Medicated Oils (Taila) and Ghee (Ghrita) in Ayurveda

What they are

Taila is medicated oil and ghrita is medicated ghee (clarified butter). Together they belong to a group of preparations called sneha kalpana. A 2023 review calls this one of the oldest lipid-based dosage forms in Ayurveda, in which plant constituents are taken up into ghee or oil, and says they are given by different routes. [1] [2] In the classical description, oil or ghee is boiled with prescribed decoctions and pastes of the drugs. [3] Whole-body oil massage is a separate topic: see abhyanga oil massage.

This page describes the products in general terms. It gives no recipes, and making medicated oils or ghee at home is not advised. Many medicated oils are for the skin. Some oils and ghee are taken by mouth or used in the nose or eyes in practitioner-led treatments. See nasya for the nasal route.

Why standardization is hard

The 2023 review notes that heat, time and intensity of processing matter for standardization, so that the plant constituents end up in the product. [4] Two bottles with the same name can therefore differ. Classical texts gave medicated oil and ghee a shelf life of sixteen months. [5] That is a traditional figure; Indian rules now require an expiry date on the label. [6]

India's Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences lists guideline tests for these products that include rancidity, peroxide value, a mineral oil test (which should be negative), heavy metals, pesticide residue and microbial contamination. [7] [8] [9] [10] Rancid or adulterated oil is a quality problem you can sometimes smell, but metal or pesticide contamination is not visible. More on quality is on the standards page.

Ghee adulteration is documented in the wider food supply. A 2024 review reports that ghee is repeatedly combined with animal fats, synthetic materials or vanaspati. [11] For ghee as food, see ghee in Ayurveda.

Plain oils: sesame and coconut

Sesame oil is described as used to treat joint pain in several traditional medicines. [12] Trials of plain sesame oil, which are not trials of Ayurvedic medicated oils, give some evidence for specific uses:

Coconut oil: we found trials of coconut oil on skin in general, but Proper evidence not found for Ayurvedic coconut-oil practices as such, after searching PubMed and Europe PMC.

Bhringraj and hair oils

Bhringraj (Eclipta alba) is an Ayurvedic herb used in hair oils. A rat study found hair growth effects of extracts applied to shaved skin. [19] That is preclinical. A 2025 narrative review of 16 studies of Ayurvedic treatments for hair disorders [20] says Ayurveda remains comparatively under-researched, [21] and that common regimens combine oral herbs, hair oils and scalp manipulation. [22] A 2026 randomized study of a classical bhringraj-containing hair oil had three active arms, one of them minoxidil alone, [23] and reported improvements against baseline. [24] Without an inactive-oil comparison arm, that cannot show the oil itself works. See Ayurveda for hair loss.

Medicated ghee taken by mouth

Medicated ghrita are used in the tradition for many purposes. The best human evidence we found is thin. A 2026 N-of-1 trial of Kalyanaka Ghrita in a single patient with mild cognitive impairment reported improved test scores and acceptable lab safety. [25] [26] One patient cannot show that a product works in others: insufficient evidence.

Related pages

• Forms of Ayurvedic preparations
• Ayurvedic skin and hair products
• Ayurvedic herbal preparations: the overview