Vasavaleha: Benefits, Uses, Side Effects, Precautions & More!

Introduction

Vasavaleha is an effective Ayurvedic formulation for respiratory tract illnesses like asthma, bronchitis, and chronic cough. Vasa is an effective treatment for respiratory conditions such as asthma, cough, and bronchitis. In addition to volatile oils, Vasa has a chemical similar to bromhexine chloride, which is why it works so well as an expectorant. 

Vasa is utilized chiefly for its roots, leaves, and flowers. Vasa works as an expectorant, which loosens the sticky phlegm and makes it easier to expel it from the chest and air passages. It relieves asthma attacks by reducing bronchial tree irritation and spasm. It also helps manage pharyngitis and persistent cough by soothing the throat¹.

Constituents of Vasavaleha

Vasavaleha is a mixture of different ayurvedic herbs. Vasavaleha ingredients include: 

• Vasa: Vasa is a herb in traditional medicine well-known for managing bronchitis. Vasa is made up of fresh and dried Adhatoda vasica leaves. Vasa contains alkaloids such as vasicine (bronchodilator and expectorant) and other alkaloids such as vasicinone, vasicinolone, and vasinol¹.
• Shakara: Misri refers to crystallized sugar lumps and is a sort of confectionery mineral that originated in India and Persia. The cooling of a supersaturated sugar solution resulted in the formation of crystals. Misri, often known as rock candy, is a mouth freshener popular in India and combined with fennel for eating after a meal¹.
• Pippali: Piper longum, also known as Pippali, contains alkaloids, resins, waxy alkaloids, terpenoids, piperine, piplartine, piplasterol, sesamin, steroids, and glycosides, as well as essential oils, and alkaloids¹.
• Goghrita: Goghrita is commonly known as ghee. Cow’s milk is used to make it. Ghee stimulates ojas and builds up the internal juices of the body (rasa), which are damaged by ageing.  
• Madhu: Madhu is a type of anupana that is extensively utilised.   It inhibits bacterial colonisation and proliferation in tissues. Madhu’s ability to stimulate phagocytosis, detoxifying and proteolytic (enzymes that break down proteins) action has been noted¹.

Uses of Vasavaleha

There are various potential vasavaleha uses, including:

• Vasavaleha relieves cough, cold, rhinitis, blood disorders, asthma, chest pain, flank pain, and fever.    
• Patients who are accustomed to taking anti-asthmatic medications can achieve greater therapeutic efficacy if they take vasavaleha too on a regular basis. The formulation should be taken with Nagagutika or Pushkaramoolasava for best results in colds and rhinitis.  
• Vasavaleha is given with cow’s milk if there is bleeding from the nose.    
• Vasavaleha’s robust expectorant (promotes the secretion of sputum) and bronchodilatory (opening up of the small airways in the lung) effects are reported to be beneficial in the treatment of phlegm, nasal blockage, and sinusitis¹.

Vasavaleha consists of various herbal plants that have medicinal properties. One of them is Pippali which helps in improving immunity. As Pippali is a part of Vasavaleha, the use of Vasavaleha might be useful in boosting immunity⁶.

Dr. Siddharth Gupta, B.A.M.S, M.D (Ayu)

Benefits of Vasavaleha

1. Benefits of Vasavaleha for Cough

• Vasavaleha shows antitussive activity.
• Vasicine present in vasavaleha extracts dilates the bronchioles or air passages in the lungs.
• The different phytoconstituents present in vasa also have cough suppressing properties and act on the brain, specifically the medulla².

2. Benefits of Vasavaleha for Infections

Vasavaleha has shown antimicrobial activity against various microbial strains like Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumonia, Salmonella typhimurium, and Staphylococcus aureus². 

3. Benefits of Vasavaleha as an Antioxidant

• Vasavaleha has strong antioxidant properties.
• This makes vasavaleha a good supplement to be taken for typhoid when the body’s antioxidant system is failing.
• Vasavaleha helps tackle the free radicals and reactive oxygen species generated in the body, leading to cardiovascular problems, Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, cataract formation, and other conditions².

4. Benefits of Vasavaleha for the Heart

• Vasavaleha has pippali, which contains various phytochemicals that have cardioprotective (protect the heart from injury, disease or malfunction) properties.
• Vasa contains vasicine and vasicinone, which also show depressant effects on the heart^2,3. 

5. Benefits of Vasavaleha for Diabetes

Pippali present in vasavaleha has been proven to have strong anti-hyperglycemic properties, that is, it reduces blood sugar levels; anti-lipid peroxidative, and antioxidant properties when given orally in rats^3. 

6. Benefits of Vasavaleha for Ulcers

Vasa leaf powder present in vasavaleha significantly prevents and treats ulcers of the stomach or duodenum walls².

