Murva

What is Murva?

Murva is a woody climbing plant, most commonly identified as Marsdenia tenacissima, a member of the Apocynaceae family that twines its way over other plants across the warm country of India. It is the root and the stem, dried and prepared, that Ayurveda has long put to use.

One point should be made plainly at the start. The botanical identity of Murva is debated, and different authorities have attached the classical name to more than one plant. Alongside Marsdenia tenacissima, the names Chonemorpha fragrans and Sansevieria roxburghiana are also cited, so the plant behind the word varies by tradition. In Sanskrit the herb carries several names besides Murva, among them Devi, Madhurasa and Tejani, and in common speech it is called Murva or Moorva.

What Ayurveda uses it for

In the classical texts Murva is understood above all as a herb that works upon the blood, and it is counted among the Rakta group and the classical Prameha group of urinary and metabolic conditions. Its bitter and astringent character places it, in the reckoning of the Nighantu tradition, among the Krimighna herbs that clear worms and the Kushthaghna herbs that settle disorders of the skin. By nature it quiets both Kapha and Pitta.

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

• Prameha: the classical group of urinary and metabolic disorders, the herb’s long-standing place in the texts.
• Kushtha: the broad class of skin disorders, given its bitter, blood-working character.
• Jwara: fever, among the conditions for which the herb is described.
• Krimi: the classical category of worms, for which the herb is named.
• Raktadosha: the classical disorders of the blood, where its cleansing action is called upon.
• Trishna: thirst, a state the texts connect with its cooling nature.
• Daha: burning, quieted by its Pitta-settling quality.
• Chardi: nausea, among the conditions the tradition records for it.

These are the traditional textual indications recorded in the classical literature. They set out how Ayurveda has long understood the herb 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 herb by a short list of qualities, and for Murva they sit neatly behind its reputation as a bitter herb of the blood.

Its taste is chiefly bitter and astringent, with a sweet undertone, and in Ayurveda a bitter, astringent taste is the taste that cleanses and dries rather than feeds. It is light and dry, so rather than grounding and building the body it clears and lightens it. Its potency is anushna, meaning it is neither strongly hot nor cold, a mild, temperate quality that lets it settle heat without chilling the body. And it finishes pungent after digestion. Put together, these qualities describe a light, dry, bitter herb of temperate potency, which is why the tradition settles on its work upon the blood and its quieting of both Kapha and Pitta.

How it is taken

The usual forms are the powder, or churna, and the decoction, or kashaya, made from the dried root and stem. From these the classical writers drew the herb into wider preparations, where it appears within blood-cleansing and skin formulations rather than as a lone remedy.

Because its character is bitter and cooling, Murva was placed among the herbs the tradition combined for the Prameha conditions and for disorders of the blood and skin. As with the other clearing herbs, it belongs to formulations that lighten and cleanse, and it was combined with other bitter and astringent herbs of the same family of action.

Good to know

Murva belongs to the clearing rather than the building side of Ayurveda, a bitter, drying herb taken within considered preparations rather than as a rich tonic. One point is worth keeping in view: the classical name has been attached to more than one plant, so the identity of the material varies by source and tradition, and the herb should always be understood in the context of the text or preparation in which it is named.

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.

Frequently asked

Which part of the plant is used? The root and the stem. These are the parts the classical preparations call for, dried and worked into powder or decoction for the herb’s blood-cleansing and skin formulations.

Why is the identity of Murva described as debated? Because the classical name has been attached to more than one plant across the traditions. It is most commonly identified as Marsdenia tenacissima, but Chonemorpha fragrans and Sansevieria roxburghiana are also cited by different authorities, so the source varies by tradition.

Is Murva warming or cooling? Neither strongly. Its potency is described as anushna, temperate rather than markedly hot or cold, which is why the tradition reaches for it to quiet Pitta and Kapha without either heating or chilling the body.