Musta

 Musta is small weed that grows through out India especially in waste fields with water. The herb is commonly known as Nut grass and have many therapeutic uses. The best Ayurveda Doctor, Dr. Varun Ram Raj of Ayurvedatarian uses the herb Musta for the treatment diseases caused by the vitiation of Pitta Kapha doshas as the herb is Pitta Kapha samaka in it’s action. Musta is used to treat numerous diseases including Diarrhoea , Fever etc. Nowadays it’s also used as an astringent , digestant and antiinflammatory agent as it contains Phytoconstituents like cyperene, linolenic etc.

General aspects and geography

Botanical name : Cyperus rotundus        

Family :  Cyperaceae 

Habitat: Through out India 

Parts used

• Tubers

Classical categorization based on Ayurveda textbooks

Charaka Samhita – Kandughna varga (alleviate itching)

Susruta Samhita – Mustadi gana

Pharmacological action

• Astringent 
• Digestant 
• Anthelmintic 
• Appetizer 

Medicinal property according to Ayurveda

• Dipana (carminative )
• Jwarahara (Antipyretic )
• Krimighna (kills worms)
• Kushtaghna (Alleviate skin disorders)

Therapeutic indications

• Diarrhoea (Atisara )- Decoction of Musta if taken internally with honey will check diarrhoea
• Fever (Jwara)- Decoction or cold infusion of Musta checks all types of Fever 

Dosage

Powder (Churna) – 3 g

Decoction (kwatha )- 90 ml

Tablet - 2 tablets twice daily or as per the advice of the Ayurveda doctor 

Note: Ayurveda medications must be taken only after consulting an Ayurveda doctor. 

Formulations 

• Mustakarishta  
• Mustadi leha
• Mustakadi kwatha 

Morphology :

A perennial herb with rigid stem. Leaves are flat. Inflorescence is spike. Flowers are small. Fruits are nuts.

Vernacular names 

English – nut grass

Hindi- korehi jhar

Malayalam – karimuttan

Sanskrit – musta 

Synonyms 

• Sugandhi
• Prachyam
• Gangeyi

Rasapanchaka of Musta

Rasa-  Kashaya (Astringent ) Tikta (Bitter )

Guna-  Laghu (light)

Vipaka- Katu (Acrid)

Virya-  sita (cold)

मुस्तं कटुहिमं ग्राहि तिक्तं दीपन पाचनम् 

कषायं कफपित्तास्रतृज्वरारुचि जन्तुहृत् ।

(Bhavaprakasa Nighantu -Karpuradi varga-shloka 93)

Musta is Pitta Kapha samaka because of it’s properties like Katu vipaka and cold potency . The herb is used to alleviate diseases caused by Pitta and Kapha doshas like Fever and Diarrhoea etc. Ayurvedatarian lead by the best Ayurveda Doctor,  Dr. Varun Ram Raj, is currently conducting various researches based on ancient Ayurvedic textbooks, involving Musta for preparing various combinations of medicines to alleviate conditions involving vitiation of Kapha and Pitta. Reach Ayurvedatarian for better health management.

Frequently asked Questions

1)What are the uses of Mustadi kwatha ?

   Used for alleviating chronic fever 

2)What is the scientific name of Musta ?

Botanical name of Musta is Cyperus rotundus