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Rudraksha

Elaeocarpus ganitrus

Rudraksha (Elaeocarpus ganitrus) is a plant drug, also called Chattu Sampangi, Rudraksa and Rudraki.

Key facts
Botanical nameElaeocarpus ganitrus
FamilyElaeocarpaceae
Names in other languages
SanskritChattu Sampangi, रुद्राक्ष (rudrākṣa)
HindiRudraki
Tamilஉருத்திராட்சம், Rudraksha
MalayalamRudraksha
TeluguRudraksha
KannadaRudraksh, Rudrakshi mara
MarathiRudraksha
BengaliRudrakya
GujaratiRudraksh
PunjabiRudraksha

Sources: Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India; Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India Part I, monograph title RUDRAKSA (Seed) = Elaeocarpus sphaericus Gaertn. K. Schum; University of Madras Tamil Lexicon (via agarathi.com), உருத்திராட்சம்: 'rudra-kṣa. 1. Olive-fruited linden, Eloeocarpus ... 2. Rudrāk, l. tr., Eloeocarpus ganitrus'. Corroborated by API Part I, RUDRAKSA (Seed) = Elaeocarpus sphaericus Gaertn., Tamil: 'Rudraksha'.. How we source.

The evidence at a glance

12papers on this site for this drug, published 2004 to 2026, 11 with a DOI.

  • 2Other clinical studies and reviews
  • 10Laboratory 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
EnglishRudraksha

Ayurvedic pharmacology (Dravyaguna)

PropertyValueDescription
Rasa (Taste)MadhuraPrimary taste
Guna (Quality)GuruPhysical quality
Virya (Potency)UshnaHeating/Cooling effect
Vipaka (Post-digestive)MadhuraPost-digestive effect

Dosage forms and preparation

Dosage Forms: Churna (powder), Bhasma (calcined preparation), Vati (tablet), Capsule, Kwatha (decoction), Mala beads (external/spiritual use)

Standard Dosage: 500 mg - 2 g bead powder per day; 250-500 mg bhasma with honey or ghee twice daily

Optimal Timing: Morning on empty stomach with water or honey; or an evening dose

Storage: Store in airtight containers below 25 deg C. Bhasma should be stored in glass or food-grade HDPE containers, protected from moisture. RH <45% for bhasma.

Marker Compounds: Rudrakine, Elaeocarpine, Isoelaeocarpine, Elaeocarpidine, Quercetin, Gallic acid

Synergistic Combinations

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 reviews2

  1. Maurya R, Boini T, Misro L and others. 2023. Review on Pharmacognostic, Phytochemical and Pharmacological Characteristics of Medicinal Plants which can be used to Design a Novel Ayurvedic Formulation to Treat Hypertension in Multidimensional ApproachesCurrent hypertension reviews. PMID 36809945 · doi:10.2174/1573402119666230221084859
  2. Khan AU, Akram M, Daniyal M and others. 2020. Awareness and current knowledge of epilepsyMetabolic brain disease. PMID 31605258 · doi:10.1007/s11011-019-00494-1

Laboratory and animal studies10

  1. Pandey PK, Sagar M, Sharma S and others. 2026. Phytochemicals to Pharmacology: Potential Cytotoxic and Tumor Inhibitory Activity of Elaeocarpus ganitrus Extract in Preclinical ModelsPlanta medica. PMID 42392203 · doi:10.1055/a-2899-3112
  2. Kannan VV, Kanabar B, Gowrishankar J and others. 2025. Artificial intelligence based prediction and multi-objective RSM optimization of tectona grandis biodiesel with Elaeocarpus GanitrusScientific reports. PMID 39885203 · doi:10.1038/s41598-025-87640-1
  3. Sharma AK, Chaudhary RK, Singh S and others. 2023. HPTLC Studies, in silico Docking Studies, and Pharmacological Evaluation of Elaeocarpus ganitrus as a Gastroprotective AgentCentral nervous system agents in medicinal chemistry. PMID 37394979 · doi:10.2174/1871524923666230412080313
  4. Mahajanakatti AB, Deepak TS, Achar RR and others. 2022. Nanoconjugate Synthesis of Elaeocarpus ganitrus and the Assessment of Its Antimicrobial and Antiproliferative PropertiesMolecules (Basel, Switzerland). PMID 35458641 · doi:10.3390/molecules27082442
  5. Ghimire A, Chen PY. 2022. Seed protection strategies of the brainy Elaeocarpus ganitrus endocarp: Gradient motif yields fracture toleranceActa biomaterialia. PMID 34728425 · doi:10.1016/j.actbio.2021.10.050
  6. Kakalij RM, Alla CP, Kshirsagar RP and others. 2014. Ameliorative effect of Elaeocarpus ganitrus on gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity in ratsIndian journal of pharmacology. PMID 24987177 · doi:10.4103/0253-7613.132163
  7. Barve KH, Chodankar R. 2014. Does copper enhance the antihypertensive effect of Elaeocarpus ganitrus in experimentally induced hypertensive rats?Journal of Ayurveda and integrative medicine. PMID 24948856 · doi:10.4103/0975-9476.133783
  8. Hule AK, Shah AS, Gambhire MN and others. 2011. An evaluation of the antidiabetic effects of Elaeocarpus ganitrus in experimental animalsIndian journal of pharmacology. PMID 21455423 · doi:10.4103/0253-7613.75671
  9. Singh B, Chopra A, Ishar MP and others. 2010. Pharmacognostic and antifungal investigations of Elaeocarpus ganitrus (Rudrakasha)Indian journal of pharmaceutical sciences. PMID 20838538 · doi:10.4103/0250-474X.65021
  10. Sarma JK, Bhuyan GC, Koley J and others. 2004. An experimental evaluation of the effect of rudraksha (elaeocarpus ganitrus roxb) in adrenaline and nicotine induced hypertensionAncient science of life. PMID 22557134

Reference lists that include it

Gallic acid, 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.