The short answer
Manasamitra Vatakam is a tablet of about 60 herbs, minerals and animal products, from the Sahasrayoga. The Ayurvedic Formulary of India lists it for mental disorders (manodosha and unmada), epilepsy, slow intellect, speech problems, fainting and loss of consciousness. Its recipe includes gold, silver and iron bhasmas, copper pyrite, coral and pearl, deer-horn ash, shilajit, camphor and musk.
In one randomised trial, 72 adults with generalised anxiety and social phobia took it, alone or with shirodhara, or took clonazepam, for 30 days. All three groups improved, but the abstract gives no figures and the trial cannot show the treatments are equal. If you take a medicine for anxiety, sleep, epilepsy or mental illness, tell your prescribing doctor before you add it.
What is in it
The official recipe is in the Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I, entry 12:21, as Manasamitra Vataka (2003 printed edition, pages 189-191).[1]
| Ingredient | Botanical name | Part used | Proportion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bala | Sida cordifolia | Root | 1 part |
| Nagabala | Sida veronicaefolia | Root | 1 part |
| Bilva | Aegle marmelos | Root or stem bark | 1 part |
| Dhavanimula (prishniparni) | Uraria picta | Whole plant | 1 part |
| Vidruma (pravala, coral) pishti | - | Animal or mineral | 1 part |
| Shankhapushpi | Convolvulus pluricaulis | Whole plant | 1 part |
| Tamrachudapadika | Adiantum lunulatum | Whole plant | 1 part |
| Hema (svarna, gold) bhasma | - | Mineral | 1 part |
| Pushkaramula (pushkara) | Inula racemosa | Root | 1 part |
| Mrigashringa (deer horn) bhasma | - | Animal | 1 part |
| Vacha | Acorus calamus | Rhizome | 1 part |
| Tapya (svarnamakshika, copper pyrite) | - | Mineral | 1 part |
| Shveta chandana (sandalwood) | Santalum album | Heartwood | 1 part |
| Rakta chandana | Pterocarpus santalinus | Heartwood | 1 part |
| Mauktika (mukta, pearl) pishti | - | Animal | 1 part |
| Kalaloha (lauha, iron) bhasma | - | Mineral | 1 part |
| Madhuka (mahua) | Madhuca indica | Flower | 1 part |
| Tvak (cinnamon) | Cinnamomum zeylanicum | Stem bark | 1 part |
| Magadhi (pippali) | Piper longum | Fruit | 1 part |
| Ghanasaraka (karpura, camphor) | Cinnamomum camphora | Sublimated extract | 1 part |
| Aileya (elavaluka) | Prunus avium | Seed | 1 part |
| Vishala (rakta indravaruni) | Unresolved in the AFI appendix | Whole plant | 1 part |
| Arkaraga (aklari) | Lodoicea maldivica | Whole plant | 1 part |
| Nirgundikamula (nirgundi) | Vitex negundo | Root | 1 part |
| Plava | Cyperus scariosus | Rhizome | 1 part |
| Rasna | Pluchea lanceolata | Root or leaf | 1 part |
| Rajata (silver) bhasma | - | Mineral | 1 part |
| Shaileya (shilajatu, shilajit), purified | - | Mineral | 1 part |
| Gojihva | Onosma bracteatum | Whole plant | 1 part |
| Padmakesara (lotus stamens) | Nelumbo nucifera | Androecium | 1 part |
| Jivaka | Microstylis muscifera | Root tuber | 1 part |
| Rishabhaka | Microstylis wallichii | Root tuber | 1 part |
| Kakoli | Lilium polyphyllum; substitute Withania somnifera | Substitute root | 1 part |
| Kshirakakoli | Fritillaria roylei; substitute Withania somnifera | Substitute root | 1 part |
| Brihati | Solanum indicum | Whole plant | 1 part |
| Kshudra (kantakari) | Solanum xanthocarpum | Whole plant | 1 part |
| Shravani (munditika) | Sphaeranthus indicus | Whole plant | 1 part |
| Mahashravani (munditika) | Sphaeranthus indicus | Whole plant | 1 part |
| Bhunimba (kiratatikta, chirata) | Swertia chirata | Whole plant | 1 part |
| Kritamala (aragvadha, amaltas) | Cassia fistula | Stem bark | 1 part |
| Parushaka (phalsa) | Grewia asiatica | Root | 1 part |
| Haritaki (harad) | Terminalia chebula | Pericarp | 1 part |
| Bibhitaka (baheda) | Terminalia bellirica | Pericarp | 1 part |
| Amalaki (amla) | Emblica officinalis | Pericarp | 1 part |
| Amrita (guduchi, giloy) | Tinospora cordifolia | Stem | 1 part |
| Shveta sariva | Hemidesmus indicus | Root | 1 part |
| Krishna sariva | Cryptolepis buchanani | Root | 1 part |
| Jivanti | Leptadenia reticulata | Root | 1 part |
| Somavalli | Sarcostemma brevistigma | Whole plant | 1 part |
| Hayagandha (ashvagandha) | Withania somnifera | Root | 1 part |
| Nisha (haridra, haldi) | Curcuma longa | Rhizome | 1 part |
| Ushira (khus) | Vetiveria zizanioides | Root | 1 part |
| Draksha (raisins) | Vitis vinifera | Dried fruit | 1 part |
| Yashtyahvaya (yashti, mulethi) | Glycyrrhiza glabra | Root | 1 part |
| Riddhi | Habenaria intermedia; substitute Dioscorea bulbifera | Substitute root tuber | 1 part |
| Durva | Cynodon dactylon | Whole plant | 1 part |
| Hamsapadi | Adiantum lunulatum | Whole plant | 1 part |
| Bhadra | Amomum subulatum | Whole plant | 1 part |
| Lavanga (clove) | Syzygium aromaticum | Flower bud | 1 part |
| Tulasi (tulsi) | Ocimum sanctum | Leaf | 1 part |
| Kasturi (mrigamada, musk) | Moschus moschiferus (animal) | - | 1 part |
