Indrayava
Holarrhena pubescens
Indrayava (Holarrhena pubescens) is a plant drug, also called Bhadra Yava, Indrayavah and Kalinga. Conessine shows ~40-50% oral bioavailability with Tmax of 2-4 hours. Alkaloids are well absorbed in alkaline intestinal pH.
| Botanical name | Holarrhena pubescens |
|---|---|
| Identity source | Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, Part I, Vol. III: INDRAYAVA (Seed) |
| Also called | Holarrhena antidysenterica (Roth) A. DC. (attribution recorded without a cited source) Wrightia tinctoria (Roxb.) R.Br. (nomenclatural synonym) |
| Family | Apocynaceae · other entries in this family |
| Order | Gentianales |
| Taxon identifiers | GBIF 3169748 · Wikidata Q9096302 · NCBI Taxonomy 69381 |
| Sanskrit | Bhadra Yava, इन्द्रयवः (indrayavaḥ), Kalinga, कुटजः (kuṭajaḥ), Sakra, Vatsaka |
|---|---|
| Hindi | Indraju, कुड़ा (kuṛā), Kuraiya, Kurchi |
| English | Conessi Seeds, Ester Tree |
| Tamil | Kudasapalai, குடசப்பாலை |
| Malayalam | Kutakappala |
| Telugu | Kodisapala Vittulu, Palakodisa-Vittulu |
| Kannada | Kodasige Beeja |
| Marathi | Kudayache Beej |
| Bengali | Kurchi |
| Gujarati | Kuda |
| Urdu | Indarjao Talkh, Tukhm-e-Kurchi |
| Punjabi | Indrajau, Kaurasakh, Kura |
| Oriya | Keruan, Kurei |
| Assamese | Dudhkuri |
Sources: Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India (column alignment reconstructed); Flowers of India, 'Tellicherry Tree' (Holarrhena pubescens) page, Names of Plants in India compilation: lists Tamil குடசப்பாலை (Kutaca-p-pālai) for this species; the form is a Tamil Lexicon compound of Skt. kuṭaja + Tam. pālai. Wikimedia Commons species category gives the same form.; IISc Flora of Peninsular India herbsheet for Holarrhena pubescens: Hindi 'Kurci, Kudha, Khurchi'; MMPND (AFH) 'Kud, Kudaiya, Kurchi, Karva indrajau'.; MMPND 'Sorting Holarrhena names', Holarrhena pubescens, Sanskrit list credited to the Ayurvedic Formulary: 'Indrayava (seeds), Kutaj, Kutaja (AFH), Sakraparyaaya, Sakraasana'; IISc Flora of Peninsular India gives Sanskrit 'Kutajah, Kalinga'.; MMPND 'Sorting Holarrhena names', Holarrhena pubescens: Sanskrit 'Indrayava (seeds)', credited to the Ayurvedic Formulary (AFH).. How we source.
The evidence at a glance
12papers on this site for this drug, published 2014 to 2026, every one with a DOI.
- 1Other clinical studies and reviews
- 11Laboratory 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 | Conessi Seeds |
Ayurvedic pharmacology (Dravyaguna)
| Property | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Rasa (Taste) | Tikta, Kashaya | Primary taste |
| Guna (Quality) | Laghu, Ruksha | Physical quality |
| Virya (Potency) | Sheeta | Heating/Cooling effect |
| Vipaka (Post-digestive) | Katu | Post-digestive effect |
Dosage forms and preparation
Dosage Forms: Churna (powder), Tablet, Capsule, Kashayam (decoction)
Standard Dosage: 1-3g seed powder twice daily; 250-500mg extract; 30-60ml decoction
Optimal Timing: Before meals with buttermilk (traditional) or warm water for GI disorders
Storage: Cool, dry place below 25°C, protected from moisture and light. Store in airtight containers.
Marker Compounds: Conessine, Conessimine, Isoconessimine, Kurchine, Holarrhimine, Conamine
Synergistic Combinations
- With Ativisha, traditionally used for diarrhoea
- With Bilva, traditionally used for dysentery
- With Musta for digestive disorders
- Traditionally combined with Kutaja bark
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 reviews1
Laboratory and animal studies11
- 2026. Holarrhena pubescens (Kutaj) bark extract mitigates SDS-induced IBD-like pathologies in Drosophila melanogaster by preserving barrier integrity and antioxidant defenseFrontiers in pharmacology. PMID 42422073 · doi:10.3389/fphar.2026.1841227
- 2023. The complete chloroplast genome of Holarrhena pubescens and its phylogenetic analysisMitochondrial DNA. Part B, Resources. PMID 36816055 · doi:10.1080/23802359.2022.2162349
- 2023. MicroRNAs from Holarrhena pubescens stems: Identification by small RNA Sequencing and their Potential Contribution to Human Gene TargetsFunctional & integrative genomics. PMID 37148427 · doi:10.1007/s10142-023-01078-0
- 2023. Hypolipidemic and Antihyperlipidemic Effects of Holarrhena pubescens Methanolic Extract Is Mediated through Inhibition of Lipase Activity and Lipid AccumulationLife (Basel, Switzerland). PMID 37511810 · doi:10.3390/life13071435
- 2023. Anthelmintic efficacy of Holarrhena pubescens against Raillietina spp. of domestic fowl through ultrastructural, histochemical, biochemical and GLCM analysisPloS one. PMID 37708168 · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0282033
- 2023. Modulation in the enzymatic antioxidants, MDA level and elicitation in conessine biomolecule in Holarrhena pubescens (medicinal tree) cultures exposed to different heavy metals: Ni, Co, Cr and As3 Biotech. PMID 37608912 · doi:10.1007/s13205-023-03697-7
- 2023. The antidiabetic effect of methanolic extract of Holarrhena pubescens seeds is mediated through multiple mechanisms of actionSaudi pharmaceutical journal : SPJ : the official publication of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society. PMID 37228324 · doi:10.1016/j.jsps.2023.04.009
- 2021. In Silico Prediction, Molecular Docking and Dynamics Studies of Steroidal Alkaloids of Holarrhena pubescens Wall. ex G. Don to Guanylyl Cyclase C: Implications in Designing of Novel Antidiarrheal Therapeutic StrategiesMolecules (Basel, Switzerland). PMID 34299422 · doi:10.3390/molecules26144147
- 2019. Antimalarial and cytotoxic activities of pregnene-type steroidal alkaloids from Holarrhena pubescens rootsNatural product research. PMID 29172699 · doi:10.1080/14786419.2017.1408108
- 2016. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity and molecular docking study of steroidal alkaloids from Holarrhena pubescens barksSteroids. PMID 26850468 · doi:10.1016/j.steroids.2016.01.018
- 2014. Evaluation of antioxidative and antidiabetic activity of bark of holarrhena pubescens wallJournal of clinical and diagnostic research : JCDR. PMID 25386454 · doi:10.7860/JCDR/2014/7803.4863
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.