Vyaghranakhi: Identity, the Name Tangle, and What Research Shows

TL;DR

Vyāghranakha is the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia's fruit drug with a tangled Latin identity. The Volume V contents list Capparis horrida (a C. zeylanica synonym per Kew), but the monograph defines the drug as C. sepiaria, which Kew currently accepts as a separate species. Animal studies on C. zeylanica leaf (ulcers) and fruit (blood glucose, diabetic rats) exist. No human trials found.

What it is, and why the Latin name keeps changing

This is the rare case where the confusion is inside the pharmacopoeia itself. The API's contents listing for Part I, Volume V gives "VYĀGHRANAKHA (Fruit): Capparis horrida Linn" (API searchable copy). But the monograph's own definition text reads differently: "Vyāghranakha consists of mature fruit of Capparis sepiaria Linn. syn. C. zeylanica Linn. f. (Fam. Capparidaceae), a perennial climbing shrub with hooked stipular spines" (API monograph text).

Modern taxonomy untangles only part of this. Kew's Plants of the World Online accepts Capparis zeylanica L. and lists C. horrida L.f. as a heterotypic synonym, the same plant under an older name (Kew POWO). But Kew currently accepts Capparis sepiaria L. as a species in its own right (Kew POWO), so the monograph's own synonymy (sepiaria syn. zeylanica) is not supported by current taxonomy. The contents listing and the monograph text may therefore point at two different plants, and the identity discrepancy is unresolved.

The monograph also records the drug's other names: Sanskrit Ahiṁsrā and Vyāghrāyudha, Hindi Baghanai, Kanthari, Kareruaa, and describes the fruit as a subglobose, many-seeded berry, green when young and red-brown when ripe, 3 to 4 cm across on a thickened stalk. The defined drug is the mature fruit. Remember that; it matters in the next section.

Traditional use

The monograph itself records traditional data for the fruit drug. Its properties-and-action table gives: rasa kaṭu (pungent), tikta (bitter), kaṣāya (astringent), madhura (sweet); guṇa rūkṣa (dry), laghu (light). Vīrya uṣṇa (hot); vipāka kaṭu (pungent); and karma vātahara and kaphahara (pacifying vāta and kapha), varṇya, viṣaghna, and kaṇḍūghna. It lists the drug in Balā Taila and gives traditional therapeutic uses including viṣavikāra, sarpaviṣa, kaṇḍū, kuṣṭha, vraṇa, jvara, and vātavikāra, with a dose of 2–6 g (API monograph text). This is traditional pharmacopoeial classification, not clinical proof. The indication lists on secondary pages (Bhavaprakasha references, digestive-tonic claims) did not meet the sourcing bar and are not repeated.

What modern research says

Two peer-reviewed animal studies have tested leaf extracts of Capparis zeylanica against experimentally induced gastric ulcers. Both are real, indexed studies. Both used the leaf, not the pharmacopoeial fruit, and both were done in animals, not people. One further caveat: these studies are indexed under C. zeylanica, which matches the contents listing's C. horrida but not necessarily the monograph's C. sepiaria: so their applicability to the pharmacopoeial drug is conditional on an identity the API itself has not settled.

Study 1: methanolic leaf extract, three ulcer models. Sini and colleagues (Avicenna Journal of Medical Biotechnology, 2011; 3(1):31–35; PMID 23407576) gave rats and mice 200 mg/kg of methanolic C. zeylanica leaf extract by mouth, then induced ulcers three ways: aspirin plus pylorus ligation in rats, hydrochloric-acid/ethanol in mice, and indomethacin in rats. The extract significantly reduced ulcer measures in all three models (p<0.01 to p<0.001), with 88.5% ulcer inhibition in the HCl–ethanol model and 83.78% in the indomethacin model (PubMed record).

Study 2: ethanolic leaf extract, ethanol-induced ulcers. A later study in the Future Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (SpringerOpen) tested ethanolic leaf extract against ethanol-induced gastric ulcers in animals and found a significant, dose-dependent reduction in ulcer area at 60 and 120 mg/kg, against ranitidine (100 mg/kg) as the reference drug. The same study's acute-toxicity check found the extract safe up to 2,000 mg/kg in animals over 14 days of observation, with no changes in fur, lacrimation, behavior, or lethargy (full text).

Study 3: fruit extract in diabetic rats, with a caveat on the venue. Balekari and Veeresham (Pharmacology & Pharmacy, 2015; 6:311–320; DOI 10.4236/pp.2015.67033) gave streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats 200 mg/kg of methanolic C. zeylanica fruit extract daily for 28 days. Blood glucose fell 35.53% and circulating insulin rose 81.82% versus diabetic controls, and cell work (MIN6 beta cells) showed the extract stimulating insulin release. Two honest notes: this is the fruit, the actual pharmacopoeial drug part, which makes it the most on-target of the three studies by plant part (though the species-identity question above still applies). And it appeared in a low-tier journal, so treat it as a lead, not a finding (full text).

What this does not show: that any preparation works in humans. Animal and cell models are a starting point, not a verdict. No human trial of vyaghranakhi in any form was found.

Safety & contraindications

There is no human safety data for vyaghranakhi: no clinical safety study, no interaction data, and no pregnancy or breastfeeding data located in this review. The one animal toxicity datapoint (safe up to 2,000 mg/kg in a 14-day acute check) does not transfer to people. Do not use it to self-treat ulcers or any other condition.

FAQs

What is vyaghranakhi?

Vyāghranakha is the API's fruit drug from the Capparis zeylanica group: a climbing shrub with hooked stipular spines, bearing subglobose berries. The pharmacopoeial drug is the mature fruit.

Why do sources give different Latin names for it?

Because the API's own Volume V disagrees with itself: the contents listing says Capparis horrida (a synonym of the accepted C. zeylanica per Kew), while the monograph definition says Capparis sepiaria syn. C. zeylanica: and Kew currently accepts C. sepiaria as a separate species. The discrepancy is unresolved.

Is vyaghranakhi the same as Capparis zeylanica?

Not established. The contents listing's C. horrida is a synonym of C. zeylanica, but the monograph's C. sepiaria is currently an accepted species of its own. Studies indexed under C. zeylanica apply to the pharmacopoeial drug only if the API's synonymy holds, which current Kew taxonomy does not support.

Does vyaghranakhi treat stomach ulcers?

Not proven. Two animal studies found that leaf extracts protected rats and mice against experimentally induced gastric ulcers. That is a laboratory finding in animals, using the leaf rather than the pharmacopoeial fruit. No human evidence exists.

Is there any research on vyaghranakhi for diabetes?

One small study: methanolic fruit extract lowered blood glucose and raised insulin in diabetic rats over 28 days, with insulin-secretagogue activity in beta cells. It appeared in a low-tier journal and involved no human subjects, so it is a lead, not evidence of a treatment.

Is vyaghranakhi safe?

No human safety data was found. An animal study reported no acute toxicity up to 2,000 mg/kg over 14 days, but animal data does not establish human safety. Do not self-administer it.

Sources

Disclaimer

This article is for education only, not medical advice. Ayurvedic herbs can interact with medicines and are unsafe in some conditions. Talk to a qualified practitioner before using any herb or formulation.