Kushtha

What it is

Kushtha is the root of Saussurea lappa, a tall herb of the daisy family that grows in the high meadows of the western Himalayas. The plant stands a couple of feet tall, with broad leaves and purple flower heads, but it is the thick, fleshy root that Ayurveda values. Dried, the root is hard, woody and strongly aromatic, with a scent that carries.

The name is the same word the old texts use for a whole group of skin conditions, kushtha, and that is no accident. This is one of the first roots the tradition reaches for when caring for the skin, and the herb took its name from the work it was known for.

What Ayurveda uses it for

Kushtha is named in the classical texts among the kushtaghna group, the herbs gathered together for their use in caring for the skin. That is its oldest and best-known place in the materia medica. Charaka lists it at the head of that group, which is part of why the group carries the herb’s own name.

Beyond the skin, the texts also reach for it in the care of the chest and breathing, and to support a sluggish appetite. The thread running through all of these is its warming, drying, opening quality. Ayurveda sees it as a herb for cold, damp, heavy states, the kind it attributes to settled Kapha, and for the irregular dryness of Vata, rather than for hot, inflamed ones.

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

Its qualities, in plain words

Ayurveda describes every herb by a short list of qualities, and for Kushtha they explain the way the tradition uses it.

It is bitter and pungent, the two tastes the texts link with clearing and drying. It is light, dry and sharp, so it moves and penetrates rather than sitting heavily. And it is warming in potency, finishing pungent after digestion, which is why the tradition reads it as a herb that opens up cold and stagnant states. Put together: a warming, penetrating, drying root. That profile is exactly why the texts pair it with the cold, heavy, damp qualities of Kapha and reach for it less often where there is heat.

How it is taken

The root is used in a few classical forms. As a simple powder, churnam, a small pinch is taken with a suitable carrier such as honey or warm water, the carrier chosen to match the situation. As a decoction, kashaya, the chopped root is simmered with water and reduced before being strained and drunk warm.

Kushtha is also a common ingredient in medicated oils, where its warming, aromatic character is carried into a sesame base for use on the skin and in massage. It is rarely used alone for long; more often it sits within a larger formula, balanced by other herbs.

Frequently asked

Why is the herb named after a skin condition? Because kushtha is the old word for a group of skin conditions, and this root was so closely tied to caring for the skin that it took the same name. The classical group of skin herbs is even called kushtaghna after it.

Which part of the plant is used? The root. It is thick and fleshy, dried and powdered, and it holds the herb’s aroma and warmth.

Is it a warming or a cooling herb? Warming. Its potency is ushna, and that warm, drying, penetrating quality is the whole reason the tradition pairs it with cold and heavy states rather than hot ones.