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Kachnar

Bauhinia variegata

Kachnar (Bauhinia variegata) is a plant drug, also called Kancanarah, Kovidarah and Kacanara. Quercetin has ~5-10% oral bioavailability enhanced by lipids and piperine. Kaempferol shows similar absorption profile. Tannins are poorly absorbed but may have local anti-inflammatory effects in GI tract.

Key facts
Botanical nameBauhinia variegata
Identity sourceAyurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, Part I, Vol. I: KANCANARA (Stem bark)
Also calledBauhinia racemosa (attribution recorded without a cited source)
FamilyFabaceae · other entries in this family
OrderFabales
Taxon identifiersGBIF 2953251 · Wikidata Q840341 · NCBI Taxonomy 167791
Names in other languages
Sanskritकाञ्चनारः (kāñcanāraḥ), कोविदारः (kovidāraḥ)
Hindiकचनार (kacanāra)
Tamilசெம்மந்தாரை

Sources: 'Names of Plants in India :: Bauhinia variegata' Sanskrit list in Devanagari (काञ्चनार, कोविदार); IISc Flora of Peninsular India gives Sanskrit 'Kanchanara'; the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India monograph for this drug is Kanchanara.; 'Names of Plants in India :: Bauhinia variegata', Sanskrit in Devanagari: कोविदार (kovidara); also the second Sanskrit name in the API Kanchanara monograph and the Vedic/Samhita-period name per Dravyaguna monographs.; IISc Flora of Peninsular India herbsheet for Bauhinia variegata L. (indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in): Hindi 'Kachnar, Khairwal, Mohota'. Corroborated by the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India's Kanchanara monograph vernacular list, which gives Hindi: Kachnar.; IISc Flora of Peninsular India herbsheet for Bauhinia variegata: Tamil 'Sigappumanch, Sigappumantharai'; 'Names of Plants in India' gives செம்மந்தாரை (cem-mantarai) and சிவப்புமந்தாரை in Tamil script.. How we source.

The evidence at a glance

12papers on this site for this drug, published 2015 to 2025, 11 with a DOI.

  • 4Other clinical studies and reviews
  • 8Laboratory 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
EnglishKachnar

Ayurvedic pharmacology (Dravyaguna)

PropertyValueDescription
Rasa (Taste)KashayaPrimary taste
Guna (Quality)Laghu, RukshaPhysical quality
Virya (Potency)SheetaHeating/Cooling effect
Vipaka (Post-digestive)KatuPost-digestive effect

Dosage forms and preparation

Dosage Forms: Churna (bark powder), Tablet, Capsule, Kashayam (bark decoction), Kwath (decoction), Guggulu formulation (Kanchanara Guggulu)

Standard Dosage: 3-6g bark powder twice daily; 500mg-1g extract; 50-100ml decoction; 2-4 Kanchanara Guggulu tablets twice daily

Optimal Timing: Before meals with warm water; Kanchanara Guggulu: twice daily before meals

Storage: Cool, dry place below 25°C. Bark powder in airtight containers. Guggulu tablets are hygroscopic; moisture-proof packaging required.

Marker Compounds: Quercetin, Kaempferol, Bauhinianin, Beta-sitosterol, Lupeol, Gallic acid, Ellagic acid

Synergistic Combinations

  • With Guggulu as Kanchanara Guggulu, traditionally used for thyroid disorders and lipomas
  • With Varuna (Crataeva), traditionally used for urinary calculi
  • With Punarnava for lymphatic drainage
  • With Triphala for detoxification support

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 reviews4

  1. Kenmegne Tebe UC, Tangka JK, Djoukeng HG and others. 2024. Effects of extraction parameters on the yield of oils from non-edible seeds of Bauhinia variegata and PachiraglabraHeliyon. PMID 38756583 · doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30777
  2. Gudavalli D, Pandey K, Ede VG and others. 2024. Phytochemistry and pharmacological activities of five species of Bauhinia genus: A reviewFitoterapia. PMID 38286316 · doi:10.1016/j.fitote.2024.105830
  3. Zhang Q, Cheng Z, Fan Y and others. 2023. Ethnobotanical study on edible flowers in Xishuangbanna, ChinaJournal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine. PMID 37777741 · doi:10.1186/s13002-023-00608-1
  4. Choudhary A, Noman M, Bano U and others. 2023. Global uses of traditional herbs for hepatic diseases and other pharmacological actions: A comprehensive reviewPolimery w medycynie. PMID 37260126 · doi:10.17219/pim/165977

Laboratory and animal studies8

  1. Kamal Y, Fatima N, Mumtaz A and others. 2025. Bioactive Secondary Metabolites from Bauhinia variegata Linn. Roots: Isolation, Characterization, and Cytotoxic EvaluationCurrent pharmaceutical design. PMID 39779566 · doi:10.2174/0113816128299481240223054918
  2. Xu Y. 2024. Surface morphology and microstructure of Bauhinia variegata L. flowers and leavesMicron (Oxford, England : 1993). PMID 38086225 · doi:10.1016/j.micron.2023.103575
  3. de Oliveira Della Senta D, Cardoso G, Neis A and others. 2024. Antifungal Effect of Bauhinia variegata Lectin (BvL) on Bipolaris oryzaeCurrent microbiology. PMID 39190055 · doi:10.1007/s00284-024-03848-w
  4. Sun C, Chen Y, Zheng D and others. 2024. The complete mitochondrial genome of Bauhinia variegata (Leguminosae)Mitochondrial DNA. Part B, Resources. PMID 38259357 · doi:10.1080/23802359.2024.2305712
  5. Solanki N, Bhavsar S. 2023. Neuroprotective effects of Bauhinia variegata in ameliorating diabetic neuropathy and neurodegenerationAmerican journal of translational research. PMID 37969205
  6. Kamal Y, Khan T, Haq I and others. 2022. Phytochemical and biological attributes of Bauhinia variegata L. (Caesalpiniaceae)Brazilian journal of biology = Revista brasleira de biologia. PMID 35170677 · doi:10.1590/1519-6984.257990
  7. Bashandy SAE, El Awdan SA, Mohamed SM and others. 2020. Allium porrum and Bauhinia Variegata Mitigate Acute Liver Failure and Nephrotoxicity Induced by Thioacetamide in Male RatsIndian journal of clinical biochemistry : IJCB. PMID 32226246 · doi:10.1007/s12291-018-0803-5
  8. Chan YS, Ng TB. 2015. Bauhinia variegata var. variegata lectin: isolation, characterization, and comparisonApplied biochemistry and biotechnology. PMID 25240852 · doi:10.1007/s12010-014-1261-z

Reference lists that include it

Ellagic acid, Gallic acid, Kaempferol, Lupeol

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.