The short answer
Tribhuvan Kirti Rasa is a rasa medicine, made with minerals, that contains mercury, aconite and Datura. Its recipe is purified hingula (cinnabar, a mercury sulphide), purified vatsanabha (aconite root, a known poison), borax, the three pungents and long pepper root, ground three times each in juices of tulsi, ginger, Datura leaf and nirgundi. The formulary lists it for fevers. We have not found a study of it in people.
Aconite can slow the heart and lower blood pressure; a case report describes both after an overdose of another aconite medicine. Purification is part of the recipe, but no source we reviewed measured what remains in the tablet. Tell your doctor you take it, especially if you have heart disease or take heart or blood pressure medicine.
What is in it
The official recipe is in the Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I, formulation 20:20 (printed pages 263-264).[1]
| Ingredient | Botanical name | Part used | Proportion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hingula (cinnabar, mercury sulphide), purified | - | - | 1 part |
| Visha (vatsanabha, aconite), purified | Aconitum ferox | Root tuber | 1 part |
| Shunthi (dry ginger, saunth) | Zingiber officinale | Rhizome | 1 part |
| Marica (black pepper) | Piper nigrum | Fruit | 1 part |
| Pippali (long pepper) | Piper longum | Fruit | 1 part |
| Tankana (borax, suhaga), purified | - | - | 1 part |
| Magadhi shipha (pippali root) | Piper longum | Root | 1 part |
| Surasa (tulsi) juice | Ocimum sanctum | Leaf | As needed, for grinding 3 times |
| Ardraka (fresh ginger) juice | Zingiber officinale | Rhizome | As needed, for grinding 3 times |
| Hema (dhattura, Datura) juice | Datura metel | Leaf | As needed, for grinding 3 times |
| Nirgundi juice | Vitex negundo | Leaf | As needed, for grinding 3 times |
From the 2003 printed edition. The 2023 amendment does not change this entry. The plant juices are used to grind the powder (bhavana) and are not weighed.[1]
Classical source
The formulary takes the recipe from the Rasamrita, chapter 9, verses 80-80½ in the 2003 print (the e-book copy gives 80-81). The verse names cinnabar, visha (aconite), the three pungents, borax and pippali root, ground three times in juices of tulsi, ginger, hema (Datura) and nirgundi.[1]
What it is used for
- The formulary lists it for vata kapha jvara (fever of the vata and kapha type), sannipata jvara (fever involving all three doshas) and taruna jvara (fever in its early stage).[1]
What the evidence says
Case reportDoctors at an Ayurveda research institute in Sikkim reported one person with low blood pressure and a slow heartbeat after taking too much Mahashankha Vati. That is a different Ayurvedic medicine, but it contains the same aconite, vatsanabha (Aconitum ferox). It is one case of a different product taken in overdose, so it shows what aconite can do, not what this tablet does.[3]
Safety notes
- Mercury: hingula is cinnabar, a mercury sulphide. It is one of seven equal parts of the powder.[2]
- Aconite: visha (vatsanabha) is identified in the formulary as Aconitum ferox. It is used after purification (shodhana), but purification does not show that the tablet is harmless.[2]
- Datura: the powder is ground three times in Datura (dhattura) leaf juice.[1]
- Also contains borax (tankana), pippali and black pepper. See Pippali and phenytoin.[2]
- Indian law requires medicines with ingredients such as hingula and dhattura to carry the label caution "to be taken under medical supervision".[5]
- In a 2008 US study of Ayurvedic medicines bought online, 40.6% of rasa shastra products (made with metals or minerals) contained lead, mercury or arsenic, against 17.1% of other products. That is a general survey, not a test of this tablet.[4]
Who makes it
Sold in India by makers including Patanjali (Divya). 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 Tribhuvan Kirti Rasa contain mercury?
Yes. The formulary recipe contains purified hingula, which is cinnabar, a mercury sulphide, as one of its seven equal parts. No source we reviewed measured how much mercury is in the finished tablet.[1][2]
What are the side effects of Tribhuvan Kirti Rasa?
We have not found a study that counts side effects of this tablet. Its aconite ingredient can slow the heart and lower blood pressure, as a case report of another aconite medicine shows.[3]
Related
Pippali, 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.
FormulationLaxmivilas Ras
A rasa tablet whose official recipe is one tenth mercury by weight, with sulphur, mica bhasma, camphor and Datura seed.
FormulationHridayarnava Rasa
A rasa medicine of mercury, sulphur and copper ash, listed for a classical type of heart disease. Take it only under medical supervision.
FormulationSwarna Bhasma
Processed gold ash. The official methods use mercury and sulphur, or white arsenic. One case report links it to kidney damage.
Sources
- Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I, 2nd revised English edition, 2003. Tribhuvanakirti Rasa, 20:20, printed pages 263-264.
- Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I. List of single drugs: Hingula, cinnabar; Tankana, borax; Visha and Vatsanabha, Aconitum ferox; Hema, Dhattura, Datura metel.
- Panda AK, Debnath SK. Overdose effect of aconite containing Ayurvedic medicine ('Mahashankha Vati'). Int J Ayurveda Res. 2010;1(3):183-186. PMID 21170213.
- 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.
- Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation. Drugs Rules, 1945 (compilation 2022), Rule 161(2) and Schedule E(1): label caution "to be taken under medical supervision".
Updated 4 November 2026
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