Sukumaram Kashayam: An Age-Old Ayurvedic Formulation for Women’s Health

Reviewed by Experts

Sukumara Kashayam is an ayurvedic formulation of 27 medicinal herbs and essential elements including Ashwagandha, Payasya, Krishnamoola, Sunthi, and Shatavari, among others. This ancient mix has been in use in traditional medicine as a cure for gynecological disorders like menstrual syndromes including abdominal cramps, nausea, headache, and more.
The presence of various components like Shatavari, jeeraka and eranda enable Sukumaram Kashayam to offer such ayurvedic health benefits. This has been traditionally used to treat uterine disorders and premenstrual syndromes, enhance female fertility, hernia, gastrointestinal disorders, etc.

Let us take a look at the ingredients of Sukumara Kashayam.

Ingredients of Sukumara Kashayam

Sukumara Yoga is a medicine made with a number of constituent plants or plant parts.

The names of the ingredient plants are mentioned below. [1]

Ingredient	Scientific Names
1. Punarnava	Boerhaavia diffusa
2. Vilwa	Aegle marmelos
3. Kasmari	Gmelina arborea
4. Patala	Stereospermum suaveolens
5. Syonaka	Oroxylum indicum
6. Agnimantha	Premna corymbosa
7. Prisniparni	Desmodium gangeticum
8. Saliparni	Pseudarthria viscida
9. Kantakari	Solanum melongena
10. Bhadra	Aerua lanata
11. Gokshura	Tribulus terrestris
12. Payasya	Holostemma annulare
13. Ashwagandha	Withania somnifera
14. Eranda	Ricinus communis
15. Satavari	Asparagus racemosus
16. Darbha	Desmostachya bipinnata
17. Kusa	Eragrostis cynosuroides
18. Sara	Saccharum spontaneum
19. Kasa	Imperata cylindrica
20. Ikshumoola	Saccharum officinarum (sugar cane root)
21. Potagala	Sphearanthus hirtus
22. Krishna	Piper longum (long pepper)
23. Krishnamoola	Piper longum (root) (long pepper root)
24. Yasthimadhu	Glycyrrhiza glabra
25. Mridweeka	Vitis vinnifera (dry grapes)
26.Yavani	Cuminum cyminum
27.Shunthi	Zingiber officinale (ginger)

Benefits of Sukumara Kashayam

1. Treats Female Infertility

Sukumara Kashayam uses are immense. It  is an excellent, natural fertility enhancer that can help women experiencing difficulty conceiving. It also helps in cases of unknown infertility, as Ayurveda believes that when the reasons are not obvious, infertility can be attributed to a weak uterus. Sukumara Kashayam with a combination of other Ayurvedic herbs, can help treat this condition.

2. Treats Dysmenorrhea (Menstrual Cramps)

Sukumara Kashayam has antispasmodic properties, which can relieve the pain caused by menstrual cramps. It acts on prostaglandins, which are considered to be associated with severe menstrual cramps. Another reason for menstrual cramps is a blockage in the blood vessels of the uterus. Sukumara Kashayam clears such blockages and makes the blood flow easily, which in turn can help with dysmenorrhea.

According to Ayurveda, premenstrual syndrome occurs due to aggravated vata and pitta doshas. Sukumara Kashayam holds the potential to pacify these doshas and relieve symptoms such as mood swings, fatigue, irritability, and tenderness of the breasts.

3. Treats Ovarian Cysts

Ovarian cysts are not exactly classified in Ayurvedic texts, but they can fall under the broad term granthi (tumor). Unbalanced doshas and Dhatus are considered to be the main reasons for Granthi. Sukumaram Kashayam is to bring a balance in the doshas and Dhatus that results in relieving ovarian cysts. 

4. Treats PCOS 

PCOS stands for polycystic ovary syndrome. PCOS is a major cause of infertility in women. Hormonal imbalance is a major trigger for this condition and can lead to several other health complications, such as the formation of ovarian cysts and more. Sukumara Kashayam takes a holistic approach to treating PCOS and uterus-related issues. 

5. Treats Amenorrhea

Amenorrhea is a condition when a woman suffers from absent periods. Sukumara Kashayam when combined with certain other Ayurvedic herbs can help cure amenorrhea and can be used to regulate periods as well.

