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Vamsha

Bambusa bambos

Vamsha (Bambusa bambos) is a plant drug, also called Kantakilah, Vamsah and Bamsa. Choline from bamboo leaves has high oral bioavailability (~70%). Flavonoids (orientin, vitexin, isoorientin) from leaves have moderate bioavailability (~15-25%). Silicon absorption is enhanced in acidic pH; co-administer with citric acid or Amalaki (vitamin C source).

Key facts
Botanical nameBambusa bambos
FamilyPoaceae · other entries in this family
OrderPoales
Taxon identifiersGBIF 2705752 · Wikidata Q15509516 · NCBI Taxonomy 207296
Names in other languages
Sanskritकण्टकिलः (kaṇṭakilaḥ), वंशः (vaṃśaḥ)
Hindiबांस (bāṃsa)
Tamilகுழாய்மூங்கில், பெருமூங்கில், மூங்கில்

Sources: Flowers of India, Bambusa bambos ('Indian Thorny Bamboo') page: 'Tamil: குழாய்மூங்கில் kulay-munkil, பெருமூங்கில் peru-munkil'; Flowers of India, Bambusa bambos page: 'Hindi: बांस baans, बम्बू bambu, बंस buns'; Flowers of India, Bambusa bambos page: 'Sanskrit: आमुपः amupah, आर्द्रपत्रकः ardrapatrakah, कण्टकः kantakah, कण्टकिलः kantakilah, वम्भः vambhah, वंशः vamsh'; Flowers of India, Bambusa bambos page: 'Sanskrit: कण्टकिलः kantakilah'; Flowers of India, Bambusa bambos page: 'Tamil: குழாய்மூங்கில் kulay-munkil'; MMPND Sorting Bambusa names, Bambusa arundinacea (= B. bambos): 'Tamil: Mullumangila, Mulmunkil, Mungil'. How we source.

The evidence at a glance

12papers on this site for this drug, published 2011 to 2026, 11 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

LanguageName
EnglishVamsha

Ayurvedic pharmacology (Dravyaguna)

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

Dosage forms and preparation

Dosage Forms: Vamshalochana (bamboo manna) Churna (Sitopaladi Churna), Capsule, Tablet, Avaleha, Kwatha (decoction of leaves), Svarasa (stem juice)

Standard Dosage: Vamshalochana: 250 mg-1 g twice daily; Bamboo shoot/leaf preparation: 3-6 g twice daily; as part of Sitopaladi Churna: 1-3 g with honey

Optimal Timing: Traditionally taken after meals with honey in respiratory complaints, or in the morning with warm milk as a general tonic

Storage: Vamshalochana in airtight containers, protected from moisture (silica is hygroscopic). Leaf products in airtight, light-resistant containers at 15-25 deg C.

Marker Compounds: Silicon dioxide (amorphous), Orientin, Vitexin, Isoorientin, Isovitexin, Choline, p-Coumaric acid, Ferulic acid, Tricin

Synergistic Combinations

  • Sitopaladi Churna components: Vamshalochana + Pippali + Ela + Twak + Mishri - classical respiratory formula
  • Pravala Pishti (coral calcium) - complementary mineral supplementation
  • Amalaki - vitamin C enhances silicon absorption
  • Yashtimadhu - demulcent synergy for respiratory conditions

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

  1. Kumari P, Barbhuiya PA, Warjri I and others. 2026. Natural Oil and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Comprehensive Review of Therapeutic BenefitsCurrent topics in medicinal chemistry. PMID 40770474 · doi:10.2174/0115680266370871250726131232

Laboratory and animal studies11

  1. Bohra B, Yadav B, Kumar D and others. 2026. From structure to safety: Material characterization and toxicological evaluation of Vanshlochan (Bambusa bambos (L.) voss [Poaceae]) using AI-assisted and In vivo approachesJournal of ethnopharmacology. PMID 41619864 · doi:10.1016/j.jep.2026.121266
  2. Sain A, Gaur A, Somani P and others. 2025. Bambusa balcooa bamboo-reinforced concrete beams: experimental and FEM investigation for energy-efficient pavement constructionEnvironmental science and pollution research international. PMID 38795293 · doi:10.1007/s11356-024-33661-8
  3. Mahato R, Qaiyum MA, Samal PP and others. 2023. Exploring the promising potential of fallen bamboo leaves (Bambusa bambos) for efficient removal of crystal violet from wastewaterInternational journal of phytoremediation. PMID 36168892 · doi:10.1080/15226514.2022.2125498
  4. Kumar R, Thangaraju MM, Kumar M and others. 2021. Ecological restoration of coal fly ash-dumped area through bamboo plantationEnvironmental science and pollution research international. PMID 33641101 · doi:10.1007/s11356-021-12995-7
  5. Kaushal R, Singh I, Thapliyal SD and others. 2020. Rooting behaviour and soil properties in different bamboo species of Western Himalayan Foothills, IndiaScientific reports. PMID 32188913 · doi:10.1038/s41598-020-61418-z
  6. Sisodia R, Rao IU. 2017. In vitro flowering in Bambusa bambos (L.) Voss, an anatomical perspectiveIndian journal of experimental biology. PMID 30184418
  7. Soumya V, Muzib YI, Venkatesh P. 2016. A novel method of extraction of bamboo seed oil (Bambusa bambos Druce) and its promising effect on metabolic symptoms of experimentally induced polycystic ovarian diseaseIndian journal of pharmacology. PMID 27127318 · doi:10.4103/0253-7613.178833
  8. Sriraman S, Ramanujam GM, Ramasamy M and others. 2015. Identification of beta-sitosterol and stigmasterol in Bambusa bambos (L.) Voss leaf extract using HPLC and its estrogenic effect in vitroJournal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis. PMID 26246431 · doi:10.1016/j.jpba.2015.06.024
  9. Jha A, Kumar A, Saxena RK and others. 2012. Effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculations on seedling growth and biomass productivity of two bamboo speciesIndian journal of microbiology. PMID 23729895 · doi:10.1007/s12088-011-0213-3
  10. Rai V, Dey N. 2012. Identification of programmed cell death related genes in bambooGene. PMID 22326529 · doi:10.1016/j.gene.2012.01.018
  11. Kuila A, Mukhopadhyay M, Tuli DK and others. 2011. Accessibility of Enzymatically Delignified Bambusa bambos for Efficient Hydrolysis at Minimum Cellulase Loading: An Optimization StudyEnzyme research. PMID 21904671 · doi:10.4061/2011/805795

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.