Dhanwantaram Thailam
Dhanwantaram Thailam is a classical Ayurvedic taila, a medicated oil. Listed in Ayurvedic Formulary of India (AFI) Part I. Ashtanga Hridayam (Sharirasthana); also referenced in Sahasrayogam (Taila Prakarana). Contains 28+ herbs processed in sesame oil with milk. The Ayurvedic Formulary of India (Part I, entry 8:22) lists 49 ingredients, beginning with Bala mula, Payah, Yava and Kola.
| Also known as | Dhanwantaram Thailam, DhanwantaramThailam |
|---|---|
| Pharmacopoeia status | Listed in Ayurvedic Formulary of India (AFI) Part I. Referenced in Sahasrayogam and Ashtanga Hridayam. Manufactured under GMP standards by licensed Ayurvedic pharmacies across India. |
Composition
As given in the Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I, entry 8:22 (DHANVANTARA TAILA (Synonym : Bala taila)), which cites Vaidyayogaratnavali, Tailaprakarana; page 244.. Names, parts and quantities are transcribed as printed and checked row by row against the book. Manufacturers' versions of a classical formulation can differ from the formulary.
| # | Ingredient | Part | Quantity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bala mula (bala) | root | 4.608 g. |
| 2 | Water for decoction * | 36.864 l. reduced to 4.608 l. | |
| 3 | Payah * | 4.608 l. | |
| 4 | Yava | seed | 768 g. (drugs 4 to 16 in equal proportion) |
| 5 | Kola | fruit | 768 g. (drugs 4 to 16 in equal proportion) |
| 6 | Kulattha | seed | 768 g. (drugs 4 to 16 in equal proportion) |
| 7 | Bilva * | root or stem bark | 768 g. (drugs 4 to 16 in equal proportion) |
| 8 | Syonaka | root or stem bark | 768 g. (drugs 4 to 16 in equal proportion) |
| 9 | Gambhari | root or stem bark | 768 g. (drugs 4 to 16 in equal proportion) |
| 10 | Patala | root or stem bark | 768 g. (drugs 4 to 16 in equal proportion) |
| 11 | Ganikarika (agnimantha) * | root or stem bark | 768 g. (drugs 4 to 16 in equal proportion) |
| 12 | Salaparni * | 768 g. (drugs 4 to 16 in equal proportion) | |
| 13 | Prsniparni * | 768 g. (drugs 4 to 16 in equal proportion) | |
| 14 | Brhati * | whole plant | 768 g. (drugs 4 to 16 in equal proportion) |
| 15 | Kantakari * | 768 g. (drugs 4 to 16 in equal proportion) | |
| 16 | Goksura * | whole plant | 768 g. (drugs 4 to 16 in equal proportion) |
| 17 | Water for decoction * | 6.144 l. reduced to 768 ml. | |
| 18 | Taila (tila) | oil | 768 ml. |
| 19 | Meda | root tuber | 6 g. |
| 20 | Mahameda | root tuber | 6 g. |
| 21 | Daru (devadaru) | heart wood | 6 g. |
| 22 | Manjistha | root | 6 g. |
| 23 | Kakoli | Sub. Rt. | 6 g. |
| 24 | Ksirakakoli | Sub. Rt. | 6 g. |
| 25 | Candana (rakta candana) | heart wood | 6 g. |
| 26 | Sariva (Sveta Sariva) | root | 6 g. |
| 27 | Kustha | root | 6 g. |
| 28 | Tagara | Rt./Rz. | 6 g. |
| 29 | Jivaka * | root tuber | 6 g. |
| 30 | Rsabhaka * | root tuber | 6 g. |
| 31 | Saindhava lavana | 6 g. | |
| 32 | Kalanusari * | Rt./Rz. | 6 g. |
| 33 | Saileya * | whole plant | 6 |
| 34 | Vaca * | rhizome | 6 g. |
| 35 | Agaru * | 6 g. | |
| 36 | Punarnava (rakta punarnava) * | root | 6 g. |
| 37 | Asvagandha * | root | 6 g. |
| 38 | Vari (Satavari) * | 6 g. | |
| 39 | Ksirasukla (ksiravidari) | root tuber | 6 g. |
| 40 | Yasti | root | 6 g. |
| 41 | Haritaki | pericarp | 6 g. |
| 42 | Amalaki * | pericarp | 6 g. |
| 43 | Bibhitaka * | pericarp | 6 g. |
| 44 | Satahva | fruit | 6 g. |
| 45 | Masaparni * | whole plant | 6 g. |
| 46 | Mudgaparni * | 6 g. | |
| 47 | Ela (siksmaila) * | seed | 6 g. |
| 48 | Tvak | stem bark | 6 g. |
| 49 | Patra (teja patra) | leaf | 6 g. |
* The scanned text was damaged at this row and the name was read from the entry's own Sanskrit verse.
The evidence at a glance
1paper on this site for this drug, every one with a DOI.
- 1Laboratory and animal studies
A count is not a conclusion and a tier is a study design, not a verdict. Everything listed here is laboratory or animal work, which does not show an effect in people.true See the research index for how papers are tiered.
Names and identification
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| English | Dhanwantaram Thailam |
Where is it described in the classical texts?
Ashtanga Hridayam (Sharirasthana); also referenced in Sahasrayogam (Taila Prakarana). Contains 28+ herbs processed in sesame oil with milk.
How does it work?
- Sitosterols and alkaloids from Dashamoola provide analgesic effects by inhibiting prostaglandin synthesis and COX-2 pathways
- Sesame oil base (snighda, ushna properties) acts as a lipophilic vehicle carrying active herb constituents deep into srotas (tissue channels) via transdermal absorption
- Withanolides from Ashwagandha modulate GABA-ergic neurotransmission and reduce cortisol, supporting nervine tonic and Vata-pacifying action
- Oleic acid and linoleic acid in the formulation enhance skin barrier function and serve as penetration enhancers for phytoconstituents
Which traditional uses are supported by research?
