Nirgundyadi kashayam is an Ayurvedic medicine for treating worms. It is also beneficial in treating gastro-intestinal disorders.
Benefits of Nirgundyadi kashayam
Nirgundyadi kashayam is used in the treatment of acute and chronic worm infestations, especially in children.
It is beneficial in loss of appetite and indigestion. It cures abdominal pain, distension and constipation.
As a co-morbidity of worm infestation, comes chronic allergic rhinitis, common cold, cough and sinusitis. This kashayam works as a good expectorant, removes the phlegm and clears airways.
As the kaphadosha is cleared, Agni starts functioning proper.
By improving digestion, this kashayam improves taste and appetite; bio availability of nutrients in the food also enhanced. Hence general health improved.
It is also effective in kapha-Vaata dominant headache.
Apart from these, some physicians use this combination for treatment of cancer, especially of digestive system.
Indications of Nirgundyadi kashayam
Keetan vidhwamsayeth – removes all microbe infestations.
Ingredients of Nirgundyadi kashayam
Chinese chastetree | Nirgundi | Vitex negundo L. |
It has anti-inflammatory, anthelmintic, expectorant, tranquilizer, anti-spasmodic, rejuvenating, anti-arthritic, anti-fungal, anti-hyperglycaemic and anti-pyretic properties.
Ceylon leadwort | Agni | Plumbago zeylanica L. |
It aids digestion and increases appetite. It has anti-inflammatory action. It can also be used in liver diseases.
False black pepper | Vidanga | Embelia ribes |
It is an appetiser and mild laxative. It has carminative, stimulant, anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial, anti-cancerous and anthelmintic properties.
Himalayan cedar | Devadaru/surapaadapa | Cedrus deodara |
It is useful as an expectorant in cough. It relieves asthma and other respiratory diseases by clearing the airways and enhancing the movements of respiratory tract.
It has anti-diabetic effect as it helps reduce high blood sugar levels in blood.
It helps to calm the mind and improves sleep quality.
Turmeric | Rajani | Curcuma longa L. |
Turmeric is used to help with heartburn or bowel problems like diarrhoea, intestinal gas, and bloating. It is famous for its anti-cancerous and detoxification effects. It is widely used in skin diseases. Some may use it to help with memory problems or problems with the liver or gallbladder. It may also help to lessen swelling and help with signs of arthritis. It has marked anti-inflammatory and antiseptic action.
Coco grass, Nut grass, Purple nutsedge | Musta | Cyperus rotundus L. |
It has marked anti-inflammatory action. It also has anthelmintic, antioxidant and antifungal properties. The drug improves lactation, relieves fever, burning sensation, and excessive thirst. It is also used in treating diarrhoea, dyspepsia and skin diseases.
Kidney leaf morning glory | Akhukarni | Merremia emarginata(BURM.F.)HALL.F |
It is a deobstruent and diuretic. It is used to treat cough, headache, neuralgia and rheumatism. It is proven to be an effective anti-cancerous drug especially in cervical and breast Ca.
Leucas plant | Kshupa | Leucas aspera (Willd.) |
It has anti-pyretic, insecticidal, anti-fungal, anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, antinociceptive, and cytotoxic properties.
Blue-flowered Glory Tree | Bharngi | Clerodendrum serratum (L.) MOON |
The plant is considered as having antitoxic and antiseptic properties. Juice of leaves is used with ghee as an application in skin conditions like herpetic eruptions and pemphigus. It is given in fever and is useful in sinusitis. The drug is also useful as an expectorant in respiratory diseases like asthma and cough.
VYOSHA/THRIKATU
It is a group of three drugs namely,
Trikatu Churna is helpful in following health conditions.[36]
• Constipation with mucous or sticky stool.
• Loss of appetite.
• Indigestion.
• Gas or flatulence.
• Bloating.
• Abdominal distension.
• Irritable bowel syndrome.
• Common cold (acute phase during running nose).
• Cough with thin white phlegm.
• Asthma (chest congestion due to phlegm).
• Weight loss (obesity).
• Body aches with feeling of heaviness in the body.
• High cholesterol levels.
• Atherosclerosis.
• High blood pressure due to hypercholesterolemia
Dried ginger | Sunthi | Zingiber officinalis |
It is unctuous and hot in potency with pungent taste but becomes sweet after digestion. It is an aphrodisiac and balances Vata and Kapha.
