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Kanchanar

Bauhinia variegata · कांचनार

Herbs & Roots. Ayurveda.

Also called Orchid tree, Mountain ebony, Kachnar, Rajavriksha

Sanskrit: कांचनार (Kanchanar)

Little human safety research

Kanchanar is the bark and flower buds of a flowering tree, used in Ayurveda for swollen glands and goiter.

Did you know? In parts of India the flower buds are cooked as a vegetable, so the same tree is both food and medicine.

What it may help, and how strong the proof is

Thyroid. Traditional use for goiter and thyroid swellings. No good human trials have been found.See the research: No trials in people found yet
Traditional proof
Wounds, burns & bites. Used for slow-healing sores and wounds in Ayurveda. Human trials have not been found.See the research: No trials in people found yet
Traditional proof
Parasites & worms. Classical texts list it against worm infestations. This rests on tradition, not on human trials.See the research: No trials in people found yet
Traditional proof

Parts of the body

Thyroid, Skin & hair, Gut & intestines

Traditional use

Ayurvedic texts use the bark for swollen glands, goiter, worm infestations and slow-healing sores. It is also a key ingredient in Kanchanar Guggulu, a blend used for thyroid and lymph node swellings.

How it is classified

Herbal actions: Astringent, Alterative, Anti-parasite. Energy: cooling.
Ayurveda: Calms Pitta and Kapha. Taste (rasa): astringent. Energy (virya): cooling. After digestion (vipaka): pungent. Shothahara (reduces swelling), Krimighna (anti-parasite).

How people take it

Traditional practice uses the dried bark as a decoction or powder. Most people take Kanchanar Guggulu tablets, following the label or an Ayurvedic practitioner's advice.

Decoction, powder and tablet.

Where to get it

A tree common across India and Southeast Asia, often planted as an ornamental. Dried bark is sold in Ayurvedic shops, and Kanchanar Guggulu tablets are sold in pharmacies and online.

Be careful

Human safety research is thin, so side effects are not well known. Blends with guggul resin may change thyroid hormone or blood fat levels, so check with a doctor before using them with thyroid or cholesterol medicine. Avoid in pregnancy and while breastfeeding.

Avoid if: pregnancy; breastfeeding; thyroid disease; children under 12.

Mixing with other things

Works well together
Kanchanar Guggulu is a classic blend of the two.
Works well together
Both are in Kanchanar Guggulu, a blend used for thyroid and lymph swellings.
Works well together
Amla is one of the other fruits in Kanchanar Guggulu.
Use caution
Thyroid medicine (levothyroxine (Synthroid))
Used for thyroid swellings. Guggul-containing blends may change thyroid hormone levels, so talk with a doctor before mixing them with thyroid medicine.
Worth knowing
Statins (Lipitor, Zocor, Crestor)
Guggul can change blood fat levels in some studies. Ask a doctor before combining it with cholesterol medicine.

The honest take

Kanchanar has a long place in Ayurvedic care for swellings, but most of its support is tradition. Human trials are missing, and most studies are lab or animal work. If you want to use it for a thyroid problem, check with a doctor first.

Sources

Each “See the research” link opens PubMed, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's index of medical studies, showing only trials and reviews done in people. The number tells you how much a use has been tested, not whether it worked. The proof rating tells you that.

Study counts checked October 2026.