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Arka

Calotropis procera

Arka (Calotropis procera) is a plant drug, also called Arkah, Bhanu and Ravi. Internal use is confined to Shodhita (purified) material and requires physician supervision.

Key facts
Botanical nameCalotropis procera
Identity sourceAyurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, Part I, Vol. I: ARKA (Root)
Also calledCalotropis gigantea (attribution recorded without a cited source)
FamilyApocynaceae · other entries in this family
OrderGentianales
Taxon identifiersGBIF 5414566 · Wikidata Q948690 · NCBI Taxonomy 141467
Names in other languages
Sanskritअर्कः (arkaḥ), Bhanu, Ravi, Surya, Tapana
Hindiआक (āka), Akavana, मदार (madāra)
EnglishMadar Tree, Maddar
Tamilவெள்ளெருக்கு, Erukku, Vellerukku
MalayalamErikku
TeluguJilledu
KannadaEkka, Ekkadagida, Ekkegida
MarathiRui
BengaliAkanda, Akone
GujaratiAakado
UrduAak, Madar
PunjabiAk
OriyaArakha
AssameseAkan, Akand
KashmiriAcka

Sources: API Vol I, ARKA (Root) and ARKA (Leaf), Calotropis procera, Hindi: Aak, Madar, Akavana; Pandanus record for Calotropis, Hindi: āk, madār; API Vol I, ARKA (Root) and ARKA (Leaf), Hindi: Aak, Madar, Akavana, Urdu: Madar, Aak; Pandanus, Hindi: madār; Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India; Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India (column alignment reconstructed); Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India Vol I, monograph ARKA (Root) and ARKA (Leaf), botanical source Calotropis procera (Ait.) R.Br., Tamil: Vellerukku, Erukku; Monier-Williams p.89, quoted in the Pandanus record for Calotropis: "arka ... the plant Calotropis Gigantea ... ŚBr. &c."; API Vol I monograph title ARKA, botanical source Calotropis procera. How we source.

The evidence at a glance

12papers on this site for this drug, published 2015 to 2025, every one with a DOI.

  • 5Other clinical studies and reviews
  • 7Laboratory 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

LanguageName
SanskritArka

Ayurvedic pharmacology (Dravyaguna)

PropertyValueDescription
Rasa (Taste)Katu, TiktaPrimary taste
Guna (Quality)Laghu, TikshnaPhysical quality
Virya (Potency)UshnaHeating/Cooling effect
Vipaka (Post-digestive)KatuPost-digestive effect

Dosage forms and preparation

Dosage Forms: Churna (root bark powder, after Shodhana), Kshira (processed latex), Taila (medicated oil, external), Lepa (paste, external), Pushpa preparations (flower)

Standard Dosage: 250mg-1g Shodhita root bark powder; external oil/paste as needed. INTERNAL USE: only Shodhita (purified) material under physician supervision.

Optimal Timing: As directed by Ayurvedic physician only. External applications: morning and evening to affected area.

Storage: Clearly labeled CAUTION: RESTRICTED SUBSTANCE. Store separately from general inventory. Cool, dry place. Latex preparations in glass containers.

Marker Compounds: Calotropin, Calactin, Calotoxin, Uscharin, Calotropagenin, Alpha-amyrin, Beta-amyrin, Mudarin, Giganticine

Synergistic Combinations

  • With Sunthi for Arka Kshira preparations (internal, classical)
  • With Nirgundi and Eranda for joint disorder external applications
  • With Haridra for wound healing (external lepa)
  • Arka Pushpa (flowers) with ghee for digestive fire stimulation

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 reviews5

  1. Ahmed M, Alaryani MM, Al-Azawi AM and others. 2025. Geophytochemical and ethnopharmacological insights into Calotropis procera: bridging traditional knowledge and modern therapeuticsNatural product research. PMID 40899328 · doi:10.1080/14786419.2025.2552209
  2. Nogueira BL, de Abreu Vieira F, Grangeiro TB. 2025. Cysteine Peptidases of Calotropis procera (Apocynaceae): A Literature Review on their Biochemical Properties and Potential ApplicationsCurrent protein & peptide science. PMID 39722486 · doi:10.2174/0113892037340497241024095749
  3. Habeeb A, Ramesh S, Shanmugam R. 2024. Calotropis procera and the Pharmacological Properties of Its Aqueous Leaf Extract: A ReviewCureus. PMID 38883127 · doi:10.7759/cureus.60354
  4. Wadhwani BD, Mali D, Vyas P and others. 2021. A review on phytochemical constituents and pharmacological potential of Calotropis proceraRSC advances. PMID 35492791 · doi:10.1039/d1ra06703f
  5. Kaur A, Batish DR, Kaur S and others. 2021. An Overview of the Characteristics and Potential of Calotropis procera From Botanical, Ecological, and Economic PerspectivesFrontiers in plant science. PMID 34220914 · doi:10.3389/fpls.2021.690806

Laboratory and animal studies7

  1. Singh P, Dhole B, Choudhury J and others. 2024. Calotropis procera extract inhibits prostate cancer through regulation of autophagyJournal of cellular and molecular medicine. PMID 38400579 · doi:10.1111/jcmm.18050
  2. Rabelo ACS, Noratto G, Borghesi J and others. 2023. Calotropis procera (Aiton) Dryand (Apocynaceae): State of the art of its uses and ApplicationsCurrent topics in medicinal chemistry. PMID 37282633 · doi:10.2174/1568026623666230606162556
  3. Hassan S, Atef A, Ali HM and others. 2023. Calotropis procera accumulates Uzarigenin and Calotropagenin in response to environmental lighting and droughtSaudi journal of biological sciences. PMID 36950364 · doi:10.1016/j.sjbs.2023.103622
  4. Bou Malhab LJ, Bajbouj K, Shehab NG and others. 2023. Potential anticancer properties of calotropis procera: An investigation on breast and colon cancer cellsHeliyon. PMID 37332907 · doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16706
  5. Rabelo ACS, Miglino MA, Arbizu S and others. 2022. Calotropis Procera Induced Caspase-Dependent Apoptosis and Impaired Akt/mTOR Signaling in 4T1 Breast Cancer CellsAnti-cancer agents in medicinal chemistry. PMID 35676853 · doi:10.2174/1871520622666220608122154
  6. Al-Thobaiti SA, Konozy EHE. 2022. Purification, Partial Characterization, and Evaluation of the Antiulcer Activity of Calotropis procera Leaf LectinProtein and peptide letters. PMID 35927810 · doi:10.2174/0929866529666220803162457
  7. Patil RA, Makwana AB. 2015. Anti-hyperbilirubinemic and wound healing activity of aqueous extract of Calotropis procera leaves in Wistar ratsIndian journal of pharmacology. PMID 26288472 · doi:10.4103/0253-7613.161262

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.