The short answer
Talisadi Churna is a sweet powder of talisa leaf, black pepper, dry ginger, pippali (long pepper), bamboo manna, cardamom and cinnamon, mixed with a large amount of sugar. The formulary lists it for cough, breathlessness, fever, vomiting, poor appetite, indigestion and diarrhoea, among other complaints. We have not found a study of it in people.
Two-thirds of the powder by weight is sugar (384 of 576 g), which matters if you have diabetes. It also contains pippali and black pepper. In a small study of people with epilepsy, a single dose of piperine, their pungent compound, raised phenytoin levels; the powder itself has not been tested. If you take phenytoin, tell your prescribing doctor before starting it.
What is in it
The official recipe is in the Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I, formulation 7:13 (printed page 109).[1]
| Ingredient | Botanical name | Part used | Proportion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Talisa (talispatra) | Abies webbiana | Leaf | 12 g |
| Marica (black pepper, kali mirch) | Piper nigrum | Fruit | 24 g |
| Shunthi (dry ginger, saunth) | Zingiber officinale | Rhizome | 36 g |
| Pippali (long pepper) | Piper longum | Fruit | 48 g |
| Vamsharochana (bamboo manna, banslochan) | Bambusa bambos | Siliceous deposit in the stem | 60 g |
| Ela (small cardamom) | Elettaria cardamomum | Seed | 6 g |
| Tvak (dalchini, cinnamon) | Cinnamomum zeylanicum | Stem bark | 6 g |
| Sharkara (sugar) | - | - | 384 g |
Amounts from the 2003 printed edition. The 2023 amendment does not change this entry. Products may differ, so read the label.[1]
Classical source
The formulary takes the recipe from the Sharngadhara Samhita, Madhyama Khanda 6.130-131½ in the 2003 print (the e-book copy gives 130-133½). The verse sets the first five ingredients at one, two, three, four and five karsha, cardamom and cinnamon at half a karsha each, and sugar at thirty-two. At 12 g to the karsha, that gives the formulary's weights exactly.[1]
What it is used for
- The formulary lists it for kasa (cough), shvasa (breathlessness), jvara (fever), chardi (vomiting), adhmana (bloating), aruci (loss of taste for food) and ajirna (indigestion).[1]
- It also lists atisara (diarrhoea), shosha (wasting), pliha (spleen disorders), grahani (a chronic bowel disorder) and pandu (anaemia).[1]
What the evidence says
We have not found a study of this formulation itself that we could check. That says nothing either way about whether it works.
Safety notes
- Two-thirds of the powder by weight is sugar (384 g of 576 g). This matters if you have diabetes.[1]
- Ingredient evidence only: in 20 people with epilepsy, a single dose of piperine, the main compound in pippali and black pepper, raised blood levels of phenytoin. That study used isolated piperine, not this powder. See Pippali and phenytoin.[3]
- We found no study that reports side effects of Talisadi Churna. That is a gap in the evidence, not a sign that there are none.
Who makes it
Sold in India by makers including 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
What is the difference between Talisadi and Sitopaladi Churna?
Both are sweet cough powders from the Sharngadhara Samhita, with bamboo manna, pippali, cardamom and cinnamon. Talisadi adds talisa leaf, black pepper and dry ginger, and is about two-thirds sugar by weight against Sitopaladi's half. The formulary also lists Talisadi for digestive complaints such as vomiting and diarrhoea.[1][2]
Related
Sitopaladi Churna
A classical cough powder, about half sugar by weight. It contains pippali; piperine, a pepper compound, raised phenytoin levels in a small study.
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.
FormulationVasavaleha
A vasaka leaf jam for cough and breathlessness, mostly sugar and honey. One small trial compared it only with its own granules.
ConditionType 2 diabetes (sugar): what Ayurveda offers
Some herbs, such as methi and karela, lowered HbA1c a little in trials. Taken with diabetes medicines, they can add to the risk of low sugar.
Sources
- Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I, 2nd revised English edition, 2003. Talisadya Curna, 7:13, printed pages 109-110.
- Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I, 2nd revised English edition, 2003. Sitopaladi Curna, 7:34, printed page 116.
- 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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