Vasaka: An Ayurvedic Herb For Asthma

Herbs are like people in that they have unique personalities that can be understood through dravyaguna.

Dravyaguna is the system of Ayurvedic pharmacology that was developed thousands of years ago before chromatography and mass spectrometry and so it relies on qualities deciphered through taste. This is the monograph for Vasaka.

Vasaka, Your Saturnine Father

Latin name: Adhatoda vasica

Character: The Ultimate Astringent

If you were to look up the definition of astringent in a dictionary you would come up with something like stern or severe. If you have an interest in Vedic astrology then the planet that comes to mind would be Saturn. I remember reading Dr. Svoboda’s “The Greatness of Saturn” every Saturday for a month in order to fully understand the subtleties of Saturn. Although there is still more to learn I can see the benefits from the “stern or severe” discipline that Saturn requires.

While Vasaka does not appear to be especially stern on the surface it is very astringent. In the context of herbs this means “a substance that contracts the tissues or canals of the body, thereby diminishing discharges.” Vasaka’s natural strengths allow it to be useful when a drying effect is needed, especially on the lungs and the colon. This effect helps to create more integrity in the tissues.

Integrity is often the goal of being stern or severe with yourself or others. Vasaka, like Saturn edits what is not needed from your life. This action is also shown in how Vasaka is able to dilate the bronchial passageways in the lungs to help them remove any excess mucus.

Guna: light, dry

Rasa:  bitter, astringent

Vipaka: pungent

Virya:  cold

Prabhava: treats asthma

Main Action:  Bronchodilator, antispasmodic, bitter tonic, febrifuge, alterative

Action on Doshas: Balances Pitta and Kapha

Action on Dhatus: Rejuvenates plasma, blood, fat

Description:

In Ayurveda, Vasaka has primarily been used in lung conditions characterized by shortness of breath, bronchospasm, and mucus or fluids in the lungs. Vasaka’s astringent nature can both help tone the lung tissue and improve its integrity while simultaneously removing unwanted guests. This allows it to remove the stagnation in the lungs. As the lungs oxygenate the blood the blood is also affected by Vasaka.

One of its primary uses is to stop internal bleeding from ulcers or excess menses. Another less known action of Vasaka is that it has been shown (Gogte 2000) to stimulate the Vagus nerve leading to lower blood pressure. This most likely happens by improving the function of the vessel walls of capillaries, veins, and arteries.

Main Uses of Vasaka:

1. Hemorrhoids
2. Blood in the lungs
3. Hepatitis
4. Asthma
5. Cough
6. Chronic Bronchitis

Precautions: Do not use vasaka during pregnancy. Only use vasaka for two-month periods as it can cause low blood pressure.