It improves ability to taste and promotes digestion. Relieves cough cold and other respiratory problems. It is not a laxative, rather causes constipation.
Black pepper | Maricha | Piper nigrum L. |
Black Pepper is extremely useful for respiratory disorders and asthma. In conditions like hoarse voice, dental caries, in removing bad breadth (halitosis), the gargling of Black Pepper Powder along with salt and warm water may be used. Black pepper is also used in case of Heavy diets as it aids digestion. Black pepper is also used in the weakness and loosening of the anal sphincter especially in case of piles. For Headache and migraine, nasal drops of Black pepper powder prepared in milk is used. It helps to remove the chronic headache. The same preparation can also be used as local application on fore head in the form of paste. Black pepper reduces itching and discharge through the lesions when used in the form of local application on skin disorders.
Long pepper | Pippali | Piper longum |
It has carminative action and maybe used as appetizer. The fruit and root of Pippali are used in the form of powder to treat fever, diarrhoea, piles, cough, hiccough, asthma, hoarseness of voice, flatulence, colic, vomiting, acid gastritis, oedema, diseases of mouth, eye diseases, diseases of semen, diseases of women, jaundice, and earache.
Pippali mixed with honey alleviates cough, dyspnoea, fever splenomegaly, and hiccough.
Trikatu is helpful in following health conditions.
• Constipation with mucous or sticky stool.
• Loss of appetite.
• Indigestion.
• Gas or flatulence.
• Bloating.
• Abdominal distension.
• Common cold (acute phase during running nose).
• Cough with white phlegm.
• Asthma (chest congestion due to phlegm).
• Obesity
• Body aches with feeling of heaviness in the body.
• High cholesterol levels.
• Atherosclerosis.
• High blood pressure due to hypercholesterolemia
Flame of the forest/Bastard teak | Palasa | Butea monosperma |
It stimulates digestive fire. It is used as aphrodisiac and laxative. It is used for worm infestation, bone fractures, abdominal ulcers and tumours, Piles, and other ano-rectal diseases. It has wound-healing properties.
Drumstick | Sigru | Moringa oleifera |
Its highly nutritional, a rich source of natural vitamins and minerals. It improves blood circulation to the joints. As it contains a lot of Vitamin A, it is beneficial in treatment of many eye diseases especially night blindness. It has anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and antibiotic properties. It is useful in bone health and muscular health.
Java long pepper root/wild pepper | Chavika | Piper chaba HUNTER. |
It has analgesic, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, anti-diarrhoeal, and CNS depressant actions. It regulates gastro-intestinal motility.
Chebulic myrobalan | Pathya | Terminalia chebula RETZ. & WILLD. |
It is one of the main drugs in Ayurveda, one of the Rasayana and a member of an important group, Triphala. It is used in a wide variety of diseases as it possesses anti-bacterial anti-fungal anti-viral anti-diabetic anti-mutagenic anti-oxidant anti-ulcer and wound-healing properties.
Garlic | Lasuna | Allium sativum L. |
It is used for several conditions linked to the circulatory system and heart, including atherosclerosis, hypercholesterolemia, coronary heart disease and hypertension. It has anti-tumour, anti-microbial and anti-diabetic actions.
AS ANUPANA/PRAKSHEPADRAVYA-TO BE TAKEN MIXED WITH THE KASHAYA
SIGRU/VIDANGA/HINGU/PATU
Details of the manufacturing
As already discussed, Nirgundyadi kashayam is prepared using 17 ingredients in equal quantity.
All these ingredients should be washed well and dried up in shade.
Take the prescribed herbs in dried & crushed form in an earthen pot. For your special attention, Sunthi should be crushed and tied up separately in a white clean cotton cloth as a Potali. This is to prevent the excess dissolution of the contents and to maintain the exact consistency of the kashayam. Now add 16 times water into it. Make it boil and then cook in the open vessel with low fire. Reduce the quantity into one by eighth of the initial quantity. Make sure to mix it in between with a ladle without breaking the potli. Also, the fire should be kept low to make sure that all the active ingredients in the herbs needed are absorbed well into the water. Once the quantity is reduced to one by eighth of the initial amount of water, remove the vessel from the fire. Squeeze and drain through a clean white cloth. Collect the decoction in a clean vessel and discard the solid waste. Drink the warm decoction.
