The short answer
Saraswatarishta is a fermented liquid made mainly from brahmi, with shatavari, vidari, ginger, fennel and fifteen other herbs, sugar, honey and a leaf of gold. The formulary lists it for epilepsy, mental disorders, poor memory, unclear speech, and semen and menstrual disorders. We found no study of it in people. In one rat study it reduced a behaviour used to screen antidepressants, alone and with fluoxetine.
Like every arishta, it contains alcohol made during fermentation; other arishtas tested in Sri Lanka held 5.8 to 8.35% alcohol. That matters if you avoid alcohol or have liver disease; if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, ask your vaidya and your doctor before taking it. Each batch also has 1.2 kg of sugar and 480 g of honey. If you take an antidepressant or epilepsy medicine, tell your doctor before adding it.
What is in it
The official recipe is in the Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I, formulation 1:36 (printed page 22).[1]
| Ingredient | Botanical name | Part used | Proportion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brahmi | Bacopa monnieri | Whole plant | 960 g |
| Shatavari | Asparagus racemosus | Root | 240 g |
| Vidari (vidarikand) | Pueraria tuberosa | Root tuber | 240 g |
| Abhaya (haritaki, harad) | Terminalia chebula | Fruit rind | 240 g |
| Ushira (khus) | Vetiveria zizanioides | Root | 240 g |
| Ardraka (shunthi, ginger) | Zingiber officinale | Rhizome | 240 g |
| Mishi (saunf, fennel) | Foeniculum vulgare | Fruit | 240 g |
| Water for decoction | - | - | 12.288 l, reduced to 3.072 l |
| Makshika (madhu, honey) | - | - | 480 g |
| Sita (sugar) | - | - | 1.200 kg |
| Dhataki (dhawai flowers) | Woodfordia fruticosa | Flower | 240 g |
| Renuka | Vitex agnus-castus | Seed | 12 g |
| Trivrit (nishoth) | Ipomoea turpethum | Root | 12 g |
| Kana (pippali, long pepper) | Piper longum | Fruit | 12 g |
| Devapushpa (lavanga, clove) | Syzygium aromaticum | Flower bud | 12 g |
| Vaca (bach) | Acorus calamus | Rhizome | 12 g |
| Kushtha (kuth) | Saussurea lappa | Root | 12 g |
| Vajigandha (ashwagandha) | Withania somnifera | Root | 12 g |
| Bibhitaki (baheda) | Terminalia bellirica | Fruit rind | 12 g |
| Amrita (guduchi, giloy) | Tinospora cordifolia | Stem | 12 g |
| Ela (small cardamom) | Elettaria cardamomum | Seed | 12 g |
| Vidanga (vaividang) | Embelia ribes | Fruit | 12 g |
| Tvak (dalchini) | Cinnamomum zeylanicum | Stem bark | 12 g |
| Svarnapatra (gold leaf) | - | - | 12 g |
Rows and amounts from the 2003 printed edition, with the 2023 amendment applied to dhataki (240 g; the print says 240 kg). The print gives the reduced decoction as "3.0721 g", which we read as a misprint for 3.072 l. These are batch amounts, not doses.[1]
Classical source
The formulary takes the recipe from the Bhaishajya Ratnavali, Rasayana chapter, verses 178-184 in the 2003 print (the e-book copy gives 178-191). The opening verse asks for twenty palas of brahmi, whole with root, leaf and branches, gathered at brahma muhurta, the hour before dawn. A later verse drops a thin leaf of gold into the liquid.[1]
What it is used for
- The formulary lists it for shukra dosha (disorders of semen), apasmara (epilepsy), manasa dosha (mental disorders), ojakshaya (loss of strength), svarakarshya (a weak voice), aspashta bhashana (unclear speech), smriti kshina (failing memory) and rajodosha (menstrual disorders).[1]
What the evidence says
AnimalResearchers in Mumbai gave 144 rats Saraswatarishta, imipramine, fluoxetine, or one of the drugs with Saraswatarishta, then put them through a forced swim test. Less time floating still is read as an antidepressant-like effect. Every treatment cut that time compared with water, and fluoxetine with Saraswatarishta did better than either alone in two of the four experiments. Rat findings do not show it helps depression in people, and they tell us nothing about taking it with fluoxetine.[4]
Safety notes
- Contains alcohol. The formulary says arishtas ferment 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]
- How much alcohol is in Saraswatarishta has not been measured in any study we found. Twelve samples of three other arishtas from Sri Lanka measured 5.8 to 8.35% alcohol by volume.[5]
- Sugar and honey: each batch has 1.200 kg of sugar and 480 g of honey. This matters if you have diabetes.[1]
- Recipe correction: the 2023 amendment corrects dhataki to 240 g; the 2003 print says 240 kg.[3]
- Contains gold. The recipe uses gold leaf, and the formulary allows gold bhasma or svarna saindhava in its place, so check the label to see which your product uses.[1]
- Its main herb is brahmi, and it also contains ashwagandha and pippali. See Brahmi and antidepressants, Ashwagandha and antidepressants, and Pippali and phenytoin.
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
Does Saraswatarishta contain gold?
The formulary recipe has 12 g of gold leaf in each batch and allows gold bhasma or svarna saindhava instead. How much gold ends up in a bottle is not stated, so the label is the only guide.[1]
Can children take Saraswatarishta?
Advice for children is one of the things we hold back until a vaidya on our board has reviewed this page. Keep in mind that, like every arishta, it contains alcohol made during fermentation.[2]
Is Saraswatarishta the same as Saraswata Churna?
No. Saraswatarishta is a fermented liquid built on brahmi. Saraswata Churna is a dry powder from Part II of the formulary, built on vaca (sweet flag), with no alcohol.[1]
Related
Brahmi and antidepressants or anxiety medicines
No study has tested brahmi with SSRIs. Two adverse-event reports involve other antidepressants, and other medicines may explain them.
InteractionAshwagandha and antidepressants (SSRIs, SNRIs)
Doctors in Poland reported side effects they judged were caused by ashwagandha with sertraline, escitalopram or paroxetine.
FormulationSaraswata Churna
A vaca-based powder the formulary lists for epilepsy and mania. One study of ten people, with no comparison group, is all the human evidence we found.
ConditionAnxiety 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.
Sources
- Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I, 2nd revised English edition, 2003. Sarasvatarishta, 1:36, printed page 22.
- Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I, 2nd revised English edition, 2003. Asava and Arishta, definition, printed page 3.
- Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy. Amendment List-1 (2023) to the Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Parts I to III, item 3 (Sarasvatarishta: Dhataki corrected from 240 kg to 240 g), page 3.
- Parekar RR, Jadhav KS, Marathe PA, Rege NN. Effect of Saraswatarishta in animal models of behavior despair. J Ayurveda Integr Med. 2014;5(3):141-147. PMID 25336844.
- Fernando N, Pigera S, Rashani N, Fernando R, Weerasinghe P, Godakumbura D, Niriella M, Jayawickreme S, De Silva A. 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.
Updated 4 November 2026
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