Adhaki
Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.
Adhaki (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.) is a plant drug from the Fabaceae family, also called Kaksi, Tuvari and Arahara. Safety assessment studies have reported protection of liver and kidney function markers. It is not listed in the WHO monographs on selected medicinal plants. FAO recognizes it as an important food legume, and it has GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status for food use.
| Botanical name | Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp. |
|---|---|
| Family | Fabaceae · other entries in this family |
| Order | Fabales |
| Pharmacopoeia status | Not listed in WHO monographs on selected medicinal plants; recognized as an important food legume by FAO; GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status for food use |
| Taxon identifiers | GBIF 7587087 · Wikidata Q632559 · NCBI Taxonomy 3821 |
| Sanskrit | आढकी (āḍhakī), काक्षी (kākṣī), तुवरी (tuvarī) |
|---|---|
| Hindi | अरहर (arahara), Arahad, तूवर (tūvara) |
| English | Pigeon Pea, Red Gram |
| Tamil | துவரை, Adagi Tuvari, Thovary, Tuvarai, ஆடகி |
| Malayalam | Tuvara |
| Telugu | Kadulu, Kandulu |
| Kannada | Kari Uddu, Togari, Togaribele, Tovaree |
| Marathi | Toor |
| Bengali | Aaharee, Adar, Arhar |
| Gujarati | Tur, Tuver |
| Urdu | Arhar |
| Punjabi | Arhar |
| Oriya | Harada, Kandulagachha |
| Assamese | Ruharmah |
Sources: Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India; Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India (column alignment reconstructed); Flowers of India, 'Arhar' page (Cajanus cajan): "Hindi: अरहर (Arhar), तुवर (Tuvar)"; MMPND Cajanus page: Hindi "Arahara (Arhar)" with Devanagari image.; Flowers of India, 'Arhar' page (Cajanus cajan): "Sanskrit: आढकी (Adhaki), काक्षी (Kakshi), तुवरी (Tuvari)", Devanagari.; Flowers of India, 'Arhar' page: "Hindi: अरहर (Arhar), तुवर (Tuvar)", Devanagari.; Flowers of India, 'Arhar' page: "Sanskrit: आढकी (Adhaki), काक्षी (Kakshi), तुवरी (Tuvari)", printed in Devanagari, exact match.; Flowers of India, 'Arhar' page: "Tamil: ஆடகி (Adhaki), இருப்புலி (Iruppuli), காய்ச்சி (Kaycci), துவரை (Tuvarai)", Tamil script.; Flowers of India, 'Arhar' page: "Tamil: ஆடகி (Adhaki), இருப்புலி (Iruppuli), காய்ச்சி (Kaycci), துவரை (Tuvarai)", printed in Tamil script, exact match.; Flowers of India, 'Arhar' page: Sanskrit "काक्षी (Kakshi)", Devanagari.; MMPND Cajanus page lists Hindi "Toor, Tuur, Tur, Tuvar, Tuver" (the Tuur/Toor forms carry the long vowel); Flowers of India 'Arhar' page prints the Hindi form as तुवर (Tuvar).. How we source.
The evidence at a glance
12papers on this site for this drug, published 2002 to 2025, every one with a DOI.
- 3Other clinical studies and reviews
- 9Laboratory 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. Each paper is listed with what it measured on the page below. See the research index for how papers are tiered.
Names and identification
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| English | Adhaki |
| Latin/Botanical | Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp. |
Key Phytochemical Constituents
- Cajanol
- Cajaninstilbene acid
- Genistein
- Pinostrobin
- Cajanuslactone
- Longistylin A
- Biochanin A
- Beta-sitosterol
- Isowighteone
- Vitexin
How does it work?
- Isoflavonoids (cajanol, genistein) inhibit pro-inflammatory cytokines including IL-6 and reduce nitric oxide production via suppression of iNOS expression
- Cajaninstilbene acid and longistylin derivatives exert antioxidant effects through free radical scavenging and upregulation of endogenous antioxidant enzymes (SOD, catalase)
- Prenylated isoflavonoids exhibit antibacterial activity against multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus by disrupting bacterial cell membrane integrity
Which traditional uses are supported by research?
These summaries come from the source notes, which do not name the studies behind them.
- Antidiabetic activity: traditionally used for diabetes. In vivo studies have reported hypoglycemic effects.
- Antimicrobial properties: bioassay-guided isolation studies have reported isoflavonoids, anthraquinones, and pterocarpanoids with activity against S. aureus, including MDR strains.
