Madhuyashtyadi Thailam

What it is

Madhuyashtyadi Thailam is a medicated oil, a thailam. Its name is built from its ingredients. Madhu is honey, Yashti is liquorice root, and the “-adi” ending is the classical way of saying “liquorice and the rest”, a recipe headed by one named herb and filled out by many others. Liquorice gives the oil its character, and it is the herb the whole preparation is built around.

The oil is cooked, not blended. A group of herbs is simmered into a base of sesame oil over many hours, in the slow classical method, until the oil takes on their qualities and the water is driven off. What sets this oil apart is its temper. Most Vata oils run warm and penetrating; this one is softened by the sweet, cooling herbs at its heart, so it settles Vata without running hot.

What it is used for

Madhuyashtyadi Thailam belongs to the family of oils the texts reach for in Vata disorders, the dry, cold, unsettled quality that the tradition reads in stiffness, weakness and unsteady movement. It is an oil for the muscles and the joints in particular.

What sets it apart within that family is its gentleness. Because liquorice, Bala and the other sweet herbs around them are cooling and soothing, the oil suits the body where stiffness sits alongside heat or sensitivity, where a heavier, hotter oil might be too much. The tradition reaches for it where Vata needs settling but the warmth has to be kept mild, and where the tissue itself wants feeding rather than only loosening.

It is an oil for external use, worked into the body in massage and in the warm oil therapies of the tradition. It is not taken by mouth.

Its qualities, in plain words

Every classical oil is described by the qualities it carries, and for Madhuyashtyadi Thailam they sit in a careful balance. It is warming, which is why it suits the cold quality of Vata, but only gently so. It is oily and soft, so it nourishes and soothes rather than drying the body out. And it finishes sweet after digestion, the mark in Ayurveda of something that builds tissue and strength.

The point of the recipe is this temper. Liquorice and honey at its heart are sweet and cooling, and they soften the warming, penetrating edge of the sesame oil base. The result is an oil that settles Vata and feeds the tissue while staying mild, an oil for the body that cannot take a heavy, hot preparation. The sesame oil base is still the oil the tradition trusts most for settling Vata, prized for the way it carries the herbs deep into the body.

How it is made

The oil follows the classical thailam method, the same slow process used for the medicated oils of the tradition. First a strong decoction is made by boiling the herbs in water and reducing it down. Separately, certain herbs are ground to a soft paste. The decoction, the paste and the sesame oil are then cooked together over a steady, moderate heat for many hours.

As it cooks, the water boils away and the oil draws in the qualities of the herbs. The classical maker watches for set signs to know when each stage is reached, testing the paste and the oil as the tradition describes. When the cooking is judged complete, the oil is strained warm through cloth, leaving the spent herbs behind, and allowed to settle and cool before it is stored away from light and heat.

How it is used

Madhuyashtyadi Thailam is warmed gently before use, never made hot, and worked into the body. The most common way is Abhyanga, the oiling and massage of the body that sits at the centre of the classical routine. The oil is applied generously and worked in with steady strokes, then left on the skin for a time before a warm bath.

In the fuller therapies of the tradition the same oil is used in larger ways, poured and held warm against the body over a course of days. These are practices carried out under a practitioner, not at home. As a household oil it is simply warmed and massaged in.

Good to know

This entry describes the classical understanding of the oil within the Ayurvedic tradition. It is not medical advice. Anyone with a health condition, and anyone who is pregnant, should speak to a qualified practitioner before using a medicated oil, and it is sensible to try a little on a small patch of skin first.

Frequently asked

What does the name mean? It is built from its ingredients. Madhu is honey and Yashti is liquorice root, and the “-adi” ending marks it as a formula headed by liquorice and rounded out by other herbs.

How is it different from other Vata oils? It is gentler. The sweet, cooling herbs at its heart soften the warmth, so it settles Vata without running hot, which suits a body that finds heavier, hotter oils too strong.

Is it taken by mouth? No. Madhuyashtyadi Thailam is an oil for external use, warmed and massaged into the body. It is not swallowed.