Talk:Dhataki
| Section/Chapter | Herb database/Dhataki |
|---|---|
| Botanical name(s) | Woodfordia floribunda Salisb. |
| Family | Lythraceae |
| Availability | Available |
| Contributors | Team Dravyaguna |
| Year of publication | 2026 |
| Publisher | Charak Samhita Research, Training and Skill Development Centre |
| DOI | Awaited |
Woodfordia floribunda Salisb. (syn. Woodfordia fruticosa (L.) Kurz), popularly known as Dhataki (Fire flame bush), is a deciduous, much-branched shrub of the family Lythraceae. Its red flowers are widely used in Ayurveda as an astringent, as a wound-healing drug and as a fermenting agent in Arishtas and Asavas. Most modern research is published under the name Woodfordia fruticosa.
English name
Fire flame bush
Therapeutic uses
Atisara (diarrhoea), Raktapitta (bleeding disorder), Trushna (thirst), Vrana (wound), Visarpa (herpes)[1]
Synonyms in Charak Samhita
Dhatakipushpa, Dhatupushpi (flowers of Dhataki are red in colour like that of red ochre), Vanhijwala, Samanga, Tamrapushpi, Kunjara, Subhiksha, Bahupushpi, Vanhipushpi (the flowers are red in colour like that of flame)
Traditional Context
In Ayurvedic therapeutics Dhataki is included among the Sandhaniya (promoting union of tissues) and Purishasangrahaniya (faecal astringent) groups. It has cold potency (sheeta veerya) and pungent post-digestion effect (katu vipaka), and pacifies Pitta and Kapha doshas.
Ayurvedic pharmacological properties
| Sr.no. | Pharmacological criteria | Properties |
| 1 | Taste (rasa) | Astringent (kashaya) |
| 2 | Potency (veerya) | Cold (sheeta) |
| 3 | Post digestion effect (vipaka) | Pungent (katu) |
| 4 | Qualities (guna) | Light (laghu), Rough (ruksha) |
| 5 | Actions (karma) | Pacify Kapha and Pitta |
Reference in Charak Samhita and its actions
| Sr.no. | Reference in Charak Samhita | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cha.Sa.Sutra Sthana 4/9(5) | Sandhaniya mahakashaya (promoting union/binding) |
| 2 | Cha.Sa.Sutra Sthana 4/9(31) | Purishsangrahaniya mahakashaya (faecal astringents) |
| 3 | Cha.Sa.Sutra Sthana 4/9(34) | Mootravirajaniya mahakashaya (urinary depigmenters) |
| 4 | Cha.Sa.Vimana Sthana 8/144 | Kashaya-skandha (group of astringent drugs) |
| 5 | Cha.Sa.Sharira Sthana 8/32 | Garbha shalya chikitsa |
| 6 | Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 3/258 | As an ingredient of Chandanadhya taila |
| 7 | Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 4/46 | In Yavagu (gruel) prayoga |
| 8 | Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 4/81 | As an ingredient of Priyangvadi peya |
| 9 | Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 4/99 | Used in yoga of Nasagata raktapitta in the form of Avapida nasya |
| 10 | Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 6/31 | Used for making decoction in Pittaja prameha (diabetes) |
| 11 | Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 7/95 | Bahyaprayogarth lepa in kushtha (skin disease) |
| 12 | Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 8/130 | Ingredient in Atisara nashaka khada-yusha |
| 13 | Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 14/197 | Used in raktarsha |
| 14 | Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 14/230 | As an ingredient of Hriberadi ghrita |
| 15 | Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 19/54 | As a yoga dravya in treatment of pittaja atisara |
| 16 | Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 19/90 | Used as a pratisarana dravya |
| 17 | Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 19/107 | As an ingredient of Ajajyadi churna |
| 18 | Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 19/108 | As an ingredient of Rasanjanadi churna |
| 19 | Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 25/66, 67 | Used for avchurnana |
| 20 | Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 25/89 | Used as vranaropaka pralepa (external application) |
| 21 | Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 25/90 | As an ingredient of Kampillakadi taila |
| 22 | Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 27/30 | As an ingredient of Urustambha nashaka yoga |
| 23 | Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 30/78 | As an ingredient of Dhatakyadi taila |
| 24 | Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 30/92 | As an ingredient of Pushyanuga churna |
| 25 | Cha.Sa.Chikitsa Sthana 30/121, 122 | Used in the treatment of Pichhila yoni |
Dose
- 3–6 g of drug in powder form[1]
Important formulations
As per A.P.I.
