In brief: Dhanwantharam Thailam is a classical Ayurvedic massage oil in a sesame oil base. The Art of Vedas oil declares 34 plant ingredients cooked into sesame seed oil, among them Bala, all ten roots of the Dashamoola group, Ashwagandha, Shatavari, the three Triphala fruits, barley, horse gram and jujube, with cinnamon, cardamom, deodar and dill as the aromatic notes. This page lists every declared ingredient, grouped by what it is, with its Sanskrit and botanical name.
The declared ingredient list of Art of Vedas Dhanwantharam Thailam
The list below is the ingredient declaration of the Art of Vedas Dhanwantharam Thailam, as printed on the product page. It names the plant, the part used where it is declared, and the botanical name. Dhanwantharam Thailam is also written Dhanwantara Taila, Dhanvantaram Thailam, Dhanwantaram Taila, Dhanvantari oil or Dhanwantharam oil; the spelling changes, the formula does not.
Base and aromatic oils
- Sesame seed oil (Tila Taila, Sesamum indicum): the oil base in which all the plants are cooked
- Deodar cedar wood oil (Devadaru, Cedrus deodara)
- Cinnamon bark oil (Twak, Cinnamomum verum)
- Cardamom oil (Ela, Elettaria cardamomum)
- Dill seed oil (Shatapushpa, Anethum sowa)
- Myrrh resin (Bola, Commiphora myrrha)
Bala and the strengthening roots
Bala gives the formula its character and opens the classical recipe; the roots that follow belong to the same nourishing group of Vata plants.
- Bala, country mallow (Sida cordifolia)
- Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), root
- Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus), root
- Vidari (Ipomoea mauritiana), root
- Punarnava (Boerhaavia diffusa), root
- Yashtimadhu, liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), root
- Sariva, Anantamul (Hemidesmus indicus), root
- Manjishtha (Rubia cordifolia), root
The ten roots of the Dashamoola group
Dashamoola means ten roots. It is the group of tree and shrub roots that opens most classical Vata formulas, and all ten members are declared in this oil, each with the plant part as it appears on the label:
- Bilva, bael (Aegle marmelos), fruit
- Agnimantha (Premna corymbosa), leaf
- Shyonaka, Indian trumpet tree (Oroxylum indicum), bark
- Gambhari (Gmelina arborea), root
- Patala (Stereospermum colais), bark
- Shalaparni (Desmodium gangeticum)
- Prishniparni (Pseudarthria viscida)
- Brihati, Indian nightshade (Solanum indicum), fruit
- Kantakari, yellow-berried nightshade (Solanum xanthocarpum)
- Gokshura (Tribulus terrestris), fruit
Grains, pulses and fruits of the decoction
The classical recipe simmers these with Bala and the Dashamoola into the decoction that the oil is cooked with:
- Yava, barley (Hordeum vulgare)
- Kulattha, horse gram (Dolichos biflorus), seed
- Badara, jujube (Ziziphus jujuba), fruit
- Mudgaparni, wild mung (Vigna pilosa)
- Mudga, mung bean (Vigna radiata), seed
- Methika, fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum), seed
- Amalaki, amla (Phyllanthus emblica), fruit
- Bibhitaki (Terminalia bellirica), fruit
- Haritaki (Terminalia chebula), fruit
Amalaki, Bibhitaki and Haritaki together are the Triphala, the three fruits.
Leaves and lichen
- Tamalapatra, Indian bay leaf (Cinnamomum tamala, declared as Tejpat), leaf
- Shaileyam, stone flower (Parmelia perlata)
Naturally present fragrance components
Cinnamal, eugenol, linalool, coumarin, benzyl benzoate, limonene and carvone are declared at the end of the list. They are not added fragrances. They occur naturally in cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaf, deodar and dill, and EU cosmetics rules require them to be named once they pass a set concentration, so that people who react to them can see it.
How the ingredients go into the oil
A Thailam is not a mixture of oil and powder. In the classical method, called Taila Paka, the tougher roots, grains and pulses are first simmered into a decoction, the finer plants are ground to a paste, and both are cooked slowly into the sesame oil until the water has gone and the paste meets the traditional finishing tests. The aromatic oils of cinnamon, cardamom, deodar and dill are what you smell when the bottle is opened. The full method is described in our Dhanwantharam Thailam guide.
Because every plant is cooked into the base, the finished oil has one character rather than the separate characters of thirty plants. In Ayurvedic terms it is described as mildly warming and nourishing and is classically placed with Vata. That is also why the same oil is never reproduced by adding a few drops of essential oil to plain sesame oil.
Classical recipe and declared list: why they are read together
The Ashtanga Hridayam sets out Dhanwantharam Thailam in stages: a decoction of Bala, the ten Dashamoola roots, barley, jujube and horse gram, and a paste of further herbs, cooked into sesame oil. A product sold in Europe declares what is actually in the bottle, and some classical items are left out today for reasons of availability or of regulation. The declared list above is therefore the reference for the Art of Vedas oil. When you compare oils from different makers, compare their declared lists rather than their claims about how many herbs they contain.
Frequently asked questions about the ingredients
How many ingredients does Dhanwantharam Thailam contain? The Art of Vedas oil declares 34 plant ingredients cooked into a sesame seed oil base, followed by seven naturally present fragrance components. The classical text lists the formula in stages, and a plant that is not declared is not in the bottle.
What is the base oil of Dhanwantharam Thailam? Sesame seed oil (Tila Taila). All the plants are cooked into it by the classical Taila Paka method; no other carrier oil is declared. The Kuzhambu form of the same formula uses a different, heavier base and is a separate product.
Is Dhanwantharam Thailam vegan? No animal-derived ingredient is declared: every item on the list is a plant material or a naturally present plant component, and no shellac or milk appears on it. If a vegan declaration matters to you, check the label of the bottle, which carries the same list as the product page.
Does Dhanwantharam Thailam contain nuts or sesame? It contains sesame: sesame seed oil is the base. No tree nuts or peanut are declared. Anyone who reacts to sesame should not use it. Barley, horse gram, mung and fenugreek are also declared, which matters to people with a known sensitivity to pulses or grains.
Why are cinnamal, eugenol, linalool, coumarin and carvone on the label? They occur naturally in cinnamon, bay leaf, cardamom, deodar and dill, the aromatic plants in the oil. EU rules require them to be named above a set concentration so that sensitive people can check for them. They are not added perfume.
Are all ten Dashamoola roots really in the oil? Yes. Bilva, Agnimantha, Shyonaka, Gambhari, Patala, Shalaparni, Prishniparni, Brihati, Kantakari and Gokshura are all on the declared list, each with the plant part as it is printed on the label. Together with Bala they form the backbone of the classical recipe.
Which ingredient gives the oil its character? No single one. The mildly warming, nourishing quality comes from the whole formula cooked into sesame oil, with Bala, the Dashamoola roots and Ashwagandha in the lead, and the aromatic oils of cinnamon, cardamom, deodar and dill giving it its scent.
Where can I check the exact list before buying? On the product page, which carries the same declaration as the label, and on the label of the bottle. If you have a known sensitivity, show the list to your doctor or pharmacist first, and do a small skin test on the inner forearm before the first full application.
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