Witnessed by: Ayurveda
Reed (Phragmites karka), of the Poaceae family. Tall stout perennial grass forming reed-beds by water; native range: marshes, riverbanks and pond margins across tropical Asia. Globally recognized as nala, potgala in Sanskrit, nal, narkul in Hindi, and tropical reed, khagra reed in English. The part used is rhizome and root, young shoots. Jointed hollow canes rising from a creeping rhizome; the fresh root sweetish and watery, mildly astringent.
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.
REED
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- reed
- Scientific name
- Phragmites karka (Retz.) Trin. ex Steud.
- Family
- Poaceae
Form
- Part used
- rhizome and root, young shoots
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Ayurveda
- sweet · astringent (madhura, kashaya)
Temperature
- Ayurveda
- cooling (shita)
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Ayurveda
- mutrala (diuretic), dahaprashamana (relieves burning), raktapittahara (checks bleeding from heat), trishnahara (quenches thirst)
Cautions
- Contraindications
- its cooling, diuretic nature is best avoided in cold, kapha-damp conditions with copious clear urine
- Toxicity
- a mild cooling remedy with no notable toxicity
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