Educational information, not medical advice — ask your doctor or midwife.
Hrīvera, also called Udīcya, is a cooling herb used in Ayurveda. It is the root and root-bark of Pavonia odorata. That is a small marsh plant with a sweet smell, in the mallow family.
It is most often taken as a scented water or a thin decoction (a boiled, strained drink). It is used for fever, thirst and burning feelings.
It is best known as one of the six parts of Shadanga Paniya. That is a drinking water that is boiled, then cooled, and given during fevers. Old healers also used Hrīvera for loose stools, burning urine and nausea.
Here is the honest verdict on the evidence. Hrīvera has a long, well-recorded place in Ayurvedic texts. But we could not find any human trials that test it.
Traditional use tells you what people have done for hundreds of years. By itself, it does not prove the herb works. That point applies to everything on this page.
How Hrīvera works is not known. The ideas below are proposed, not proven.
In Ayurveda it is called sheeta, which means cooling. It is used to calm pitta, the heat pattern linked to fever, thirst and burning. That is a traditional idea, not a body measurement.
Lab and animal studies of Pavonia odorata extracts report a few effects. These include slower gut movement, less fever in rodents, and action against some germs in a dish.
What happens in test tubes and animals often does not carry over to people. Treat these findings as leads, not answers.
Common forms include:
- Dried root pieces, put in hot water and cooled, as in Shadanga Paniya - Coarse powder for a decoction (kwatha), boiled and strained - Fine powder (churna) taken with water - One part of classic mixes, such as Shadanga Paniya and cooling syrups - Now and then, in skin pastes and bath waters
Be aware that supply is not reliable. Other scented roots are sometimes sold as Hrīvera. These include vetiver and Coleus vettiveroides.
Buy from a seller who prints the Latin plant name on the label. That name is Pavonia odorata.
Hrīvera appears in the classic Ayurvedic texts. It is named there both as Hrīvera and as Udīcya. You will find it in the Charaka Samhita, the Sushruta Samhita and later nighantus (plant glossaries).
It is grouped with the cooling drugs that quench thirst. It has long been part of fever care in south and central India. The plant grows there in damp ground.
On its own, it is used less often than in formulas. Most people met it as one item in a mixed cooling drink.
See a doctor promptly if a fever lasts more than three days, goes above 39C, or comes with a stiff neck, confusion, a rash that does not fade when pressed, or trouble breathing.
Get medical help for diarrhoea that lasts more than two days, has blood in it, or comes with signs of dehydration such as very little urine, dizziness or a dry mouth.
Also see a doctor for burning on passing urine, back pain with fever, or any new rash, swelling of the face or lips, or difficulty breathing after taking the herb.
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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