- Bruhat gangadhara churna
- Pushyanuga churna
- Dhatakyadi taila
Current availability
Available
- In India – Widely distributed throughout the hilly regions of India.
Phytoconstituents
Woodfordia fruticosa has yielded the following major classes of compounds, mainly from the flowers and leaves:[2]
- Tannins: especially macrocyclic hydrolysable tannins (for example woodfordin C from the flowers).
- Flavonoids: including an anthocyanin pigment in the flowers.
- Anthraquinone glycosides.
- Other polyphenols.
Pharmacological Activities and Therapeutic Efficacy
All studies below are preclinical (animal or in vitro). No controlled human clinical trial is cited in this monograph. Most studies used extracts of a specific plant part, which is stated for each topic.
Antidiarrhoeal activity (Atisara)
Methanolic extracts of the bark (200 and 400 mg/kg) and of the leaf (400 mg/kg) showed statistically significant antidiarrhoeal activity in rodents. This study used leaf and bark, not the flower, which is the part used in Ayurveda.[3]
Wound healing (Vrana)
The ethanolic extract of the flowers (250 and 500 mg/kg in rats) showed dose-dependent wound-healing activity in excision, incision and dead-space models, with increased wound contraction and breaking strength. The ethanolic extract also showed strong, broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity.[4]
Anti-inflammatory activity
Methanol, ethyl acetate and hydro-alcohol extracts of the flowers (200 mg/kg, oral) inhibited egg-albumin and carrageenan-induced inflammation in rats. The extracts also showed antioxidant (free-radical stabilizing) and mast-cell stabilizing activity, and in vitro membrane stabilization.[5]
Safety, Toxicity and Dosage
- Toxicity: The ethanolic flower extract produced no toxicity symptoms or mortality up to 2000 mg/kg, orally, in rats in an acute toxicity study following OECD guidelines.[6]
- Precautions (Ayurvedic, no experimental reference cited): Because of its strong astringent (kashaya) nature, people with chronic severe constipation should use it cautiously. No reference could be verified for the pregnancy-related safety of Dhataki, so no statement is made here; use only under physician supervision.
- Standard therapeutic dose: Flower powder (churna) 3–6 g daily, or as advised by an Ayurvedic physician (see Dose above).
Summary of Therapeutic Profile
| Indication | Part / preparation studied | Principal finding |
|---|---|---|
| Diarrhoea / Atisara | Methanolic bark and leaf extracts | Significant antidiarrhoeal activity in rodents |
| Wounds / Vrana | Ethanolic flower extract | Increased wound contraction and breaking strength in rats; antimicrobial activity |
| Inflammation / Visarpa | Flower extracts | Inhibition of carrageenan and egg-albumin induced inflammation in rats |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Anonymous. The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India. Department of Ayush, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India, New Delhi, Part I. 1986; Volume 1: 22.
- ↑ Das, P. K.; Goswami, S.; Chinniah, A.; Panda, N.; Banerjee, S.; Sahu, N. P.; Achari, B. (2007). "Woodfordia fruticosa: traditional uses and recent findings". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 110 (2): 189–199.
- ↑ Rahman, M. M.; Soma, M. A.; Sultana, N.; Hossain, M. J.; Sufian, M. A.; Rahman, M. O.; Rashid, M. A. (2023). "Exploring therapeutic potential of Woodfordia fruticosa (L.) Kurz leaf and bark focusing on antioxidant, antithrombotic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antidiarrheal properties". Health Science Reports. 6 (10): e1654. doi:10.1002/hsr2.1654.
- ↑ Verma, N.; Amresh, G.; Sahu, P. K.; Mishra, N.; Rao, Ch. V.; Singh, A. P. (2013). "Wound healing potential of flowers extracts of Woodfordia fruticosa Kurz". Indian Journal of Biochemistry and Biophysics. 50 (4): 296–304. PMID 24772949.
- ↑ Ghante, M. H.; Bhusari, K. P.; Duragkar, N. J.; Ghiware, N. B. (2014). "Pharmacological evaluation for anti-asthmatic and anti-inflammatory potential of Woodfordia fruticosa flower extracts". Pharmaceutical Biology. 52 (7): 804–813.
- ↑ Ghante, M. H.; Bhusari, K. P.; Duragkar, N. J.; Jain, N. S.; Warokar, A. S. (2012). "Bronchoprotective, bronchodilatory and anti-inflammatory activity of ethanolic extract from Woodfordia fruticosa (Kurz.) flowers". Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Education and Research. 46 (2): 168–173.