Photo: Daderot / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Padhmakh पद्माख
Prunus cerasoides
Also known as: Padhmakh (Padmaka), Padam Kasht, Prunus puddum
Part used: Heartwood, Stem
| Rasa (taste) | Tikta (Bitter), Kashaya (Astringent) |
|---|---|
| Guna (qualities) | Laghu (Light), Ruksha (Dry) |
| Virya (potency) | Ushna (Hot) |
| Vipaka | Katu (Pungent) |
| Dosha | Balances Kapha & Vata |
| Prabhava | Classical systemic action |
Key takeaways
- Botanical name: Prunus cerasoides
- Part used: Heartwood, Stem
- Dosha action: Balances Kapha & Vata
- Typical dose: Heartwood powder 3–6 g per day; as decoction 50–100 ml twice daily.
Padhmakh in other languages
Introduction
Padhmakh, classically Padmaka (Prunus cerasoides), is the Himalayan wild cherry. Its fragrant heartwood, not its fruit, is the drug — cut, it smells faintly of almonds.
Ayurveda uses Padmaka as a cooling, complexion-improving wood. It appears in the Varnya group for the skin, in preparations for burning and thirst, and in the classical formulations given for bleeding and for disorders of pregnancy.
Classification
Family Rosaceae. Heartwood and stem bark are officinal. Rasa: Tikta and Kashaya. Guna: Laghu, Snigdha. Virya: Sheeta. Vipaka: Katu. Doshaghnata: pacifies Pitta and Kapha.
Uses & benefits
Used where heat has to be drawn out of the blood: burning sensations, thirst, vomiting and hot skin eruptions. As a Varnya drug it is a component of complexion oils and pastes, and it appears in Ushirasava and Chandanasava, the classical cooling liquids of this catalogue.
Padmaka as a Varnya drug
Charaka lists Padmaka among the drugs that improve complexion. It is used in facial pastes and medicated oils where the aim is to settle heat in the skin rather than to nourish it.
Padmaka for burning and thirst
Its cool, astringent wood is used in Daha and Trishna — burning and unquenchable thirst — usually as one wood among several in a cooling decoction.
Dosage — how much to take
Heartwood powder 3–6 g per day; as decoction 50–100 ml twice daily. Most often used as part of a cooling compound.
Dosage varies with age, constitution and condition — confirm with a qualified Vaidya.
Traditional uses — questions answered from the classical texts
Answers are drawn from the citations and properties recorded for this drug. No chapter-and-verse reference appears that the record does not carry.
Which classical texts describe Padhmakh?
The citations held for Padhmakh in this catalogue are: Charaka Samhita (Sutrasthana 4 — Varnya group); Bhavaprakasha Nighantu (Karpuradi Varga — Padmaka).
What does the Charaka Samhita record about Padhmakh?
Listed among drugs that improve complexion. Reference: Charaka Samhita — Sutrasthana 4 — Varnya group.
What does the Bhavaprakasha Nighantu record about Padhmakh?
Tikta-kashaya rasa, sheeta virya; daha and trishna. Reference: Bhavaprakasha Nighantu — Karpuradi Varga — Padmaka.
What is Padhmakh traditionally used for in Ayurveda?
Used where heat has to be drawn out of the blood: burning sensations, thirst, vomiting and hot skin eruptions. As a Varnya drug it is a component of complexion oils and pastes, and it appears in Ushirasava and Chandanasava, the classical cooling liquids of this catalogue.
What are the Ayurvedic properties of Padhmakh?
Rasa Tikta (Bitter), Kashaya (Astringent), Guna Laghu (Light), Ruksha (Dry), Virya Ushna (Hot), Vipaka Katu (Pungent). Dosha action: Balances Kapha & Vata. Prabhava: Classical systemic action.
Why is Padhmakh classified the way it is?
In dravya-guna a drug's dosha action follows from its taste, qualities, potency and post-digestive effect. Padhmakh carries Ushna (Hot) virya and Katu (Pungent) vipaka, which together give the recorded action: Balances Kapha & Vata.
Which part of Padhmakh is used medicinally?
The part used is Heartwood, Stem.
How much Padhmakh is taken, and how?
Heartwood powder 3–6 g per day; as decoction 50–100 ml twice daily. Most often used as part of a cooling compound. Dosage varies with age, constitution and condition — confirm it with a qualified Vaidya.
When should Padhmakh be avoided?
Well tolerated. Being cooling it is less suitable in cold, Kapha-dominant conditions and in the winter months without a warming adjuvant. Consult a physician in pregnancy — the wood appears in classical obstetric formulae but at defined doses.
Where does Padhmakh grow?
A tree of the temperate Himalaya from Kashmir to Bhutan between roughly 1,200 and 2,400 m, flowering in autumn. Heartwood is the traded part.
Classical references
- Charaka Samhita — Sutrasthana 4 — Varnya group
Listed among drugs that improve complexion. - Bhavaprakasha Nighantu — Karpuradi Varga — Padmaka
Tikta-kashaya rasa, sheeta virya; daha and trishna.
Safety & precautions
Well tolerated. Being cooling it is less suitable in cold, Kapha-dominant conditions and in the winter months without a warming adjuvant. Consult a physician in pregnancy — the wood appears in classical obstetric formulae but at defined doses.
Where it grows
A tree of the temperate Himalaya from Kashmir to Bhutan between roughly 1,200 and 2,400 m, flowering in autumn. Heartwood is the traded part.
Frequently asked questions
Is the cherry fruit used?
No. The medicinal part is the fragrant heartwood; the fruit of the Himalayan wild cherry is not the drug.
Why does Padmaka appear in cooling asavas?
Because its sheeta virya settles Pitta in the blood. That is why it is found in Ushirasava and Chandanasava alongside sandalwood and khus.
