In brief: Gandharvahastadi Eranda Thailam (also written Gandharvahasthadi Eranda Thailam, Gandharvahastadi Eranda Taila or Gandharvahasthadi castor oil) is a classical Ayurvedic castor oil preparation: castor oil, called Eranda Thailam in Sanskrit, processed with the Gandharvahastadi group of plants, which the castor root itself leads. Unlike the Thailams used for massage, this one is classically taken internally, which makes it a matter for a practitioner. This guide covers the name, the classical description, Kwatham versus Eranda Thailam, how the preparation is used, and the plain castor oil Art of Vedas sells for external use.
What Gandharvahastadi Eranda Thailam is and what the name means
Every part of this long name points to the castor plant. Gandharvahasta is one of its classical Sanskrit names: hasta means hand, and the large lobed leaf looks like an open hand. Eranda is its everyday Sanskrit name, and Eranda Thailam is castor oil, pressed from its seed. The ending adi means "and the others", so Gandharvahastadi is "castor root and the plants that follow it", and Gandharvahastadi Eranda Thailam is castor oil that carries that group.
Gandharvahasthadi, with an h, is the spelling on many labels; Eranda Thailam, Taila and Thailam are one word in different spellings; Gandharvahasthadi castor oil is the plain English rendering. All name one preparation.
The classical description
The Gandharvahastadi group is best known as a Kashayam, also written Kwatham, a decoction: the plants are boiled in water and the liquid is reduced. The Sahasrayogam is the source usually cited. The classical recipe names castor root first, among other plants, and the Eranda Thailam form uses the same group: the decoction and the paste of the plants are cooked into castor oil by the Sneha Paka method until the water has gone. No full list and no count of plants is given here. Our complete guide to traditional Thailams explains the method.
Its base sets it apart from the massage oils, which are cooked into sesame or coconut oil; castor oil is thick and heavy, and the classical texts use it as a base mainly for preparations that are taken rather than applied.
Kwatham and Eranda Thailam: two forms of one group
Gandharvahastadi Kwatham and Gandharvahastadi Eranda Thailam share the same plants and differ in the vehicle. The Kwatham is a water decoction, usually taken diluted. The Eranda Thailam carries the group in castor oil, so it is thicker, keeps longer and brings the character of castor oil with it. Which form, if either, suits a person is the practitioner's decision.
Character in Ayurvedic terms
The classical texts describe castor oil as warming, heavy and unctuous and place it with Vata; the Charaka Samhita counts Eranda among the plants of the Vata group. The Gandharvahastadi plants are described as warming and sharp, so the whole preparation is described as warming. The texts describe internal effects; those belong in a consultation, not on a product page.
How the preparation is used, and why that is a matter for a practitioner
Gandharvahastadi Eranda Thailam is not a massage oil. In the tradition it is taken by mouth, measured by the spoon, usually with warm water, at a time of day the texts specify. Dose, timing, duration and whether it suits a person at all are decided by a qualified Ayurvedic practitioner. Art of Vedas gives no doses for any preparation taken internally. The same holds for the Kwatham. If you are pregnant, or are considering any preparation for a child, ask your doctor or a qualified Ayurvedic practitioner first.
Plain castor oil, used externally
Plain castor oil, Eranda Thailam without the plant group, has its own place in the tradition, and that place is external. Warmed and applied in a small amount, it is used for Abhyanga of the joints, for Padabhyanga, the oiling of the feet before sleep. Because it is thick, it is often blended with sesame oil, one part castor to two or three parts sesame, which spreads more easily. Warm the closed bottle in a bowl of warm water, never in a microwave, leave the oil on for 15 to 20 minutes, then take a warm shower. Our Abhyanga guide describes the routine.
Gandharvahastadi Eranda Thailam and the Art of Vedas range
Art of Vedas does not currently offer Gandharvahastadi Eranda Thailam or Gandharvahastadi Kwatham, and we sell no oil for internal use. What we sell is plain castor oil, for external use only, on its own or blended with our sesame oil for massage. For the oils we carry for Abhyanga, see our comparison of Ayurvedic massage oils.
