Herb library · Herb · Nardostachys jatamansi
Jatamansi (Indian spikenard)
The fragrant root of a Himalayan plant, prized in Ayurvedic, Unani, Tibetan and Chinese medicine; a 2020 review notes it appears in the Ayurvedic classics and the Old Testament. One small trial has looked at it for blood pressure; almost nothing else has been studied in people, and the wild plant is critically endangered.
Traditional use
Dutt's 1877 compilation from Sanskrit medical works records that jaṭámánsi, called báluchar in Hindi, had been used in Hindu medicine from a very ancient period. Its fragrant root was considered a nervine tonic and was mostly added to medicinal oils and ghritas (medicated clarified butters) for its scent; Dutt found it taken internally only as one ingredient of complex prescriptions, and he disputed a claim that Sushruta recommended it for epilepsy. In Unani medicine it is Sumbul-ut-teeb, which Ibn Sina (Avicenna) listed among drugs for the heart. It is sold today as root powder, capsules, and an oil used in head massage.
What studies show
- Insufficient
Blood pressure: one single-blind trial in 40 adults with stage 1 high blood pressure found that 3 g a day of the root for 4 weeks lowered blood pressure more than placebo. It was small and short and has not been repeated.
- Insufficient
Sleep, anxiety and other uses: the research is in the laboratory and in animals. A 2020 review names the lack of clinical trials in people and of toxicology studies as major gaps, and warns that many studies may have tested a different plant, Valeriana jatamansi, which shares its common names.
Be careful of
Cautions
- NoteSafety in people has not been studied: the 2020 review notes that toxicology studies are lacking. Products sold as jatamansi may contain Valeriana jatamansi, a different plant with the same common names.
- InteractionIf you take blood pressure medicine, talk with your clinician first: the one trial found it lowered blood pressure.
- NoteThe plant is critically endangered in the wild in the Himalayas, so where a product's root comes from matters.
- 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 fragrant root is considered a nervine tonic, and is much used as an aromatic adjunct in the preparation of medicinal oils and ghritas. It does not appear however to have been used internally except as an ingredient of complex prescriptions.”
In scripture
Where the Bible names this plant, and which plant scholars think is meant.
spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with every kind of incense tree; myrrh and aloes, with all the best spices,
Spikenard or nard, an Indian perfume from Nardostachys jatamansi, the plant on this page. Tristram (1898) gives the same identification, from the hairy spikes old writers describe and the Arabic name "Indian spike". H. B. Tristram, The Natural History of the Bible (1898), p. 485 (opens in a new tab)
While he was at Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster jar of ointment of pure nard—very costly. She broke the jar and poured it over his head.
Nard, the costly perfume of Nardostachys jatamansi, the plant on this page, brought from the Himalayas (Tristram, 1898). H. B. Tristram, The Natural History of the Bible (1898), p. 485 (opens in a new tab)
Therefore Mary took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious, and anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment.
Nard, the perfume of Nardostachys jatamansi, the plant on this page (Tristram, 1898). H. B. Tristram, The Natural History of the Bible (1898), p. 485 (opens in a new tab)
Sources
- Efficacy of Nardostachys jatamansi (D.Don) DC in essential hypertension: A randomized controlled study (2020) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- Nardostachys jatamansi (D.Don) DC.-Challenges and opportunities of harnessing the untapped medicinal plant from the Himalayas (2020) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- Ayurvedic Medicine: In Depth (opens in a new tab) · NCCIH · read September 25, 2026
Reviewed September 25, 2026.