Witnessed by: Ayurveda
Rsabhaka orchid (Malaxis muscifera), of the Orchidaceae family. Small terrestrial orchid of high meadow and forest margin, rising from a fleshy pseudobulb; native range: alpine and sub-alpine meadow and forest margin of the Himalaya, from Kashmir eastward to Sikkim. Globally recognized as ṛṣabhaka · vrishabha · dhira in Sanskrit, rishbak in Hindi, and rsabhaka orchid in English. The part used is pseudobulb (the fleshy underground stem). A pale fleshy pseudobulb, mucilaginous within, sweetish and bland, turning slimy on chewing.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
RSABHAKA
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- rsabhaka orchid
- Scientific name
- Malaxis muscifera (Lindl.) Kuntze
- Family
- Orchidaceae
Form
- Part used
- pseudobulb (the fleshy underground stem)
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Ayurveda
- sweet (madhura)
Temperature
- Ayurveda
- cooling (sheeta)
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Ayurveda
- brimhana (nourishing and bulk-building), balya (strengthening), vrishya (aphrodisiac), jivaniya (vitalising), stanyajanana (promotes milk), daha-prashamana (quenches burning), rasayana
Cautions
- Contraindications
- kapha-predominant states, sluggish digestion and obesity — it is heavy and building
- Toxicity
- none recorded; a nourishing drug
- Sourcing status
- cites-ii
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