4.800 kg |
| Dhataki (added at the end) | Woodfordia fruticosa | Flower | 960 g |
| Kankola (cubeb, added at the end) | Piper cubeba | Fruit | 48 g |
| Nagakeshara (added at the end) | Mesua ferrea | Stamen | 48 g |
| Jatiphala (nutmeg, added at the end) | Myristica fragrans | Seed | 48 g |
| Lavanga (clove, added at the end) | Syzygium aromaticum | Flower bud | 48 g |
| Ela (sukshmaila, cardamom, added at the end) | Elettaria cardamomum | Seed | 48 g |
| Tvak (cinnamon, added at the end) | Cinnamomum zeylanicum | Stem bark | 48 g |
| Patra (tejapatra, added at the end) | Cinnamomum tamala | Leaf | 48 g |
| Krishna (pippali, added at the end) | Piper longum | Fruit | 192 g |
Quantities for one batch, from the 2003 printed edition. Items marked "added at the end" are the formulary's prakshepa dravyas, powdered and added after the decoction. Products on sale may differ, so check the label.[1]
Classical source
The formulary takes the recipe from the Sharngadhara Samhita, Madhyamakhanda, chapter 10, verses 60 to 63½. The verse opens with half a tula of khadira and the same of devadaru.[1]
What it is used for
- The formulary lists it for granthi (cysts or lumps), gulma (abdominal lumps), krimi (worms), plihodara (an enlarged spleen with swelling of the abdomen), arbuda (tumours), pandu roga (anaemia), mahakushtha (major skin diseases), hridroga (heart disease), kasa (cough) and shvasa (breathlessness).[1]
What the evidence says
From the classical textsWe found no clinical trial or laboratory study of Khadirarishta itself. Its listed uses come from the formulary and the Sharngadhara Samhita, not from modern testing.[1]
Safety notes
- Contains alcohol. The formulary says asavas and arishtas ferment to 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]
- We found no measurement of the alcohol in Khadirarishta itself. Twelve samples of three other arishtas made in Sri Lanka measured between 5.80 and 8.35% alcohol by volume.[3]
- Each batch uses 9.6 kg of honey and 4.8 kg of sugar, more than the weight of all the herbs together. This matters if you have diabetes.[1]
- Contains daruharidra (Berberis aristata), a plant source of berberine. Our berberine pages cover studies of isolated berberine with metformin, statins and levothyroxine; those studies did not test daruharidra in an arishta.
- Contains 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 arishta. See Pippali and phenytoin.[4]
Who makes it
Sold in India by makers including Patanjali, Baidyanath, Dabur. 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
Does Khadirarishta help skin problems?
The formulary lists it for mahakushtha, a classical group of major skin diseases. We found no trial of it in people with acne, eczema, psoriasis or fungal infection, so how well it works for any of these is not known.[1]
Related
Psoriasis and eczema: what Ayurveda offers
The evidence is thin. Curcumin has some trial support in psoriasis, we found no eczema trial, and one Ayurvedic psoriasis medicine contains arsenic.
FormulationMahamanjishthadi Kwath
A many-herb decoction named after manjishtha, sold in India as a ready-made kadha and used in Ayurveda mainly for skin conditions.
FormulationPanchatikta Ghrita
Ghee cooked with neem, patola, kantakari, giloy and vasa. Listed for skin disease; one trial tested it in osteopenia. Not the same as the guggulu version.
InteractionBerberine and metformin
In one small trial, a 97% berberine tablet lowered sugar further when added to metformin. In rats, berberine changed where metformin goes in the body.
Sources
- Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I, 2nd revised English edition, 2003. Khadirarista, 1:14, printed page 12.
- Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I, 2nd revised English edition, 2003. Section 1, Asava and Arista, Definition, printed page 3.
- 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;65(4):112-117. PMID 34825559.
- 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.
Updated 4 November 2026
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