What is Mūrvā?

Mūrvā is a herb used in Ayurveda, the old healing system of India. The name most often means the climbing vine Marsdenia tenacissima. Another name for it is Rajmahal hemp.

Healers use the root and the stem. Old texts call the herb bitter and cooling. It was given for fever, strong thirst, skin trouble and weak digestion.

It is almost always used inside a mixed formula, not on its own. A practitioner picks it as one part of a blend.

Here is the short verdict. Mūrvā has a long record in Ayurveda, but almost no good human trials. Long use in a tradition is not proof that a herb works, and that gap is the main thing to keep in mind on this page.

How does Mūrvā work?

No one has shown how Mūrvā works in a living person. What we have comes from lab dishes and animals.

Lab work points to a group of plant compounds called pregnane glycosides (plant steroids joined to sugars). In cell tests, these slow the growth of some cancer cells. Cell tests are a long way from people.

The same compounds may block a pump inside cells that pushes drugs back out. They may also slow CYP3A4 (a liver enzyme that breaks down many drugs).

If that also happens in the human body, Mūrvā could raise or lower the level of other drugs you take. This is the main reason to be careful with it. It is a reason to ask a doctor, not a proven effect.

What forms does Mūrvā come in?

Mūrvā is sold as dried root or stem, and as a plain powder (churna). Ayurvedic makers also put it into mixed formulas and into water brews (kwath, a strong tea boiled down).

A very different product is made in China from the same plant. It is an extract given by injection, next to cancer drugs, in hospital. It is not a supplement and must never be used at home.

Check the Latin name on the label. Some products sold as Mūrvā are made from other plants.

Where it comes from:

Mūrvā appears in the classical Ayurvedic texts, the Charaka Samhita and the Sushruta Samhita. These were written around 2,000 years ago. It is grouped with bitter, cooling herbs.

The plant also has a long use that has nothing to do with medicine. Its tough stem fibre was twisted into bow strings and rope. That is where the name Rajmahal hemp comes from.

One catch: the name Mūrvā has been given to more than one plant over the years. Sansevieria roxburghiana and Chonemorpha fragrans are both sold under it in some regions.

What does Mūrvā help with?

• Fever: Old texts list Mūrvā with the cooling herbs given for fever. This use rests on tradition only. No human trial has tested it for fever.
• Strong thirst: Ayurveda used bitter, cooling herbs for a dry mouth and a thirst that does not settle. Support here is traditional. No trial backs it.
• Itchy or hot skin: Mūrvā turns up in blends for rashes and skin heat. Again, this is tradition. No study has tested a Mūrvā powder or paste on skin in people.
• Weak appetite and slow digestion: Bitter herbs were given to wake up appetite before meals. Only tradition supports this use. No trial has measured it.
• Use next to cancer drugs (hospital injection only, not proven): In China, an injected extract of this plant is given in hospital alongside chemotherapy. The trials are mostly small and weak, and most are published only in Chinese. Nothing shows that Mūrvā powder taken by mouth helps cancer. It may clash with cancer drugs. Never add it to cancer care on your own.

Which foods are rich in Mūrvā?

1. Not found in any food: Mūrvā is a medicinal vine and a fibre plant, not something people eat

Practical Tips:

You cannot get Mūrvā from your diet, and there is no reason to try.

What are the side effects of Mūrvā?

• Nausea or an upset stomach
• Loose stools
• Loss of appetite
• Skin rash or itching from an allergy
• Dizziness
• Possible changes in heart rhythm at high doses (not proven, but the plant's steroid compounds make it possible)
• With the hospital injection: fever, rash, pain at the injection site, and rare severe allergic reactions

Good to know:

Reports come from traditional use and from hospital use of the injected extract, not from careful safety studies. Most problems logged are mild stomach upset.

Heart rhythm trouble has not been reported from the herb itself. The plant's steroid compounds mean it cannot be ruled out.

How much Mūrvā should you take?

• Recommended daily: No safe modern dose has been set for Mūrvā. There is no trial that tested one dose against another. Classical practice used roughly 1-3 g of dried root powder a day. A water brew was made from about 3-6 g of the dried plant. Those numbers come from tradition, not from safety testing. Use Mūrvā only if an Ayurvedic doctor picks the dose for you.
• Best time of day: Traditional blends are usually given once or twice a day, morning and evening. No study has compared one time of day with another.
• With or without food: Bitter herbs are often given before or between meals in Ayurveda. If it upsets your stomach, take it with food instead.
• Time to effect: Unknown. Traditional use expects days to a few weeks for digestion or skin. No measured time to effect exists.
• How long to take it: Traditional use is short, a few weeks at a time inside a formula. Stop and see your practitioner if nothing has changed after two to four weeks. There is no safety data on taking it for months or years.