Sutshekhar Rasa (Sootshekhar Ras) – Classical Rasaushadhi – Riddhish Herbals – 100g

Reviewed by Dr. Riddhish Padiya — B.Pharm (Ayurveda), M.Pharm (Pharmacognosy), Ph.D. (Dravyaguna), ITRA Jamnagar. Publications under “Padiya RH”.

About Sutshekhar Rasa

Sutshekhar Rasa is one of the better-known classical rasaushadhi, and it belongs to a class of medicine that is genuinely different from a churna or a kwath. A rasaushadhi is a herbo-mineral preparation: processed minerals and metals, combined with plant drugs, levigated together and given repeated bhavana until the whole becomes a single fine medicine. The pharmacy of it is as important as the ingredient list.

Its classical home is the Amlapitta chapter of the Yogaratnakara, and the formulation reads accordingly: the cooling and aromatic drugs — Ela, Twak, Patra, Nagakeshara, Bilva — sitting alongside the pungent Trikatu trio and a set of processed minerals, with Shankha Bhasma from calcined conch. Seventeen ingredients in equal parts, and then twenty-one bhavanas of Bhringaraja juice, which is a great deal of levigation by any standard.

It is not a self-selected medicine and we are not going to present it as one. Three of its ingredients are named on Schedule E1, the classical dose is measured in a fraction of a gram, and the correct anupana changes with what is being addressed. That is a physician's territory.

What Schedule E1 actually means

What the law requires on the pack, and why. A medicine containing a Schedule E1 substance for internal use must carry, conspicuously on the innermost container and in both English and Hindi, the caution “To be taken under medical supervision” — Rule 161(2) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945. Schedule E1 is a labelling-and-supervision schedule, not a prohibition. That is precisely why every major Indian pharmacy manufactures and sells these formulations openly, and why one of them sits on the National List of Essential AYUSH Medicines. It is also why this page will not tell you a quantity to take: that is your physician's decision and the pack's declaration, not ours.

Read the pack. We have not verified this batch's label against this page. The printed label is the final authority on composition, quantities and cautions.

Traditional Ayurvedic Importance

The classical territory of this formula, as the texts record it, is amlapitta — literally "sour pitta" — together with chhardi (vomiting), shula (piercing pain), gulma, hikka (hiccup), kasa, grahani, mandagni (dulled digestive fire), shirahshula (head pain), bhrama (giddiness) and the pitta type of anidra (sleeplessness). The texts also record garbhini chhardi, vomiting in pregnancy — and we mention that only to say immediately that a formulation containing aconite, Dhattura seed and processed Parada is not something anyone should take in pregnancy on their own reading of a classical index. That specific use is a supervised clinical judgement and nothing else.

We give these as a record of what the classical literature says, with the text named, and not as a promise of any outcome for you. What is appropriate in your case is for a qualified Ayurvedic physician to decide.

What we could not verify, and will not print. No Ayurvedic Formulary of India formulation number is asserted here — the number circulating in secondary sources is single-sourced and we could not reach the AFI itself. Nor is a Bhaishajya Ratnavali verse number given: one widely-read pharmacy page attributes this formula to Bhaishajya Ratnavali while listing mica, coral and pearl calx among its ingredients, none of which belong to it, so we have not followed that page anywhere.

Key Features

• A physician's medicine, and the law says so: three of its ingredients are named on Schedule E1 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, which is why the pack must carry a Rule 161(2) caution in English and Hindi.
• Yogaratnakara, Amlapitta adhikara: a classical rasaushadhi of the amlapitta chapter, not a modern proprietary blend.
• Twenty-one bhavanas of Bhringaraja: the preparation is defined as much by its levigation as by its ingredient list — equal parts, ground, and triturated twenty-one times with Eclipta alba juice.
• Shodhana is not optional: the Vatsanabha and the Dhattura seed enter the formula only after classical purification. Unprocessed material has no place in it.
• Two versions, and we name the difference: plain, and Suvarna Yukta with Swarna Bhasma. Check which one your pack declares.
• Not to be confused with Laghu Sutshekhar Ras, which is a different medicine with none of the Schedule E1 ingredients.
• Genuine, doctor-guided sourcing: bill provided with every pack; a store trusted since 2015, with pan-India delivery.

Research on the Constituents

Composition (label-verified)

Read this before the table. These rows are the CLASSICAL FORMULA as recorded in the Yogaratnakara's Amlapitta section, in equal parts, ground and given twenty-one bhavanas of Bhringaraja juice. They are not a transcription of a printed pack declaration — no physical label was read when this page was built, and no source anywhere gives per-tablet milligram quantities for this formulation. The printed label on your pack is the final authority.

Three ingredients here are named on Schedule E1 — Parada, Vatsanabha and Dhattura beeja — and we have marked each one in the table rather than letting them sit unremarked among seventeen others. Rows 4 and 5 are used only after shodhana; that is not optional and never has been.

There is more than one Sutshekhar Rasa on the market. The plain or Sada version omits Swarna Bhasma. The Suvarna Yukta version — sometimes sold as "with gold" or "No. 1" — includes it. One manufacturer's premium grade adds Rajat, Abhraka and Loha bhasma and Rasa Sindura on top. Which one you have is a label question.

And one name that catches people out: Laghu Sutshekhar Ras is a different medicine entirely — Shuddha Swarna Gairika with Shunthi, given bhavana with Nagavalli juice. It contains no Parada, no aconite and no Dhattura, and it is on the National List of Essential AYUSH Medicines in its own right. "Laghu" does not mean a smaller dose of this formula. It means a different formula.