Please note that some of the benefits and traditional uses of vasavaleha discussed above need to be studied and researched more to establish the real extent of the vasavaleha benefits, as the information available is insufficient.

Some studies show that Vasavaleha might be beneficial for managing COVID-19. COVID-19 is characterised by an itchy throat with a dry cough. As Vasavaleha is a potent medicine in managing respiratory diseases, it has potential benefits against COVID-19 signs and symptoms⁷.

Dr. Rajeev Singh, BAMS

How to Use Vasavaleha?

Vasavaleha is a paste-like semisolid formulation. It can be taken with milk or warm water¹.

Your Ayurvedic physician will prescribe you the dose and form according to your medical condition.  

Side Effects of Vasavaleha

Vasavaleha is safe to use in humans. It shows no documented side effects. There isn’t enough credible information to show if vasavaleha is safe or what the potential adverse effects are when it’s used as medicine².

Precautions to Take with Vasavaleha

• When using it on diabetic people, extreme caution should be exercised².
• Use caution in pregnancy because pippali is known to show contraceptive properties⁴. 

Interaction with Other Drugs

Interaction of vasavaleha with anti-diabetic medications

Vasavaleha is a combination of vasa and pippali. Piperine in pippali lowered blood sugar levels in some studies. Indian long pepper could interact with diabetes medications causing blood sugar levels to drop too low. If you take Indian long pepper, keep a watchful eye on your blood sugar levels. The doses of your diabetic medications might need adjustments⁴.

Interaction of vasavaleha with propranolol

Pippali present in vasavaleha may increase the amount of propranolol absorbed by the body. Taking propranolol with Indian long pepper may increase the drug’s effects and adverse effects⁵.

Also Read: Ginkgo Biloba (Maidenhair Tree): Uses, Benefits, Precautions and More!

Conclusion

Vasavaleha is a well-known Ayurvedic formulation traditionally used to support respiratory health and manage conditions such as cough, asthma, bronchitis, rhinitis, and throat irritation. Its combination of herbs like Vasa, Pippali, Madhu, and Goghrita contributes to its antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. In addition to respiratory benefits, Vasavaleha may also offer supportive effects for immunity, heart health, ulcers, and blood sugar management. However, several traditional uses and preliminary studies highlight that more scientific research is needed to confirm its effectiveness and safety in various health conditions. It is important to use Vasavaleha under the guidance of a qualified Ayurvedic practitioner, especially for pregnant women, people with diabetes, and individuals taking other medications, to avoid possible interactions and ensure safe usage.

Also Read: Behada (Bibhitaki): Uses, Benefits, Side Effects & More!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

References

1. Chander, Paul & Kashyap, & Arya, Vikrant & Arora, Ashish & Pharmacognosy, M & Kashyap, Vikrant & Arya, Ashish & Arora,. (2014). An approach towards adopting pharmaceutical and analytical standard operative procedures for “Vasavaleha”, a classical Ayurvedic semisolid dosage formulation. 53-57. Available from: https://www.phytojournal.com/archives/2014/vol3issue2/PartA/12.1.pdf

2. Baral PK, Roy S, Sultana S. A review article on Adhatoda vasica Nees: A potential source of bioactive compounds. Int J Dev Res. 2018;8:14159. Available from: https://www.journalijdr.com/review-article-adhatoda-vasica-nees-potential-source-bioactive-compounds

3. Khandhar, Amit & Patel, Samir & Patel, Archita & Zaveri, Maitreyi & Lecturer, Sr. (2010). Chemistry and pharmacology of Piper Longum L. International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Review and Research. Volume 5. 67-76. Available from: https://globalresearchonline.net/journalcontents/volume5issue1/article-010.pdf

4. Atal, S., Atal, S., Vyas, S., & Phadnis, P. (2016). Bio-enhancing Effect of Piperine with Metformin on Lowering Blood Glucose Level in Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Mice. Pharmacognosy research, 8(1), 56–60. Available from: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4753761/  

5. Bano, G., Raina, R. K., Zutshi, U., Bedi, K. L., Johri, R. K., & Sharma, S. C. (1991). Effect of piperine on bioavailability and pharmacokinetics of propranolol and theophylline in healthy volunteers. European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 41(6), 615–617. doi:10.1007/bf00314996 . Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1815977/

6. Paneliya AM, Patgiri B, Galib R, Prajapati PK. Efficacy of Vasa Avaleha and its granules on Tamaka Shwasa (bronchial asthma): Open-label randomized clinical study. AYU 2015;36:271-7. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27313413/
7. Khan A, Gurmule R. Role of Vasavaleha in the management of COVID-19. Int J Res Pharm Sci. 2020;11(SPL1):259-261. doi:10.26452/ijrps.v11iSPL1.2710. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343429489_Role_of_Vasavaleha_in_the_management_of_Covid19

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