6. Helps with Digestive Issues 

Aggravated Vata Dosha in the abdomen can lead to digestive issues and intestinal problems such as hernia, constipation, flatulence, and intestinal spasms. Sukumara Kashayam helps cure all such issues by soothing the Vata Dosha and bringing a natural balance to them.

7. Helps in treating Uterine fibroids

Sukumaram kashayam for fibroids: Sukumaram Kashayam, along with other ayurvedic plants like chandraprabha vati and kanchar guggal, helps reduce the size of the uterine fibroids. A continuous treatment for 3-6 months can eliminate the fibroid.

8. Helps in treating Peptic ulcer

The anti-inflammatory properties of Sukumaram Kashayam help deal with various types of ulcers, such as peptic, stomach, and nasal ulcers.

9. Endometriosis & Menorrhagia

Sukumaram Kashayam helps in establishing the hormonal balance, which in turn helps to cure disorders like endometriosis and menorrhagia

10. After Delivery & Miscarriage

Post-delivery or after a miscarriage, the Sukumaram Kashayam aids in pacifying the Vata and Kapha and thus decreases its ill effects.

11. Helps in weight loss

As Sukumaram Kashayam is known for its ability to improve digestion and metabolism, it indirectly helps in effectively dealing with weight loss. This is one of the common reasons why people prefer to consume Sukumaram Kashayam for weight loss.

Uses of Sukumara Kashayam

1. Sukumara Kashayam is given to women who have difficult or painful periods. It can help with lower back pain and nausea that women experience during their periods.
2. Sukumara Kashayam is also used for fertility treatment in women.
3. It has Kapha-Vata hara properties. It can balance out Kapha and Vata Doshas in our body.
4. It can help with vomiting and loose motions during periods.
5. It helps in balancing out the free radical activity, as it exhibits a high anti-oxidant activity.

Recommended Dosage of Sukumara Kashayam ^[1]

1. Ingredient herbs are blended in equal quantities to form a coarse powder.
2. This powder is then soaked in water for one whole night.
3. The next morning, 8 parts of water are added to this paste-like formulation and heated on low flame till the quantity becomes one-fourth of the original volume.
4. This Kashayam is filtered and taken warm as per the advice of the medical practitioner.
5. Usually, 5ml of this Kashayam is mixed with an equal part of water and taken before food.
6. This medicine is also available in tablet form and the dose is usually two tablets twice a day before food.

Side Effects of Sukumara Kashayam ^[1]

There are no observed side effects of Sukumara Kashayam. However, there are a few things you need to keep in mind:

1. Spasmodic dysmenorrhoea (period cramps) is primarily caused by the clotting of menstrual blood. These blood clots are difficult to expel and result in pain. Sukumara Kashayam stops this from happening. However, this might also result in heavier blood flow during menstruation.
2. It is a herbal decoction and a mix of many ingredients. Individual herbal allergies should be kept in mind while taking this.
3. One should always consult a medical expert before starting any treatment related to their reproductive health. Your individual needs can be very different from the generic use cases.

FAQs

The Takeaway 

Sukumara Kashayam is an Ayurvedic formulation that is known to benefit women largely. It has a positive impact on conditions such as female infertility, dysmenorrhea, premenstrual syndrome, ovarian cysts, PCOS, and others. It is advised to consult an expert Ayurvedic vaidya before taking Sukumara Kashayam, as they will be able to better guide you based on your health condition and will also suggest the right combination of herbs and supplements to be taken with it to get the best results. 

Disclaimer

This article is written from a health and wellness perspective and is not medical advice. Kindly seek the help of a certified medical practitioner before initiating any treatment.

References

1. Antioxidant Study of One Ayurvedic Medicine, “Sukumara Kashayam”
2. This ancient mix has been in use in traditional medicine as a cure for gynaecological disorders like menstruation and severe back pain during menstruation. (https://www.researchgate.net/)
3. The names of the ingredient plants are mentioned below.(https://www.researchgate.net/)
4. It can help with lower back pain and nausea that women experience during their periods. (https://www.researchgate.net/)
5. Usually, 5ml of this Kashayam is mixed with an equal part of water and taken before food. (https://www.researchgate.net/)