Prishnaparni
The root of a small herb with spotted leaves and a flower spike like a lion's tail. Prishnaparni is one of the five small-plant roots of dashamoola.
- Settles Vata
- Settles Pitta
- Settles Kapha
How Ayurveda reads prishnaparni
- Rasa · taste
- Sweet, bitter (madhura, tikta)
- Guṇa · nature
- Light, unctuous (laghu, snigdha)
- Vīrya · potency
- Heating (uṣṇa)
- Vipāka · after digestion
- Sweet (madhura)
- Part used
- Root
Reviewed by the Vapika team.
In the tradition
Pṛśni-parṇī, "spotted leaf", for the pale markings along its leaves, and Siṃhapucchī, "lion's tail", for its long, furry flower spike. It grows in grassland and open forest across India.
Prishnaparni is one of the lesser five roots of dashamoola, usually paired with shalaparni.
How Ayurveda reads it
Prishnaparni is sweet and bitter, light and unctuous, heating and sweet after digestion. It is described as settling all three doshas.
How we use it
We use dried prishnaparni root as one of the ten in our Dashmoola Kwath.
Prishnaparni in our blends
From the texts: Caraka Saṃhitā, Sūtrasthāna 4 (in the daśamūla); Suśruta Saṃhitā, Sūtrasthāna 38 (laghu pañcamūla); Bhāvaprakāśa Nighaṇṭu, Guḍūcyādi varga.
For learning, not diagnosis. If you are pregnant, nursing or on medication, please speak to your doctor first.