Laksha in Ayurveda: the Classical Lac Resin

What is Laksha?

Laksha in Ayurveda is a resin, not a leaf or a root, and its origin sets it apart from almost every other substance in the classical materia medica. It is the hard, crust-like secretion of a tiny insect, the lac insect, known to science as Laccifer lacca and also written as Kerria lacca. Vast numbers of these insects settle on the young twigs of certain trees, feed on the sap, and coat the branches in a resinous shell that hardens into a red-brown crust. That crust, gathered from the twigs and purified, is Laksha.

The insect settles most readily on Palasha, the tree Butea monosperma, which is why one of the old Sanskrit names for the resin is Palashi. It is also raised on Kusumbha and on the ber, the Indian jujube. The Sanskrit name Laksha is often linked to the idea of a hundred thousand, a nod to the countless insects whose work produces even a small quantity of the resin. The substance carries several other names in the texts, among them Rakta, meaning red, for its colour; Jatu, an old word for lac or gum; and Drumavasa, “that which dwells on the tree.”

It is important to be plain about one thing. Laksha is an animal-origin product. It is made by an insect, and it is the very same lac from which shellac and traditional lac dyes are prepared. For that reason it is not suitable for a strict vegetarian or for anyone following a vegan way of life, and this entry records the substance for study and reference only.

What Ayurveda uses it for

The classical writers valued Laksha first and foremost for the broken bone. It is counted among the Sandhaniya substances, those that knit and join, and its foremost recorded use is what the tradition calls bhagna-sandhaniya or asthi-sandhana, the uniting of what is broken in the bone. Where the frame has been fractured, Laksha is the substance the texts reach for to help it knit, and this bone-joining reputation is the one the sources return to most consistently.

Beyond the bone, the classical literature gives Laksha a cooling, tending role. Its astringent, cooling nature is described as varnya, complexion-tending, and as settling the heat of the blood, the state the tradition calls Raktapitta. It is named among the substances used in disorders of the skin and in the cleansing of wounds.

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

• Bhagna: fractures and broken bone, the resin’s foremost classical use, where its bone-uniting action is called upon.
• Raktapitta: a classical bleeding tendency linked to heat in the blood, which its cooling, astringent nature is said to settle.
• Kasa and Kshaya: cough and the wasting states, for which the resin is named among the nourishing, cooling substances.
• Kushtha and Twak-roga: the classical categories of skin disorders, where its complexion-tending quality is described.
• Vrana: wounds, in the cleansing and healing of which the resin appears.
• Krimi: the classical category of intestinal worms, against which the resin is listed.
• Hikka: hiccough, among the conditions the texts connect with this substance.

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

Its qualities, in plain words

Ayurveda describes every substance by a short list of qualities, and for Laksha they gather behind its cooling, knitting nature.

Its taste is chiefly astringent, with a bitter note and an underlying sweetness, and in Ayurveda astringency is the taste that draws together and firms. It is unctuous and heavy, so rather than lightening or drying the body it holds and grounds, which suits its work of knitting and joining. It is cooling in its potency, the quality the tradition sets against heat in the blood, and this is why it is linked to Raktapitta and to the complexion. And it finishes pungent after digestion. Put together, these qualities describe a cool, astringent, grounding substance, one the tradition understands to settle both Kapha and Pitta, the two doshas its cooling heaviness pacifies most.

How it is taken

Laksha is used as the purified resin, cleaned of the twig, bark and grit that come away with it from the branch, and it appears far more often inside a named classical preparation than on its own.

The simplest form is the powder, Laksha Churna, the cleaned resin dried and ground. From it the classical writers built a range of bone-tending and complexion-tending preparations. Laksha appears by name in Lakshadi Taila, a medicated oil; in Lakshadi Guggulu, where it is combined with the resin Guggulu and other substances for the joints and bones; and in Lakshadi Ghrita, a medicated ghee. The frequent pairing of Laksha with milk and with ghee reflects the tradition’s habit of carrying a nourishing, cooling action into the body through these rich vehicles.

Good to know

Laksha belongs to the slow, tending side of Ayurveda, worked into a course over time and almost always chosen inside a formula rather than taken as a single substance alone. Two points are worth holding in mind. The first is its origin: Laksha is insect-derived, an animal-origin product, and so it does not suit a strict vegetarian or vegan diet. The second is that it is used as the purified resin, cleaned of the woody matter it is gathered with, before it enters any classical preparation.

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

Frequently asked

Is Laksha a plant or an animal product? Laksha in Ayurveda is an animal-origin substance. It is the hard resin secreted by the lac insect, Laccifer lacca, which settles in great numbers on the twigs of trees such as Palasha and coats them in a red-brown crust. It is the same lac from which shellac and traditional dyes are made, so it does not suit a strict vegetarian or vegan way of life.

What is Laksha best known for in the classical texts? For the broken bone. It is counted among the Sandhaniya or knitting substances, and its foremost recorded use is asthi-sandhana, the uniting of broken bone. The tradition also gives it a cooling, complexion-tending role and links it to heat in the blood, the state called Raktapitta.

In which classical preparations does Laksha appear? It is named in several. Laksha Churna is the simple purified powder; Lakshadi Taila is a medicated oil; Lakshadi Guggulu combines it with the resin Guggulu for the joints and bones; and Lakshadi Ghrita is a medicated ghee. In each the purified resin is used, never the raw crust straight from the twig.