Palash: Benefits, Uses & Dosage

Picture a leafless tree in early spring, covered from crown to trunk in bright orange-red blossoms. That is Palash, the Flame of the Forest, and those same flowers are the source of a natural dye traditionally used for Holi festival colors.

Botanically it is Butea monosperma (Lam.) Kuntze, a moderate-sized deciduous tree with three-part (trifoliate) leaves, found throughout India up to about 3000 feet. Its Sanskrit names include Kimsuka and Palasha, and it is also known as Bastard Teak in English and as Dhak or Tesu in Hindi.

What makes Palash unusual is how much of the tree gets used. The flowers, bark, seeds and gum (called Kamarkas, or Bengal Kino) all have their own roles. The Bhavaprakasha counts the seeds among the most important worm-expelling remedies in Ayurveda, and Indian households have long used the gum in care for new mothers.

Palash tastes bitter (Tikta) and astringent (Kashaya), is light (Laghu) and dry (Ruksha), has a cooling potency (Sheeta Virya), and a pungent post-digestive effect (Katu Vipaka). Each part of the tree leans on these qualities in a different way.

Intestinal worms

The seeds are the best-known part. The Bhavaprakasha calls them one of the most important anthelmintic (Krimighna) drugs in Ayurveda, particularly against roundworms. This is the main reason Palash is linked to parasites and worms.

Digestion: diarrhea and piles

The gum is astringent and absorbent (Grahi), meaning it helps bind loose stools, and it is used in diarrhea and dysentery. The bark is rich in tannin (about 18%), and its decoction is used for piles and fistula, which matches its listing as anti-hemorrhoidal (Arshoghna).

Charaka Samhita also includes Palash leaves, fried in ghee and oil with other plants, in the chapter on hemorrhoids (Chikitsa Sthana 14).

Women's health and postpartum strength

The gum is described as a uterine tonic (Garbhashaya Balya). In traditional Indian households it is soaked, made into a paste and given to new mothers to strengthen the uterus and back, which ties in with its use for weakness and debility.

Eyes

Two classical texts use Palash for the eyes. Sushruta Samhita (Uttara Tantra 10) uses its blood-red sap in a collyrium (Anjana) for Pitta-type eye inflammation, and Charaka Samhita (Chikitsa Sthana 26) includes Kimsuka juice in a thin paste with long pepper, rock salt and old ghee for eye diseases. See conjunctivitis.

Skin, blood and healing

The Bhavaprakasha lists Palash as a blood purifier (Raktashodhana) and as fracture-healing (Sandhaniya). The seed paste is applied externally in skin diseases, and the flowers are used in Pitta disorders, fitting their cooling nature.

Abdominal swellings

It is also credited with relieving abdominal lumps (Gulma). In the chapter on abdominal diseases, Charaka Samhita (Chikitsa Sthana 13) uses Palash in an abdominal paste, a decoction poured over the body, and a medicated oil made from its alkali ash (Kshara).

Classical sources use Palash mostly in specific preparations, many of them external. The doses below are the classical ones from the Bhavaprakasha, given in old Indian units. Have a practitioner translate them for you rather than guessing.

The flowers are primarily a dye but are also used for Pitta disorders. The leaves are traditionally used as plates (Pattal), not as medicine in their own right.

Our sources do not record a specific vehicle (Anupana) or seasonal guidance for Palash.

Our sources record no specific contraindications, drug interactions or overdose signs for Palash. That is a gap in the data, not proof of safety, so treat it with care.

Points worth knowing

• The seeds are strong medicine. They are described as the most potent anthelmintic part of the tree. Use them for worms only with a qualified practitioner, who can confirm the diagnosis and dose.
• Eye preparations are not DIY. The classical eye formulas are specific compounds. Do not put Palash sap or juice in your eyes yourself.
• Palash alkali is caustic. Sharangadhara Samhita uses Palash alkali (Palasha Kshara) with orpiment (Talaka) in a hair-removing paste. That is a strong external preparation, not something to make at home.
• It is drying. Palash is light, dry and astringent, which is why it binds loose stools. On basic Ayurvedic logic it may not suit someone already prone to dryness or constipation.

If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication or have a chronic condition, speak to a doctor before using any Palash preparation internally.

Palash rarely works alone in the classical texts. The comparisons below are with plants it is paired with in those passages, and they stick to what the passages actually say.

Comparison	Palash	Alternative	Verdict
Palash vs Udumbara (cluster fig)	Fruits used with Udumbara in a tightening paste	Paired with Palash in the same Sharangadhara Samhita formula, and in Sushruta's list of sacred woods	Classical partners rather than rivals; the formula uses both together
Palash vs Khadira (cutch tree)	Bark in a medicated ghee decoction	Bark in the same Sushruta Samhita decoction (Uttara Tantra 34)	Used side by side as astringent barks; our sources do not rank one above the other
Palash vs Pippali (long pepper) for eyes	Juice is part of the eye paste	Long pepper is the lead ingredient in the same Charaka Samhita eye formula	A combined formula, not a choice between the two
Palash seeds vs Palash gum	Seeds: strongest anthelmintic part	Gum: astringent, uterine tonic, for diarrhea	Choose the gum for gentle household use; the seeds are for worms under supervision

Our sources give limited population-specific guidance for Palash, so the advice here errs on the side of caution.

Pregnancy & Nursing

Do not use Palash during pregnancy unless a qualified practitioner prescribes it. Our sources record no pregnancy safety data, and the seeds are a potent anthelmintic.

After childbirth is different. The gum (Kamarkas) is traditionally soaked, made into a paste and given to new mothers to strengthen the uterus and back. If you are nursing, check with your doctor or practitioner first.

Children

Palash seeds are used for roundworms, but our sources give no children's dose. Worms in a child need a proper diagnosis, so see a doctor rather than treating at home.

Elderly

Our sources give no specific guidance. Palash is light, dry and astringent, so anyone prone to dryness or constipation should use it only on a practitioner's advice.

Athletes

No specific guidance is recorded. The Bhavaprakasha's listing of Palash as fracture-healing (Sandhaniya) is a classical action, not a recovery supplement plan.