These summaries come from the source notes, which do not name the studies behind them.
- Neuromuscular strengthening and postpartum recovery: traditionally used for these purposes. Clinical observations have reported improved muscle tone and reduced pain in postnatal women.
- Rheumatic and joint pain: traditionally used for these conditions. A GC-MS analysis reported bioactive compounds associated with anti-inflammatory activity.
- Vata-vyadhi (neurological disorders) including facial palsy, paralysis, and tremors: used in classical practice for these conditions. Pilot clinical studies have reported improvement in neuromuscular function.
What do recent studies show?
- Brindha TR, Prabhu K, Jones S and others 2024. The GC-MS Study of the Ayurvedic Formulation “Dhanwantharam Thailam” Used for Rheumatism. Journal of pharmacy & bioallied sciences. PMID 38882853 · doi:10.4103/jpbs.jpbs_14_24
GC-MS profiling revealed crucial bioactive molecules including oleic acid, dodecanoic acid 1,2,3-propanetriyl ester, ethenyl ester, and 9,12-octadecadienoyl chloride (Z,Z), correlating with its documented anti-rheumatic and analgesic properties.
Only studies that could be traced to a published paper are listed here. Classical formulations are researched largely in journals that PubMed does not index, so an absence here reflects the reach of the index rather than the state of the evidence.
Recent safety updates
- No absolute contraindications reported. For external use in pregnancy, avoid strong abdominal massage in the first trimester. Rare cases of contact dermatitis in eczema-prone individuals - patch test recommended.
- Internal use safety not well-established for pregnant women; no adverse effects reported in lactating mothers or breastfeeding infants. No known drug-herb interactions for external use; internal ingestion with anticoagulants should be supervised by a practitioner.
What is it made of?
The Ayurvedic Formulary of India recipe, every ingredient with its part and quantity, is in the composition table near the top of this page.
Dosage forms and preparation
Dosage Forms: Thailam (medicated oil for external use), Internal use oil (specific variants), Capsules (modern)
Standard Dosage: External: sufficient quantity for Abhyanga. Internal: 5-10 mL with warm milk. The Ayurvedic Formulary of India attributes this formula to Vaidyayogaratnavali, Tailaprakarana; page 244.
Optimal Timing: External: morning before bath or as part of Panchakarma therapy. Internal: before meals or at bedtime.
Storage: Store in amber glass or HDPE bottles in a cool, dry place. Temperature not exceeding 25°C. Protect from light.
Marker Compounds: Sesamin, Sesamolin, Ephedrine, Withanolide A, Lupeol, Beta-sitosterol
Vehicle (Anupana): For internal use: warm milk. External: warm oil applied during Abhyanga.
Synergistic Combinations
What manufacturers publish about this preparation
Disclosure first. This site is published by Age Ayurveda, which sells Ayurvedic products, though not this preparation. Every cell states what that company's own product page carried when it was read, not our judgement of it. There is no score, no rank and no winner here, and the table is in alphabetical order for that reason.
The formulary entry above fixes the ingredients and the quantity of each. Whether you can check a particular product against it depends on what its manufacturer publishes. Of the 5 companies surveyed that sell a product under this name, this is what their pages carried when they were read on 8 October 2026.
| Company | What its product page publishes |
|---|---|
| AVN Ayurveda | Neither an ingredient list nor quantities |
| Kerala Ayurveda | An ingredient list, without quantities |
| Maharishi Ayurveda | Neither an ingredient list nor quantities |
| Sitaram Ayurveda | Neither an ingredient list nor quantities |
| The Arya Vaidya Pharmacy, Coimbatore | Neither an ingredient list nor quantities |
This measures what each company publishes, not the quality of anything it makes. A company that publishes nothing here may make an excellent preparation, and the label in the box is a separate, regulated surface that is not what was read. What disclosure changes is whether a reader, a pharmacist or an answer engine can check a product against the formulary entry it claims.
Method, the full counts across every company surveyed, and what this measurement got wrong the first time: which manufacturers publish what is in the bottle. The URL of every page read is recorded in brand-disclosure.json. If a row here is wrong, including where the correction favours a company other than ours, tell us and we will fix it and say that we did. How the same companies' stated doses compare with the formulary dose, preparation by preparation: Ayurvedic company doses against the Ayurvedic Formulary of India.
Published research
Literature indexed in PubMed that concerns this subject, grouped by study type. A paper appearing here is a record of what has been published, not evidence that the subject works, and laboratory or animal results do not transfer to people. Study titles link to PubMed so you can read the source rather than take our word.
Laboratory and animal studies1
- 2024. The GC-MS Study of the Ayurvedic Formulation "Dhanwantharam Thailam" Used for RheumatismJournal of pharmacy & bioallied sciences. PMID 38882853 · doi:10.4103/jpbs.jpbs_14_24
Reviewed by Dr. Awadesh Pratap Singh, BAMS, on 11 October 2026. What that review covered.
Consult a qualified vaidya before acting on anything here. Ayurvedic practice is prescribed to a person, not to a condition: the same dravya is given, withheld or substituted depending on your constitution, your agni, the season and what else you are already taking. A page cannot know any of that. Self-prescribing from a reference is how the wrong preparation, the wrong dose or the wrong anupana gets used.
Educational reference only. Nothing on this page is medical advice, a diagnosis, or a recommendation to take anything. Traditional uses and research findings are reported as published, not as claims about what any product does. If you take prescribed medication, raise any interaction with the prescriber rather than acting on a page. See our editorial standards.