Shara
Saccharum bengalense
Shara (Saccharum bengalense) is a plant drug, from the Poaceae family. Kshara (alkali) preparations are highly water-soluble and rapidly absorbed. Silica content (from grass species) has low systemic bioavailability but contributes to local GI effects.
| Botanical name | Saccharum bengalense |
|---|---|
| Identity source | Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, Part I, Vol. I: SARA (Root) |
| Also called | Saccharum sara Roxb. (attribution recorded without a cited source) Saccharum munja Roxb. (nomenclatural synonym) Tripidium bengalense (Retz.) H.Scholz (nomenclatural synonym) Saccharum spontaneum (attribution recorded without a cited source) |
| Currently accepted name | Tripidium bengalense (Retz.) H.Scholz, the name above is treated as a synonym by GBIF; both are in use |
| Family | Poaceae · other entries in this family |
| Order | Poales |
| Taxon identifiers | GBIF 2703927 · Wikidata Q12845384 · NCBI Taxonomy 1249013 |
The evidence at a glance
4papers on this site for this drug, published 2009 to 2015, every one with a DOI.
- 4Laboratory 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.true See the research index for how papers are tiered.
Names and identification
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| English | Shara |
Ayurvedic pharmacology (Dravyaguna)
| Property | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Rasa (Taste) | Madhura, Kashaya | Primary taste |
| Guna (Quality) | Snigdha | Physical quality |
| Virya (Potency) | Sheeta | Heating/Cooling effect |
| Vipaka (Post-digestive) | Madhura | Post-digestive effect |
Dosage forms and preparation
Dosage Forms: Churna (powder), Kwatha (decoction), Kshara (alkali preparation), Capsule, Arka (distillate)
Standard Dosage: 3-6 g powder per day; 50-100 mL kwatha twice daily; 500 mg - 1 g Kshara with appropriate vehicle
Optimal Timing: Before meals for urinary and digestive indications; Kshara with warm water or honey
Storage: Kshara is hygroscopic. Store in airtight glass or HDPE containers with desiccant. Churna below 25 deg C, protect from moisture.
Marker Compounds: Potassium carbonate (in Kshara), Silica, p-Coumaric acid, Ferulic acid, Tricin
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.
Laboratory and animal studies4
- 2015. Phytodiversity on fly ash deposits: evaluation of naturally colonized species for sustainable phytorestorationEnvironmental science and pollution research international. PMID 25209541 · doi:10.1007/s11356-014-3517-0
- 2014. Adsorption optimization of lead (II) using Saccharum bengalense as a non-conventional low cost biosorbent: isotherm and thermodynamics modelingInternational journal of phytoremediation. PMID 24933891 · doi:10.1080/15226514.2013.803025
- 2013. Biosorption potentials of a novel green biosorbent Saccharum bengalense containing cellulose as carbohydrate polymer for removal of Ni (II) ions from aqueous solutionsInternational journal of biological macromolecules. PMID 23219872 · doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2012.11.010
- 2009. Phytoaccumulation prospects of cadmium and zinc by mycorrhizal plant species growing in industrially polluted soilsEnvironmental geochemistry and health. PMID 18327685 · doi:10.1007/s10653-008-9159-8
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.
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