Eden Apothecary · Herb Profile
Nardostachys jatamansi
Also known as Nard, Jatamansi
Pronounced Spikenard: SPYKE-nard. Jatamansi: jah-tah-MAHN-see. Nardostachys jatamansi: nar-doh-STAK-iss jah-tah-MAN-see.
Cool, grounding, and aromatic: a settling nervine that quiets an over-heated, over-excited, wind-tossed mind and anchors the spirit, without the drying edge of a plain bitter.
On temperature, the old sources disagree: Bhavaprakasha (16th c.) and Rajanighantu (c. 15th c.) read it as cool; Bencao Gangmu (1596), Bencao Congxin (1757) and Culpeper (1653) read it as warm. The app keeps cool, the modern reading of what the herb does in the body; the old readings are shown here but do not change it.
Avoid. Nardostachys jatamansi is a traditional emmenagogue and deobstruent; classical and contemporary Ayurvedic sources caution that larger doses (above roughly 2 g of powder) may provoke menstrual spotting or bleeding and could stimulate the uterus, and consumer references (Drugs.com / Natural Medicines) and Ayurvedic clinical texts advise avoiding it in pregnancy. Dedicated modern reproductive-toxicology studies are lacking, so this is a precautionary avoid based on traditional emmenagogue use plus absence of safety data (NCCIH principle of insufficient data; AHPA Botanical Safety Handbook, 2nd ed.). NEEDS REVIEW: exact AHPA safety-class code not confirmed from the primary source.
Insufficient data; best avoided. No human lactation studies and no NIH LactMed monograph exist for Nardostachys jatamansi, and its sedative constituents could in theory pass to a nursing infant. Consumer references (Drugs.com / Natural Medicines) list lactation safety as not established and advise avoidance. Use, if at all, only under professional supervision.
Insufficient data for unsupervised use. Ayurveda has used small, carefully dosed amounts in children for restlessness and convulsive disorders, but modern pediatric safety and dosing are not established, and the herb's marked sedative action counsels caution. Avoid in infants and young children; use in older children only under a qualified practitioner (NCCIH principle of insufficient data).
Chiefly a strong relaxing, sedating nervine: at higher doses it can cause drowsiness, mental dullness, and next-day grogginess, and it may impair alertness for driving or operating machinery, especially with other sedatives or alcohol. Large doses (traditionally cited above roughly 2 grams of powder) have been associated with menstrual spotting and are inappropriate in pregnancy. Its documented blood-pressure-lowering and heart-rhythm effects warrant caution in the hypotensive and in those on cardiovascular drugs. The intense aromatic oil can irritate skin if applied undiluted. Conservation caution is itself a use caution: most wild material is unsustainably and often fraudulently sourced (see stewardship note).
Pregnancy (traditional emmenagogue; see safety field). Do not combine casually with sedative, hypnotic, or blood-pressure-lowering drugs without supervision. Known hypersensitivity. Discontinue before general anesthesia or major surgery because of additive CNS-depressant and hypotensive effects. Not a first-line self-treatment for diagnosed epilepsy, cardiac arrhythmia, or major depression, which require medical care.
At serious risk. Nardostachys jatamansi is listed on CITES Appendix II (since 1997) and assessed Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List (2021, criterion A2cd, a suspected population decline of 80 percent or more), driven by destructive whole-plant uprooting for the rhizome, overgrazing, and habitat loss across the Himalaya. United Plant Savers and CITES both flag it. Use sparingly or substitute (valerian, skullcap, or ashwagandha serve many of the same nervine ends); if used, source only material of verifiable cultivated origin with legal CITES documentation, and beware widespread adulteration with Valeriana jatamansi.
Yes. The spikenard (Hebrew nerd; Greek nardos) of Scripture: Song of Solomon 1:12 and 4:13-14 (nard among the garden spices), and the costly ointment of spikenard, very precious, with which Mary anointed Jesus in Mark 14:3 and John 12:3. Known to the ancient world through Dioscorides (De Materia Medica) and Pliny as Indian nard, a prized aromatic imported from the Himalayas.
Related reading: Herbs in the Bible for Healing
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