Rasa (Taste)
Katu
The primary taste perceived on the tongue.
Danti (Wild Castor, Wild Croton)
A stout monoecious leafy shrub, 0.9-2 m high.
Medicinal Plant
Danti (Wild Castor, Wild Croton)
Baliospermum montanum Muell. · Euphorbiaceae
A stout monoecious leafy shrub, 0.9-2 m high.
Scientific Name
Baliospermum montanum Muell.
Family
Euphorbiaceae
Hindi Name
Danti
Used Part
Mool (root), Phala(fruit)
Botanical Description
About the Danti Plant
Morphology and field-identification notes as documented in our Dravyaguna library.
A stout monoecious leafy shrub, 0.9-2 m high. Distributed in tropical and subtropical Himalayas and in South India also. Leaves- sinuate-toothed, lower large, 15-30 cm long, oblong-ovate or rounded; upper small 5-8 cm long, lanceolate; petioles with a pair of stipular glands. Flowers- in axillary racemes, all male or with a few female below.Fruit- capsule, obovoid, large. Seeds- oblong, mottled. Flowers occur in March-April and fruits appear later.
Ayurvedic Properties
Rasa Panchaka — Classical Properties
The five-fold framework Ayurveda uses to describe a drug — Rasa, Guna, Vipaka, Veerya and its effect on the doshas.
Guna (Qualities)
Guru, Tikshna
Physical and energetic attributes of the dravya.
Vipaka (Post-digestive Effect)
Katu
Taste that emerges after complete digestion.
Dosha Karma (Action on Doshas)
Kapha Pitta Hara
Effect on Vata, Pitta and Kapha doshas.
Veerya (Potency)
Ushna
Heating (ushna) or cooling (sheeta) energy.
Ayurvedic Actions (Karma)
Rechaka, Bhedana, Dipaniya, Krumighna, Shothahara
Modern Phytochemistry
Chemistry & Pharmacology
How modern science maps onto the classical understanding of this dravya.
Pharmacological Action
What the Science Says
Purgative, Anticancer, Anti-inflammatory, Anti-diabetic, Anti-asthmatic, Diaphoretic, Diuretic, Immunomodulatory, Anti-microbial, Anthelmintic
Phytoconstituents
Active Compounds
Baliospermin, Montanin, Axillarenic acid
Therapeutic Usage
Clinical Applications of Danti
Classical Ayurvedic indications drawn directly from the Dravyaguna tradition — paired with the preparations recommended in shastra.
01
Danti, Citarak, Snuhi ksira, Arka ksira, Guda, Bhallataka bija & Kasisa are made into paste and applied locally in gulma.
02
Fresh juice of Danti is mixed with honey used as Anjana in Netrabhisyanda.
03
Danti should be given with Saindhava and Ajamoda in Udararoga.
04
In fever, administering its root along with buttermilk improves the functioning of the liver, and the vitiated Pitta is expelled through bowel evacuation.
05
In Shwasa (respiratory disorders/asthma), its leaves are used.
Always consult a qualified Ayurvedic physician before using any herb therapeutically. Dose, anupana and Prakriti-specific suitability matter.
Yoga / Kalpana
Classical Formulations
Common Ayurvedic preparations where Danti is a key ingredient.
- Shiva gutika, Dantyarishta
Shastra Pramana
Classical Reference
दन्तीद्वयं सरं पाके रसे च कटु दीपनम् |गुदाङ्कुराश्मशूलार्शः कण्डूकुष्ठविदाहनुत् |तीक्ष्णोष्णं हन्ति पित्तास्रकफशोथोदरकृमीन् ||१७१||(Guduchyadi Varga, Shloka 171)