Dosha Dooshya Predominance with roga margas.
Nirgundyadi kashayam is kaphahara.
It acts on aabhyantara rogamarga
Dosage and Usage of Nirgundyadi kashayam
Dosage: two Pala.
Usage:
Kashayam is advised to take in empty stomach, once the ingested food is digested well and aahaararasa is formed well.
Usage of kashayam with prescribed prakshepadravyas according to the condition of disease and the patient gives the best results mostly.
Exercises and Yoga.
As Nirgundyadi kashayam targets mainly abdomen, stretching and aerobic exercises are advised. Also, specific yogacharya including bhujangasana, pavanamuktasana, vajrasana, suryanamaskara etc, is recommended.
Regular exercise after regaining normal health helps improve bioavailability of the food ingested and leads to positive health.
Yoga can maintain harmony within the body and with the surrounding system.
Suryanamaskara
Pavanamuktasana
Nadisudhi pranayama
Bhujangasana
Vajrasana
All the exercises and physical exertions must be decided and done under the supervision of a medical expert only.
Recommended diet and behaviour
Diet:
- To be avoided
Sugar, jaggery and other sweet products – make worm infestation worse
Drinking ice-cold water – loss of appetite and increased kapha leads to respiratory problems.
Heavy meals and difficult to digest foods – cause indigestion.
junk foods- cause disturbance in digestion and reduces the bioavailability of the medicine
carbonated drinks – makes the stomach more acidic and disturbed digestion
refrigerated and frozen foods – causes weak and sluggish digestion by weakening Agni (digestive fire)
Milk and milk products – increase kapha and cause respiratory problems and worm infestation
- To be added
Light meals and easily digestible foods
Green gram, soups, honey.
freshly cooked and warm food processed with cumin seeds, ginger, black pepper, ajwain etc
Behaviour:
Protect yourself from cold climate.
Keep good personal hygiene.
Better to avoid exposure to excessive sunlight, wind, rain or dust.
Maintain a regular food and sleep schedule.
Avoid holding or forcing the urges like urine, faeces, cough, sneeze etc.
Side effects and contraindications
No known side effects reported.
Classical references
SAHASRAYOGA KRMICHIKITHSA SHLOKA 2
Equivalent medicines.
Vidangakrishnadi kashayam
Brands Available
Vaidyaratnam oushadhasala
Research papers
Nirgundi
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25641408/
Vidanga
Akhukarni- anti-cancerous
https://imsear.searo.who.int/handle/123456789/146392
Palasa-Anthelmintic
Chavika
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378874105001303
Kshupa
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3249907/
Trikatu/Vyosha
Pippali
The study was undertaken to evaluate the antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic effects of Piper longum root aqueous extract (PlrAqe) in streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats.
During the short term study the aqueous extract at a dosage of 200 mg/kg.b.w was found to possess significant antidiabetic activity after 6 h of the treatment. The administration of aqueous extract at the same dose for 30 days in STZ induced diabetic rats resulted in a significant decrease in FBG levels with the corrections of diabetic dyslipidemia compared to untreated diabetic rats. There was a significant decrease in the activities of liver and renal functional markers in diabetic treated rats compared to untreated diabetic rats indicating the protective role of the aqueous extract against liver and kidney damage and its non-toxic property.
it was concluded that the plant extract is capable of managing hyperglycemia and complications of diabetes in STZ induced diabetic rats.
doi: 10.1186/1472-6882-13-37
To compare stress resistance increasing and analgesic activities of piperlongumine and a methanolic Piper longum fruit extract (PLE).
significant effects of piperlongumine and PLE in both the tests were observed after their 5 or more daily doses. Both of them also dose dependently suppressed daily handling and repetitive testing triggered alterations in body weights and core temperatures. Their doxycycline like antidepressant activity in tail suspension test and aspirin like analgesic effects in acetic acid writhing test were observed after their 11 daily 5 mg/kg oral dose.
Piperlongumine is another bioactive secondary metabolite of P. longum and other plants of piper species with stress response suppressing, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory activities.
doi: 10.1016/j.jtcme.2015.11.001
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration, United States. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Please consult your GP before the intake.

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