Age Ayurveda Nighantu Ayurvedic practitioner? List or verify your practice

Aragwadha

Cassia fistula L.

Aragwadha (Cassia fistula L.) is a plant drug, also called Aragvadhah, Kritamalah and Amalatasa, from the Fabaceae (Caesalpinioideae) family. Included in Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India; WHO-related traditional medicine databases reference its widespread use across tropical Asia and Africa.

Key facts
Botanical nameCassia fistula L.
FamilyFabaceae (Caesalpinioideae) · other entries in this family
OrderFabales
Pharmacopoeia statusIncluded in Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India; WHO-related traditional medicine databases reference its widespread use across tropical Asia and Africa
Taxon identifiersGBIF 5357108 · Wikidata Q161117 · NCBI Taxonomy 53852
Names in other languages
Sanskritआरग्वधः (āragvadhaḥ), कृतमालः (kṛtamālaḥ)
Hindiअमलतास (amalatāsa)
Tamilகொன்றை, சரக்கொன்றை

Sources: API Vol I, ĀRAGVADHA, Tamil: Sarakonrai, Sarak konnai, Sharakkonrai; Tamil Lexicon p.1168 cross-refers கொன்றை to சரக்கொன்றை; Monier-Williams p.149, quoted in the Pandanus record for Cassia fistula: "āragvadha, as, m. the tree Cathartocarpus (Cassia) Fistula, Bhpr.; Suśr."; Monier-Williams p.302, quoted in the Pandanus record for Cassia fistula: "kṛtamāla, m. ... the tree Cassia fistula Suśr."; also API Vol I, ĀRAGVADHA, Sanskrit: Kṛtamāla; Platts, A Dictionary of Urdu, Classical Hindi and English (DSAL) p.82: "املتاس अमलतास amaltās — The Indian Laburnum, Cathartocarpus (Cassia) fistula"; also Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India Vol I, monograph ĀRAGVADHA (Cassia fistula Linn), Hindi: Amaltas; MMPND Sorting Cassia, HINDI: अमलतास Amaltās; Tamil Lexicon, University of Madras (DSAL) p.1168: "கொன்றை koṉṟai, n. 1. Indian laburnum. See சரக்கொன்றை"; MMPND Sorting Cassia, TAMIL: கொன்றை Konrai; Pandanus record for Cassia fistula, Tamil: itaḻi, konnai, carakkoṉṟai. How we source.

The evidence at a glance

12papers on this site for this drug, published 2012 to 2024, every one with a DOI.

  • 2Systematic reviews and meta-analyses
  • 2Randomised controlled trials
  • 8Other clinical studies and reviews

A count is not a conclusion and a tier is a study design, not a verdict. Each paper is listed with what it measured on the page below. See the research index for how papers are tiered.

Names and identification

LanguageName
EnglishAragwadha
Latin/BotanicalCassia fistula L.

Key Phytochemical Constituents

How does it work?

  • Laxative: Sennosides and anthraquinone glycosides stimulate colonic peristalsis by increasing Cl- secretion and inhibiting Na+/K+-ATPase in colonocytes
  • Anti-inflammatory: Rhein and emodin suppress NF-kB activation and reduce COX-2 expression in inflammatory cells
  • Antidiabetic: Flavonoids (quercetin, kaempferol) inhibit alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase

Which traditional uses are supported by research?

These summaries come from the source notes, which do not name the studies behind them.

  • Mridu Virechana (mild laxative): traditionally used as a mild laxative. A clinical study in older adults with constipation reported results comparable to lactulose.
  • Traditionally used for skin diseases. Laboratory studies have reported antimicrobial and antifungal activity of leaf and bark extracts against dermatophytes.
  • Antipyretic use (Jwaraghna): traditionally used for fever. Animal studies have reported reduced fever in a Brewer’s yeast-induced fever model.

What do recent studies show?

No study for this section could be traced to a published paper. An absence here means we could not identify the source, not that no work exists.

Recent safety updates

  • Pod pulp is traditionally used as a mild laxative; rodent acute-toxicity studies report LD50 > 5000 mg/kg; long-term high-dose anthraquinone use may cause melanosis coli
  • Not recommended during pregnancy due to uterine stimulant potential; chronic use may cause electrolyte imbalance (hypokalemia)

What is it made of?

