Witnessed by: Ayurveda · Western · Unani
Arjuna (Terminalia arjuna), of the Combretaceae family. Large buttressed deciduous tree with a smooth pinkish-grey bark that flakes in flat plates; native range: River-banks and dry watercourses across the Indian subcontinent. Globally recognized as arjuna / kakubha / nadisarja in Sanskrit, arjun in Hindi, arjun in Arabic, and arjuna, white marudah, arjun tree in English. The part used is stem bark. Thick, smooth outer bark peeling in pinkish flakes over a soft red-brown inner layer; markedly astringent, faintly bitter, chalk-white where scraped.
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.
ARJUNA
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- Arjuna
- Scientific name
- Terminalia arjuna (Roxb. ex DC.) Wight & Arn.
- Family
- Combretaceae
Form
- Part used
- stem bark
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Ayurveda
- astringent (kashaya)
- Western
- astringent
- Unani
- astringent (& bitter)
Temperature
Ayurveda: cooling (sheeta)
Western: cool
Unani: cold (& dry, 2nd degree)
convergence: all {witness_count} witnesses call it cooling — an astringent that settles heat and steadies the heart
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- Western
- heart · circulation · blood
- Unani
- heart · liver
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Ayurveda
- hridya (cardiotonic), rakta-stambhaka (styptic), sandhaniya (heals wounds and fractures), medohara (reduces fat), kashaya-shita (astringent-cooling)
- Western
- cardiotonic and cardioprotective, mild hypotensive, astringent, styptic, antioxidant tonic to the heart-muscle
- Unani
- muqawwi-e-qalb (cardiac tonic), qabid (astringent), habis-ud-dam (styptic), muqawwi-e-jigar
Cautions
Contraindications: cold, vata-deficient constitutions with dryness; adjust, not replace, prescribed cardiac drugs
Toxicity: very low; large doses may cause gastric discomfort or constipation from astringency
Interactions
- Western
- cardiac glycosides: additive positive inotropic effect on the heart · antihypertensives: additive blood-pressure lowering
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