Bhallataka (Marking Nut)
Bhallātaka भल्लातक
Semecarpus anacardium · Anacardiaceae
tree fruit (Shodhita only) ushna cosmetic excluded
Rasa-Panchaka — five-fold pharmacology
- Rasa
- katu · tikta · kashaya · madhura— tastes at first contact
- Guna
- laghu · snigdha · tikshna— qualities
- Virya
- ushna— potency (heating)
- Vipaka
- madhura— post-digestive effect
Dosha effect
V
Vata
↓pacifies
P
Pitta
↑aggravates
K
Kapha
↓pacifies
pacifies (↓) aggravates (↑) neutral (·)
Functions
historic rasayanaanti-Kushtha (purified only)
⚡ Severe contact dermatitis risk. Raw Bhallataka causes blisters, anaphylaxis, and ulceration. Only the Shodhita (purified) form is used internally; even then, vaidya-supervised.
Cosmetic use: omit entirely. It appears in some classical Kushtha-hara lists (e.g. Charaka Kushtha-ghna Mahakashaya) but modern cosmetic formulary universally excludes it.
Safety flags
- Severe contact dermatitis
- Anaphylaxis risk
- Cosmetic: omit