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Bhutakeshi

Bhutakeshi is a substance used in the Ayurvedic materia medica.

Names and identification

LanguageName
EnglishBhutakeshi

Ayurvedic pharmacology (Dravyaguna)

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

Dosage forms and preparation

Dosage Forms: Churna (powder), Kashayam (decoction), Capsule, Tablet, Avalehya (confection)

Standard Dosage: 1-3g powder twice daily; 50-100ml decoction; 250-500mg extract capsule. Lower doses recommended initially due to reported sedative effects.

Optimal Timing: Traditionally taken at bedtime with warm milk; between meals; not recommended before driving or operating machinery

Storage: Store in airtight, light-protected containers. Alkaloids are photosensitive. Cool, dry conditions below 25°C.

Marker Compounds: Protopine, Bicuculline, Corydine, Corydaline, Bulbocapnine, Alpha-allocryptopine

Synergistic Combinations

  • With Jatamamsi for anxiolytic and sedative synergy
  • Traditionally combined with Ashwagandha
  • With Brahmi for cognitive support with calming effect
  • Traditionally combined with Shankhapushpi
  • Traditionally combined with Tagara

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.