Photo: പ്രശാന്ത് ഇറവങ്കര / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Payasa क्षीरविदारी
Ipomoea paniculata
Also known as: Payasa (Kshir Vidari)
Part used: Root
| 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: Ipomoea paniculata
- Part used: Root
- Dosha action: Balances Kapha & Vata
- Typical dose: Tuber powder 3–6 g twice daily with milk; fresh juice 10–20 ml.
Payasa in other languages
Introduction
Payasa, given here as Kshira Vidari (Ipomoea paniculata, also known as I. mauritiana), is a large morning-glory whose heavy tuber yields a milky juice — the source of the name, which means milk-vidari.
It is a sweet, cooling, nourishing drug of the Brimhana group, used in wasting, weakness and to promote breast milk, and it is a common substitute for Vidari.
Classification
Family Convolvulaceae. The tuberous root is officinal. Rasa: Madhura. Guna: Guru, Snigdha. Virya: Sheeta. Vipaka: Madhura. Doshaghnata: pacifies Vata and Pitta.
Uses & benefits
Given in emaciation, debility and convalescence, and as a Stanyajanana drug to promote breast milk. Also used as a Vrishya drug in the Vajikarana preparations. In this catalogue it appears in Balarishta.
Kshira Vidari as a Brimhana drug
Sweet, heavy and cooling, it rebuilds tissue in wasting and after long illness, taken with milk.
Kshira Vidari for lactation
One of the classical Stanyajanana drugs, given after delivery to support milk production.
Dosage — how much to take
Tuber powder 3–6 g twice daily with milk; fresh juice 10–20 ml.
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 Payasa?
The citations held for Payasa in this catalogue are: Charaka Samhita (Sutrasthana 4 — Brimhaniya group); Bhavaprakasha Nighantu (Guduchyadi Varga — Kshira Vidari).
What does the Charaka Samhita record about Payasa?
Grouped with the tissue-building drugs. Reference: Charaka Samhita — Sutrasthana 4 — Brimhaniya group.
What does the Bhavaprakasha Nighantu record about Payasa?
Madhura rasa, sheeta virya; brimhana and stanyajanana. Reference: Bhavaprakasha Nighantu — Guduchyadi Varga — Kshira Vidari.
What is Payasa traditionally used for in Ayurveda?
Given in emaciation, debility and convalescence, and as a Stanyajanana drug to promote breast milk. Also used as a Vrishya drug in the Vajikarana preparations. In this catalogue it appears in Balarishta.
What are the Ayurvedic properties of Payasa?
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 Payasa classified the way it is?
In dravya-guna a drug's dosha action follows from its taste, qualities, potency and post-digestive effect. Payasa carries Ushna (Hot) virya and Katu (Pungent) vipaka, which together give the recorded action: Balances Kapha & Vata.
Which part of Payasa is used medicinally?
The part used is Root.
How much Payasa is taken, and how?
Tuber powder 3–6 g twice daily with milk; fresh juice 10–20 ml. Dosage varies with age, constitution and condition — confirm it with a qualified Vaidya.
When should Payasa be avoided?
Heavy and sweet; may aggravate Kapha and is less suited to sluggish digestion or obesity. Diabetics should note the starch content. Several Ipomoea species are traded under similar names — confirm the botanical.
Where does Payasa grow?
A large climber of moist forest and hedges across India, common in Bengal, the Western Ghats and the sub-Himalayan tract.
Classical references
- Bhavaprakasha Nighantu — Guduchyadi Varga — Kshira Vidari
Madhura rasa, sheeta virya; brimhana and stanyajanana. - Charaka Samhita — Sutrasthana 4 — Brimhaniya group
Grouped with the tissue-building drugs.
Safety & precautions
Heavy and sweet; may aggravate Kapha and is less suited to sluggish digestion or obesity. Diabetics should note the starch content. Several Ipomoea species are traded under similar names — confirm the botanical.
Where it grows
A large climber of moist forest and hedges across India, common in Bengal, the Western Ghats and the sub-Himalayan tract.
Frequently asked questions
Is this the same as Vidari?
Closely related in use. Vidari proper is Pueraria tuberosa; Kshira Vidari is this Ipomoea, a recognised substitute with a similar sweet, nourishing action.
Why "milk" vidari?
The cut tuber exudes a milky juice, and the drug is used to promote milk — both readings are given in the texts.
