Khadirarishta

What it is

Khadirarishta is an arishtam, a gently fermented Ayurvedic preparation. An arishtam is made by leaving a sweetened herbal liquid to ferment slowly. As it ferments, a small amount of natural alcohol forms, and this both keeps the tonic and helps it carry the qualities of the drugs into the body. What you end up with is a dark, keeping liquid, taken by the spoonful.

The name comes from its chief ingredient. Khadira is the heartwood of the tree the botanists call Acacia catechu or Senegalia catechu, a wood the tradition holds in high regard for the skin and the blood. That astringent, bitter, cooling heartwood gives the whole preparation its character and its name. Around it the classical formula gathers a small company of supporting drugs, and the mixture is fermented and then strained clear.

Among the fermented preparations, Khadirarishta is the one the texts reach for first when the concern is the skin and the blood. Where a tonic such as Draksharishtam sits on the sweet, nourishing side of the family, Khadirarishta sits on the astringent, cleansing side. The tradition reads its nature as kushthaghna, that is, acting on the classical group of skin disorders, and raktashodhaka, cleansing the blood in the classical sense, with a further reputation for clearing worms and settling Kapha.

What Ayurveda uses it for

In the classical texts Khadirarishta belongs firmly to the treatment of Kushtha, the broad group of skin disorders, and this is the setting in which it is best known. Built on the skin-cleansing heartwood of Khadira, and read by the tradition as cleansing to the blood, it is counted among the preparations turned to where the skin and the blood are the concern.

Within that role the classical writers describe the preparation as traditionally indicated in a familiar set of conditions, each named here in its classical Sanskrit term with a plain gloss:

• Kushtha: the classical group of skin disorders, the preparation’s foremost and best-known use.
• Kandu: itching, one of the complaints the fermented Khadira preparation is classically directed at.
• Pama: a classical eruptive complaint of the skin.
• Shvitra: a classical discolouration of the skin.
• Krimi: the classical category of worms, for which the drying, bitter drugs are called upon.
• Vrana: wounds, where the astringent, cleansing quality of Khadira is described.
• Raktadosha: the classical disorders of the blood, which the tradition connects closely with the state of the skin.

These are the traditional textual indications recorded in the classical literature. They set out how Ayurveda has long understood the preparation and are given for reference and study, not as statements of medical effect or as advice to treat any condition.

What is in it

The preparation is built on Khadira, the heartwood of Acacia catechu, and the whole formula takes its name and its leading character from this one drug. To it the classical recipe adds Devadaru, the fragrant deodar wood, and Bakuchi, the seed of Psoralea, a drug the tradition associates closely with the skin.

Alongside these stands the Triphala, the celebrated group of three fruits, Haritaki, Bibhitaki and Amalaki, whose astringent, cleansing nature suits the purpose of the preparation. Daruharidra, a bitter, yellow wood valued for the skin and the blood, is counted among the drugs as well, together with the other supporting members named in the classical texts.

Two further ingredients belong to the making rather than to the list of drugs. Jaggery gives the sugars that the fermentation needs, and the flowers of Dhataki carry the wild ferment that sets the process going. Together they turn the herbal liquid into an arishtam.

How it is taken

Khadirarishta is taken in a small measure, classically a spoonful or two, and it is usual to dilute it with an equal part of water before taking. The tradition takes it after food. Like the other members of the fermented family, it is used as a course over a stretch of weeks rather than as a single dose.

The small amount of alcohol that forms during fermentation, together with the sugars, means a well-made arishtam keeps for a long time, and the tradition holds that it settles and improves with a little age.

Good to know

Khadirarishta sits on the astringent, cleansing side of the fermented family rather than the sweet, nourishing side. Its character is laghu and ruksha, light and drying, and shita, cooling, which is why the tradition places it with the skin and the blood rather than among the building tonics. That same drying, cleansing lean means it is read as suiting states where there is heat and impurity rather than dryness and depletion.

Because it is a fermented preparation, it carries a small amount of naturally formed alcohol, and it is taken in small, measured and diluted doses as described above.

This entry describes the classical Ayurvedic understanding of the preparation. It is not medical advice, and anyone with a health condition should speak to a qualified practitioner.

Frequently asked

Why is Khadirarishta so closely tied to the skin? Because it is built on Khadira, the heartwood of Acacia catechu, which classical Ayurveda holds in particular regard for the skin and the blood. The tradition reads the whole preparation as kushthaghna, acting on the classical group of skin disorders, and raktashodhaka, cleansing to the blood in the classical sense, which is why it is the fermented preparation the texts reach for first in this setting.

Does Khadirarishta contain alcohol? A small amount, yes. It forms naturally during the fermentation and is part of how an arishtam works and keeps. The preparation is taken in small, measured doses, usually diluted with an equal part of water.

How does it differ from a sweet tonic such as Draksharishtam? The two sit on opposite sides of the fermented family. Draksharishtam is sweet, heavy and nourishing, made for someone run down and depleted. Khadirarishta is astringent, bitter, light and cooling, and the tradition directs it at the skin and the blood rather than at rebuilding strength.