| Kunkuma (saffron) | Crocus sativus | Style and stigma | 1 part |
| Trayanti (trayamana) juice | Gentiana kurroo | Whole plant | As needed (processing liquid) |
| Shankhapushpi decoction | Convolvulus pluricaulis | Whole plant | As needed (processing liquid) |
| Vacha decoction | Acorus calamus | Rhizome | As needed (processing liquid) |
| Ananta (shveta sariva) decoction | Hemidesmus indicus | Root | As needed (processing liquid) |
| Lakshmana decoction | Solanum xanthocarpum | Root | As needed (processing liquid) |
| Bilva decoction | Aegle marmelos | Root | As needed (processing liquid) |
| Bala root decoction | Sida cordifolia | Root | As needed (processing liquid) |
| Gokshira (cow's milk) | - | - | As needed (processing liquid) |
| Jiraka (cumin) decoction | Cuminum cyminum | Fruit | As needed (processing liquid) |
| Somavalli juice | Sarcostemma brevistigma | Whole plant | As needed (processing liquid) |
| Stanya (human milk) | - | - | As needed (processing liquid) |
From the 2003 printed edition. The 62 powders are ground in the 11 liquids at the end of the list and made into tablets. Latin names follow the formulary's appendix, which gives conflicting names for rakta indravaruni and names substitutes for kakoli, kshirakakoli and riddhi. Products on sale may differ, so check the label.[1]
Classical source
The formulary takes the recipe from the Sahasrayoga, Gutikaprakarana (the chapter on pills), verse 68. The verse opens with bala, nagabala, bilva, dhavani and coral.[1]
What it is used for
- The formulary lists it for manodosha (mental disorder), unmada (insanity), apasmara (epilepsy), mandabuddhitva (slow intellect), vakdosha (speech disorders) and bhutabadha (possession, as the texts describe it).[1]
- It also lists mada (intoxication), murchha (fainting), sanyasa (loss of consciousness), vishuchika (acute diarrhoea with vomiting) and sarpa visha (snakebite).[1]
What the evidence says
RCTRandomised trial in anxiety, 2012. Seventy-two adults aged 20 to 55 with generalised anxiety disorder and social phobia were split into three groups of 24: Manasamitra Vataka alone, Manasamitra Vataka with seven days of shirodhara, or clonazepam, for 30 days. All three groups improved. The abstract gives no figures for the size of the change, the trial was short, and it was not designed to show that the treatments are equal.[3]
Safety notes
- Contains metal and mineral preparations: gold (hema), silver (rajata) and iron (kalaloha) bhasmas, tapya (svarnamakshika, which the formulary's appendix identifies as chalcopyrite, a copper and iron ore) and shilajit. One part each in a recipe of 62 parts.[2]
- Contains animal products: musk (kasturi), coral and pearl pishti and deer-horn bhasma, and the powders are ground with cow's milk and human milk (stanya). This matters if you avoid animal products. Musk trade is controlled internationally, so products may use a substitute.[2]
- Contains camphor (ghanasara karpura), one part in 62, in a medicine taken by mouth. Ask your doctor about this before it is given to a child.[1]
- Contains ashvagandha and tulsi, which have their own pages on sedatives. See Ashwagandha and sleep medicines, and Tulsi and sedatives.
Who makes it
Sold in India by makers including Vaidyaratnam, Nagarjuna. 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
Can Manasamitra Vatakam replace anxiety medicine?
The one trial we found ran for 30 days and did not show that it equals clonazepam. Any change to a prescribed medicine is for your prescribing doctor to decide.[3]
Related
Anxiety and sleep problems: what Ayurveda offers
Ashwagandha extracts improved sleep a little and lowered stress scores in short trials. They were not trials in diagnosed anxiety disorder.
InteractionAshwagandha with sleeping pills and benzodiazepines
Not studied in people. Ashwagandha may have sedative effects that add to benzodiazepines and sleeping pills, based on preclinical work.
FormulationBrahmi Ghrita
A medicated ghee of brahmi and ten herbs, used for memory and epilepsy. One small study in older adults; it contains danti, a scheduled poison.
FormulationSaraswatarishta
A fermented brahmi tonic with gold leaf, listed for memory, speech, epilepsy and the mind. It contains alcohol from fermentation, plus sugar and honey.
Sources
- Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I, 2nd revised English edition, 2003. Manasamitra Vataka, 12:21, printed pages 189-191.
- Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I. Appendix, lists of single drugs of mineral origin (Makshika, chalcopyrite) and animal origin (Mrgamada, musk; Stanya, human milk).
- Tubaki BR, Chandrashekar CR, Sudhakar D, Prabha TN, Lavekar GS, Kutty BM. Clinical efficacy of Manasamitra Vataka (an Ayurveda medication) on generalized anxiety disorder with comorbid generalized social phobia: a randomized controlled study. J Altern Complement Med. 2012;18:612-621. PMID 22784349.
Updated 4 November 2026
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