What is Prasarini?

Prasarini is a climbing vine used in Ayurveda. Its Latin name is Paederia foetida. In English it is often called skunk vine, because the crushed leaves smell bad.

It is used most for stiff, sore joints and back pain. The leaf is cooked into a warm oil, Prasarini taila, that is rubbed on the body. The leaf is also eaten as a green in parts of India and Southeast Asia.

The proof is thin. Nearly all the research is lab and animal work. Long use in Ayurveda is not proof that a herb helps people.

How does Prasarini work?

No one has shown how Prasarini works in the human body. Lab and animal tests give a few clues, and that is all they are.

In rats and mice, leaf extracts eased pain and swelling. Some of that may come from iridoid glycosides (bitter plant compounds). These may damp the signals that drive swelling.

Ayurveda explains it a different way. It is said to calm vata, the body force linked to wind, dryness and pain. That is a traditional idea, not a lab finding.

What forms does Prasarini come in?

Prasarini comes in forms for the skin and forms taken by mouth.

Prasarini taila is the best known. It is a sesame oil cooked with the leaf, then rubbed into sore joints and muscles. Some clinics use it in warm oil pours and in oil enemas.

By mouth you may find dried leaf powder, fresh leaf juice, or a decoction (a drink made by boiling the leaf in water). Capsules and mixed formulas such as Prasarinyadi kwatha also contain it. In Assam and Southeast Asia the fresh leaf is simply cooked as food.

Where it comes from:

Prasarini has a long record in Ayurveda. Classical texts group it with herbs that calm vata, and they name the oil made from it.

It is also used in Chinese and Southeast Asian folk medicine under other names. It never left the kitchen either; the leaf is a common green in Assam, Bangladesh, Thailand and Vietnam.

What does Prasarini help with?

• Joint pain and stiffness, such as arthritis: This is the main traditional use. The warm oil is rubbed on the joint, and the leaf is sometimes taken by mouth as well. Rat studies show less swelling and less pain behaviour, but no published human trial tests this in people with arthritis.
• Low back pain and sciatica (nerve pain that runs down the leg): Ayurveda treats this as a vata problem, and Prasarini taila is a common choice for oil massage. Some of the relief people feel may come from the warmth and the rubbing itself. There is no trial that separates the herb from the massage.
• Muscle aches and stiffness after work or injury: The oil is used on tight, aching muscles. This use rests on tradition and on animal pain studies only.
• Gout (a painful swollen joint caused by uric acid): Folk use in India and Southeast Asia includes gout. A few animal studies report lower uric acid levels. Human proof is missing, and gout needs proper medical care.
• Loose stools and cramping gut pain: The leaf has an old record as a food and a gut remedy. Animal work suggests it may slow the gut a little. No human trial supports this use.
• Gas, bloating and slow digestion: Traditional texts call it helpful for wind and weak digestion. This is a traditional claim with no trial behind it.
• Aches and weakness after childbirth: Oil massage with Prasarini taila is a common part of care after birth in some Ayurvedic practice. Taking it by mouth in pregnancy or while breastfeeding has not been tested and is not advised.

Which foods are rich in Prasarini?

1. Fresh Prasarini leaves: cooked as a green in Assam and other parts of northeast India
2. Vietnamese beef rolls: the leaf, called mo tam the, is wrapped around the meat
3. Thai and Lao herb plates: the young shoots are eaten raw or steamed
4. Bangladeshi leaf fry: the leaf is fried with egg or fish

Practical Tips:

Food amounts are small and have a long record of everyday use; medicinal amounts are a different thing.

What are the side effects of Prasarini?

• A strong sulfur smell and taste that can turn your stomach
• Nausea
• Loose stools
• Gas and stomach cramps
• Skin redness or itch where the oil is rubbed in
• Rash or hives in people allergic to the plant
• A drop in blood sugar, seen in animal tests and possible in people who take diabetes medicine

Good to know:

Most reports are mild and settle when you stop. The leaf is eaten as a vegetable by many people, which suggests food amounts sit well with most.

Medicinal amounts and long courses have not been studied for safety. Long-term effects on the liver and kidneys are simply unknown. Stop and get advice if anything new or odd appears.

How much Prasarini should you take?

• Recommended daily: No dose has been proven in people. The amounts below are traditional practice, not tested doses. Traditional daily use of dried leaf powder is about 3 to 6 g. Fresh leaf juice is used at about 10 to 20 mL a day. A decoction is used at about 50 to 100 mL a day. Prasarini taila is for the skin only. It is warmed and rubbed on the sore area once or twice a day. Never swallow massage oil. Start at the low end. Ask an Ayurvedic doctor who can see you, and tell your regular doctor what you are taking.
• Best time of day: By mouth it is usually taken in the morning and evening, in two split amounts. The oil is most often used in the morning or before a warm bath.
• With or without food: Take it by mouth before food or between meals in traditional practice. If it upsets your stomach, take it with food instead.
• Time to effect: Unknown, as no human trial has measured it. People who use the oil often report warmth and some easing within an hour, which may be the massage as much as the herb. Traditional courses by mouth run one to three weeks before judging.
• How long to take it: Traditional use by mouth is short: a few days to a few weeks. If nothing has changed after two to three weeks, stop and rethink. Oil massage is used for longer courses in practice. Even so, joint pain that lasts more than six weeks needs a proper check by a doctor.