- Hepatoprotective effects: safety assessment studies have reported protection of liver and kidney function markers.
What do recent studies show?
- Gajurel G, Sharma AR, Abdel-Karim S and others 2025. Enhanced Production of Anti-Inflammatory and Antibacterial Prenylated Isoflavonoids in Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan) Hairy Root Cultures. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry. PMID 40009762 · doi:10.1021/acs.jafc.4c12406
Three new prenylated isoflavonoids (cajaisoflavanone A, cajaisoflavanone B, and cajasan) were isolated from hairy root cultures; cajasan exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity by reducing nitrite and IL-6 levels. - Vo TL, Cai XM, Liao JW and others 2023. Safety Assessment and Hepatic-Renal Protection of Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp. Root and Its Soy Isoflavone Contents. Nutrients. PMID 37764747 · doi:10.3390/nu15183963
No mutagenic or cytotoxic effects found in ethanolic extract of C. cajan roots in 90-day Wistar rat study; safe daily human intake estimated at 972 mg/60 kg person/day.
Only studies that could be traced to a published paper are listed here. An absence here means we could not identify the source, not that no work exists.
Recent safety updates
- 90-day subchronic toxicity study (2023) in Wistar rats at doses up to 1.0 g/kg body weight showed no adverse effects on behavior, organ weights, hematological parameters, or histopathology
- Five soy isoflavones (genistein, biochanin A, daidzein, genistin, cajanol) identified in root extract demonstrated hepatorenal protective effects rather than toxicity
- Leaves are widely consumed as food/vegetable with long safety history; no significant drug interactions documented
Dosage forms and preparation
Dosage Forms: Churna (powder), Kashayam (decoction), Kwatha (decoction concentrate), Capsule, Swarasa (fresh juice)
Standard Dosage: 3-6g powder twice daily; 50-100ml decoction twice daily
Optimal Timing: Before meals with warm water for digestive indications; after meals for general health
Storage: Cool, dry place (below 25°C), away from direct light and moisture. Relative humidity below 60%.
Marker Compounds: Cajanol, Cajanone, Pinostrobin, Vitexin, Orientin
Synergistic Combinations
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.
Other clinical studies and reviews3
- 2022. Revisiting the Nutritional, Chemical and Biological Potential of Cajanus cajan (L.) MillspMolecules (Basel, Switzerland). PMID 36296470 · doi:10.3390/molecules27206877
- 2008. Advances in development of transgenic pulse cropsBiotechnology advances. PMID 18055156 · doi:10.1016/j.biotechadv.2007.11.001
- 2002. Medicinal plants of India with anti-diabetic potentialJournal of ethnopharmacology. PMID 12020931 · doi:10.1016/s0378-8741(02)00059-4
Laboratory and animal studies9
- 2025. Enhanced Production of Anti-Inflammatory and Antibacterial Prenylated Isoflavonoids in Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan) Hairy Root CulturesJournal of agricultural and food chemistry. PMID 40009762 · doi:10.1021/acs.jafc.4c12406
- 2024. Four new isocoumarins from Cajanus cajanRSC advances. PMID 38444970 · doi:10.1039/d3ra08149d
- 2023. Safety Assessment and Hepatic-Renal Protection of Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp. Root and Its Soy Isoflavone ContentsNutrients. PMID 37764747 · doi:10.3390/nu15183963
- 2022. Stilbenes from the leaves of Cajanus cajan and their in vitro anti-inflammatory activitiesFitoterapia. PMID 35662649 · doi:10.1016/j.fitote.2022.105229
- 2022. Response of Cajanus cajan to excess copper in the soil: tolerance and biomass productionPhysiology and molecular biology of plants : an international journal of functional plant biology. PMID 35910437 · doi:10.1007/s12298-022-01203-6
- 2021. Components identification and isomers differentiation in pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L.) leaves by LC-MSJournal of separation science. PMID 33830649 · doi:10.1002/jssc.202001194
- 2020. Updates on Legume Genome SequencingMethods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.). PMID 31893440 · doi:10.1007/978-1-0716-0235-5_1
- 2020. Cajanolactone A, a stilbenoid from cajanus cajan, prevents ovariectomy-induced obesity and liver steatosis in mice fed a regular dietPhytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology. PMID 32777485 · doi:10.1016/j.phymed.2020.153290
- 2020. Effects of Cajanus cajan (L.) millsp. roots extracts on the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activitiesThe Chinese journal of physiology. PMID 32594067 · doi:10.4103/CJP.CJP_88_19
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.