Key Active Markers

  • Rhein
  • Emodin
  • Quercetin
  • Kaempferol
  • Catechin
  • Fistulic acid
  • Sennosides A-D
  • Oxyanthraquinone

Dosage forms and preparation

Dosage Forms: Pulp extract (fruit pulp), Kashayam (decoction), Churna (powder), Capsule, Tablet, Lepa (paste for skin conditions), Aragwadhadi Kwatha

Standard Dosage: 5-10g fruit pulp; 50-100ml decoction twice daily; 3-6g powder for mild laxative action; external paste as needed

Optimal Timing: At bedtime with warm water or warm milk for laxative effect; morning empty stomach for skin conditions; external paste anytime

Storage: Hygroscopic material, moisture-proof packaging essential. Cool, dry place below 25°C. Pods can be stored whole for up to 1 year at room temperature.

Marker Compounds: Rhein, Fistulic acid, Sennosides (trace), Chrysophanol, Kaempferol, Oxyanthraquinones, Fistucacidin

Synergistic Combinations

  • With Haritaki for gentle laxative action
  • With Nimba and Haridra in Aragwadhadi lepa for skin disorders
  • With Guduchi for fever and skin diseases
  • With Triphala for digestive regulation

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.

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses2

  1. Wegh CAM, Baaleman DF, Tabbers MM and others. 2022. Nonpharmacologic Treatment for Children with Functional Constipation: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysisThe Journal of pediatrics. PMID 34536492 · doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2021.09.010
  2. Mwangi RW, Macharia JM, Wagara IN and others. 2021. The medicinal properties of Cassia fistula L: A reviewBiomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie. PMID 34601194 · doi:10.1016/j.biopha.2021.112240

Randomised controlled trials2

  1. Sepehr F, Shirafkan H, Behzad C and others. 2022. The effect of Cassia fistula L. syrup in geriatrics constipation in comparison with the lactulose: A randomized clinical trialJournal of ethnopharmacology. PMID 35798138 · doi:10.1016/j.jep.2022.115466
  2. Anjum A, Sultana A. 2018. A randomized comparative study of herbal decoction of Cassia fistula Linn pod's pericarp and Myristica fragrans Houtt arils vs. mefenamic acid in spasmodic dysmenorrhoeaJournal of complementary & integrative medicine. PMID 30312165 · doi:10.1515/jcim-2018-0105

Other clinical studies and reviews8

  1. Kajdas AA, Żebrowska A, Zalewska-Janowska A and others. 2024. The Role of Nutrition in the Pathogenesis and Treatment of Autoimmune Bullous Diseases-A Narrative ReviewNutrients. PMID 39599747 · doi:10.3390/nu16223961
  2. Shahrajabian MH, Sun W. 2023. The Importance of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Intervention and Treatment of HIV while Considering its Safety and EfficacyCurrent HIV research. PMID 38047360 · doi:10.2174/011570162X271199231128092621
  3. Park SH, Kim M, Lee S and others. 2021. Therapeutic Potential of Natural Products in Treatment of Cervical Cancer: A ReviewNutrients. PMID 33466408 · doi:10.3390/nu13010154
  4. Akram M, Riaz M, Munir N and others. 2020. Progress and prospects in the management of bacterial infections and developments in Phytotherapeutic modalitiesClinical and experimental pharmacology & physiology. PMID 32064656 · doi:10.1111/1440-1681.13282
  5. Zhao Y, Zhao K, Jiang K and others. 2016. A Review of Flavonoids from Cassia Species and their Biological ActivityCurrent pharmaceutical biotechnology. PMID 27538998 · doi:10.2174/1389201017666160819151153
  6. Karegar-Borzi H, Salehi M, Rahimi R. 2016. Laūq: A Sustained-Release Dosage Form for Respiratory Disorders in Traditional Persian MedicineJournal of evidence-based complementary & alternative medicine. PMID 26008751 · doi:10.1177/2156587215587417
  7. Rahmani AH. 2015. Cassia fistula Linn: Potential candidate in the health managementPharmacognosy research. PMID 26130932 · doi:10.4103/0974-8490.157956
  8. Kainsa S, Kumar P, Rani P. 2012. Pharmacological potentials of Cassia auriculata and Cassia fistula plants: A reviewPakistan journal of biological sciences : PJBS. PMID 24163950 · doi:10.3923/pjbs.2012.408.417

Reference lists that include it

Catechin, Kaempferol, Quercetin

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.