How to Use

To be used only as a registered Ayurvedic physician directs. Your physician sets the quantity, the anupana and the duration, and the printed pack directions come before anything on this page.

On quantity. The classical range recorded in the literature is 125–250 mg, once or twice daily after food. We print it so that you can recognise a wrong instruction if you are given one, not so that you can set your own. No source we could reach gives per-tablet or per-gram quantities for this pack, which is another reason the label and your physician govern.

The anupana changes with the indication, and that is a real part of how this formulation is used rather than a flourish. Cold cow's milk is the classical vehicle where acidity is the concern; ghee, sometimes with sugar, for head pain and vata conditions; honey for nausea and kapha conditions, sometimes with fresh ginger juice; lukewarm water for indigestion and ama; buttermilk for loose stools; milk with sugar for pitta conditions. Which one applies to you is exactly the sort of thing a physician decides and a web page cannot.

Duration. Practitioner literature discourages continuous use beyond about three months. Courses are set by your physician.

Who Can Use It

Adults, on the prescription of a registered Ayurvedic physician. That is not a formality on this product — it is what Rule 161(2) contemplates for a Schedule E1 medicine, and it is what the pack's own caution says.

Not in pregnancy or while breastfeeding, except where a physician has specifically decided otherwise. The classical texts do record garbhini chhardi among the indications; that is a supervised clinical use, not a licence to self-administer a formulation containing aconite, Dhattura seed and processed Parada.

Not for children under five. Where it is used in older children at all, the quantity is set by the physician.

Contraindicated in renal impairment. Practitioner literature is consistent that rasa preparations as a class are avoided where the kidneys are compromised. Tell your physician about any long-term medication before starting.

Storage

Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight, in the closed original container. Keep it out of the reach and sight of children — this is a physician-directed medicine and a fraction of a gram is a dose.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Sutshekhar Rasa?

A classical Ayurvedic rasaushadhi — a herbo-mineral preparation — recorded in the Yogaratnakara's Amlapitta chapter. Seventeen ingredients in equal parts, given twenty-one bhavanas of Bhringaraja juice. It is a prescription-only medicine.

Does it really contain aconite and Dhattura?

Yes, and we would rather you read it here than discover it later. Shuddha Vatsanabha (Aconitum ferox / A. chasmanthum) and Shuddha Dhattura beeja (Datura metel seed) are both in the classical formula, both after shodhana, and both are named on Schedule E1. So is Shuddha Parada. Baidyanath, Zandu and Shree Dhootapapeshwar all state the same ingredients on their own product pages.

Is it legal to sell in India?

Yes. Schedule E1 is a labelling-and-supervision schedule, not a prohibition. Rule 161(2) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 requires a medicine containing a Schedule E1 substance for internal use to carry, on the innermost container in English and Hindi, the caution “To be taken under medical supervision”. Every major Indian Ayurvedic pharmacy manufactures this formulation.

Why won't this page tell me how much to take?

Because that is your physician's decision and the pack's declaration, not ours. We print the classical range — 125–250 mg once or twice daily after food — so you can recognise a wrong instruction, not so you can set your own. No source we could reach gives per-tablet quantities for this pack.

What is the difference between plain and Suvarna Yukta?

Swarna Bhasma. The plain or Sada version omits it; the Suvarna Yukta version — also sold as "with gold" or "No. 1" — includes it. One manufacturer's premium grade goes further and adds Rajat, Abhraka and Loha bhasma with Rasa Sindura. Check what your pack declares.

Is Laghu Sutshekhar Ras the same thing in a smaller dose?

No, and this catches people out regularly. Laghu Sutshekhar Ras is a different medicine altogether — Shuddha Swarna Gairika with Shunthi, given bhavana with Nagavalli juice. It contains no Parada, no aconite and no Dhattura. It is on the National List of Essential AYUSH Medicines in its own right. "Laghu" names a different formula, not a lighter dose.

What is the recommended anupan?

It changes with the indication, which is part of why this is a supervised medicine. Cold cow's milk where acidity is the concern; ghee for head pain and vata conditions; honey, sometimes with fresh ginger juice, for nausea and kapha conditions; lukewarm water for indigestion; buttermilk for loose stools. Your physician chooses.

Can I take it during pregnancy?

Not on your own reading. The classical texts do list garbhini chhardi — vomiting in pregnancy — among the indications, and some physicians do use it there. But this formulation contains aconite, Dhattura seed and processed Parada, and that decision belongs entirely to a registered practitioner who has you in front of them.

What does the classical text say it is for?

Amlapitta above all, and with it chhardi, shula, gulma, hikka, kasa, grahani, mandagni, shirahshula, bhrama and the pitta type of anidra. We give that as a record of the literature with the text named, not as a promise of any outcome for you.

Has it been studied scientifically?

Not in anything we can point you to and stand behind. NCBI returns a bot-check to us, so no PubMed record was verified while this page was built and nothing is attributed to any authors here. Nothing published establishes the safety of this specific formulation — absence of a reported harm is not evidence of safety.

Is this AYUSH or GMP certified?

Any AYUSH Standard Mark, GMP mark or manufacturing licence number appears on the physical pack, along with the Rule 161(2) caution. We state such marks only where they are verified on the pack itself.

Is it available at Riddhish Herbals?

Yes — Sutshekhar Rasa 100 g is stocked at riddhishherbals.com and at our Gujarat retail stores, with a proper bill and doctor-guided selection since 2015. It is supplied as a physician-directed medicine.

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