Educational information, not medical advice — ask your doctor or midwife.
Pāṭalā is the bark and root bark of a flowering tree used in Ayurveda. It is used mostly in larger mixtures for swelling, fever and breathing trouble.
It is a single drug (Ayurveda). Latin name: Stereospermum suaveolens. It is also known as Trumpet flower, and Amoghā is one of its Sanskrit names.
It is best known as one of the ten roots of Daśamūla, a classic Ayurvedic root blend. Healers use it for chesty coughs, joint aches, low-grade fever and poor appetite. You will rarely find it sold on its own.
The evidence verdict is simple: Pāṭalā has deep roots in one tradition, but almost no human trial evidence. A long record of traditional use is not proof that something works, and that gap applies here. Treat it as a traditional remedy, not a proven treatment.
Nobody has shown how Pāṭalā works in people. What follows is theory, not proof.
In Ayurveda, Pāṭalā is described as bitter and astringent in taste, light and drying in action. It is said to calm kapha and pitta, the qualities linked to congestion and heat. In plain terms, tradition uses it to dry damp chests and cool feverish states.
Lab and animal studies point to plant compounds that reduce swelling and mop up damaging molecules called free radicals. Some animal work also hints at lower blood sugar and mild pain relief. These are early findings in dishes and rodents, and they may not carry over to you.
Pāṭalā is almost always sold inside a blend, not by itself.
The common forms are listed below.
Dried root bark or stem bark, sold loose for making a decoction (a strong boiled tea). Coarse powder, used the same way. Ready-made Daśamūla kwātha, a liquid decoction that contains Pāṭalā as one of ten roots.
You may also meet it in classical syrups and medicated ghee preparations. Tablets and capsules of the single herb are uncommon and rarely standardised. If you buy it, ask the maker which part of the plant was used and where it came from.
Pāṭalā appears in the oldest Ayurvedic texts, including the Charaka Samhitā and Suśruta Samhitā, dating back roughly two thousand years.
It is counted among the Bṛhat Pañcamūla, the five roots of large trees, which together with five smaller roots form Daśamūla. That blend is still one of the most used formulas in Ayurvedic practice, especially after childbirth and for stubborn coughs.
The tree is native to India and grows across the subcontinent and parts of Southeast Asia. Its fragrant trumpet-shaped flowers are named in Sanskrit poetry. Use outside South Asian traditional medicine is limited.
See a doctor if a cough lasts more than three weeks, brings up blood, or comes with a high fever or shortness of breath. Get help the same day if you get a rash, swelling of the lips, face or tongue, or trouble breathing after taking it. Also see a doctor if joint pain gets worse, if a joint becomes hot and red, or if you have stomach pain, dark urine or yellowing of your skin or eyes.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
What it is typically used for, usual dose, cautions, and the study behind it where real trial data exists.
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