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Herb library · Herb · Terminalia arjuna

Arjuna

The bark of a large Indian tree, used in Ayurveda for the heart for centuries and sold today for heart health. Trials are few and mostly weak: evidence for angina is insufficient, and for heart failure it is mixed.

Traditional use

In the Sanskrit texts the tree is Arjuna and Kukubha. The Sanskrit medical writer Chakradatta prescribed the bark in heart disease, given in milk, treacle or water, or as a medicated butter (ghrita). It was also thought to help broken bones mend. Dutt's 1877 compilation from Sanskrit medical works records the same uses among Hindu physicians: a decoction of the bark with milk given as nourishment in heart disease, and the bark for bruises, fractures and ulcers. Today arjuna bark is sold as powder, capsules and extracts for heart health.

Traditional energetics

What studies show

  • Insufficient

    Chest pain from heart disease (chronic stable angina): a 2014 meta-analysis found the studies poorly designed and no significant difference from standard medicines where results could be pooled; the evidence is insufficient to draw any conclusion.

  • Limited

    Heart failure, as an add-on to standard care: a 2026 meta-analysis of 9 trials (537 people) found a smaller heart muscle mass and higher HDL cholesterol, but no clear change in pumping strength, blood pressure or other blood fats. The authors call for larger, high-quality trials.

Be careful of

Cautions

  • ConditionIf you have heart disease, do not replace or change your heart medicines on your own; talk with your clinician before adding arjuna.
  • NoteIn two angina studies (78 people), reported side effects included constipation, headache, body ache, stomach discomfort, dizziness, ankle swelling and one case of short-lived heart failure.
  • PregnancyNCCIH advises talking with your clinician before using Ayurvedic products while pregnant or nursing.
  • NoteSome Ayurvedic preparations include metals. The FDA warns that this makes some Ayurvedic products potentially harmful, and a 2015 survey found high lead or mercury levels in some of the supplements tested.
  • Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.

From the old books

What herbals and dispensaries of the past printed. History, in their words.

“The bark of this timber tree is considered tonic, astringent and cooling, and is used in heart diseases, contusions, fractures, ulcers, etc.”
Udoy Chand Dutt, The Materia Medica of the Hindus (1877), p. 163. See the page of The Materia Medica of the Hindus, p. 163 (opens in a new tab) · Read the full passage from The Materia Medica of the Hindus, p. 163
“This tree is the Arjuna and Kukubha of Chakradatta, who describes it as tonic, astringent, and cooling, and prescribes it in heart disease and for those purposes for which astringents are generally applied. He recommends it to be given in milk, treacle or water when used internally, or as a ghrita (medicinal butter) made with the decoction and powder of the bark.”
William Dymock, C. J. H. Warden and David Hooper, Pharmacographia Indica (1890), vol. 2, p. 11. See the page of Pharmacographia Indica, vol. 2, p. 11 (opens in a new tab) · Read the full passage from Pharmacographia Indica, vol. 2, p. 11

Sources

  1. Terminalia arjuna in Chronic Stable Angina: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2014) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  2. Evaluation of the Therapeutic Potential and Safety of Terminalia arjuna in Heart Failure Management: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials (2026) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  3. Ayurvedic Medicine: In Depth (opens in a new tab) · NCCIH · read September 25, 2026

Reviewed September 25, 2026.