Yaṣṭimadhu
Sweet root, sweet voice: the singer's and speaker's herb, cooling, coating and famously kind to a raw throat.
Herb · Root
Energetics
Taste (rasa)
- Sweet (madhura)
- Bitter (tikta)
Properties (guṇa / vīrya)
- Cooling (śīta vīrya)
- Heavy (guru)
- Oily (snigdha)
- Mild (mṛdu)
Dosha effect
- Balances vāta
- Balances pitta
- Can aggravate kapha
Traditional indications
- Throat and voice, hoarseness, dry cough, the reciter's sore throat
- Cools and soothes acidity, gastritis and an irritated gut lining
- Classical ingredient of cough formulas (e.g. sītopalādī)
- Moderately supports the adrenals in modern usage
Indications record traditional ayurvedic usage for study, they are not medical claims and not a recommendation to treat yourself.
Contraindications & cautions
- High blood pressure, heart or kidney conditions, fluid retention; avoid medicinal doses
- Pregnancy, avoid medicinal doses
- Can lower potassium; interacts with diuretics and corticosteroids
- Kapha excess, its sweetness and heaviness add to what is already there
Herbs interact with medications, conditions and pregnancy; review anything here with a qualified practitioner before use.
Traditional preparation
The traditional voice-preserving tea: simmer ½ tsp of the root (or steep the powder) in a cup of water for 5 minutes and sip slowly, letting it coat the throat. As churna: a pinch with honey for dry cough. Culinary sweetness only in small amounts, this root is potent medicine.
In the tradition
Yaṣṭi-madhu means “sweet stick”, and it is fifty times sweeter than sugar; the tradition’s cough spoon and the reciter of hymns’ insurance. Its kindness has a price in kapha and blood pressure, which is why the dose stays small and respectful.
Sources & further reading
- Bhāvaprakāśa Nighaṇṭu , Bhāvamiśra (yaṣṭimadhu, sweet, cooling, throat and voice)
- Yoga of Herbs , David Frawley & Vasant Lad
Classical citations mark where a tradition is drawn on; modern references are further reading, never prescriptions.