Educational information, not medical advice — ask your doctor or midwife.
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Parijata is the leaf of the night jasmine tree (Nyctanthes arbor-tristis). It is also called coral jasmine. In Ayurveda it is used on its own as a single herb, not as a mixed formula.
Healers give it most often for fever, joint pain, and sciatica (pain that runs down the back of the leg). It is also a home remedy for cough and for worms in the gut. The leaf juice is very bitter.
Here is the short answer on evidence. Parijata has a long record in Indian medicine, but very little human trial data. Long use is not proof that a herb works, and that point is not repeated later in this page.
No one has shown clearly how Parijata works in people. What follows is an idea, not a proven fact.
Lab and animal studies point to plant compounds that damp down swelling and pain. Some of the same work suggests an effect on fever and on gut worms. These results come from test tubes and from mice and rats.
Animal work does not always carry over to people. Doses used in labs are often far higher than what a person would take. So treat any talk of a mechanism as a guess for now.
Fresh leaf juice is the most common form in Ayurveda. Leaves are crushed and the juice is strained and taken by the spoon. It is strongly bitter.
A hot water brew is also used. Fresh or dried leaves are boiled in water, then strained and drunk warm.
Dried leaf powder and capsules are sold by herb suppliers. Flowers and bark are used less often, and mainly in home remedies.
Flowers are also soaked in water to make an orange colour for food and cloth. This use is for colour, not for health.
Parijata appears in Ayurvedic texts and in village medicine across India. It has been used for many centuries, mainly for fever and for stiff, painful joints.
The tree carries a well known story. Its white flowers with orange stalks open at night and drop at dawn, which is why it is called the tree of sorrow.
It is a staple of one tradition, Ayurveda, rather than a herb shared across many world traditions.
See a doctor if a fever lasts more than three days, goes above 39C, or comes with a stiff neck, a rash, confusion or trouble breathing.
Get urgent help if you bruise or bleed easily, your skin or eyes turn yellow, or you feel shaky, sweaty and confused, which can mean low blood sugar.
Also see a doctor for leg pain with numbness, leg weakness, or loss of bladder or bowel control. Stop the herb and get advice if vomiting or diarrhoea does not settle within a day.
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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