Herbal and Wellness
Kothala Himbutu Powder (Salacia Reticulata)
Dried kothala himbutu stem, milled fine, one of the island's most talked-about herbs.
- Milled from stem and root, the parts traditionally used
- Reddish-brown, woody and mildly astringent
- Sourced from the wet zone where the vine grows
- Nothing blended in, no filler starch
- Sold as a traditional food herb, with no health claims
Available to pre-orderSKU: CC-KOT-PWD
Size: 100g
- Carefully packed and shipped to your door
- 14-day replacement on damaged items
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Description
Kothala himbutu (Salacia reticulata) is a woody climber whose stem and root are dried and milled into a reddish-brown powder. In Sri Lanka it is a long-standing part of home herbal practice, taken as an infusion or stirred into water, and it is one of the herbs foreign buyers ask for by name.
This one arrives with a reputation attached, and it is worth being careful about that. Kothala himbutu has been researched, written about and marketed heavily overseas, and a lot of what gets said about it goes well past what anybody has actually established.
What we can tell you is what it is. A woody vine from the wet zone forests, cut, dried and milled from the stem and root rather than the leaf, which is why the powder is reddish-brown and slightly astringent instead of green and grassy.
Traditionally it is soaked overnight in water and the water is drunk in the morning, or the powder is stirred straight into warm water. Some households keep a cup carved from the wood and simply leave water standing in it overnight, which tells you how gently it is used.
How to Use
- Stir half a teaspoon into warm water and drink it in the morning
- Soak the powder overnight and strain before drinking
- Simmer briefly with ginger to soften the astringency
- Add to a mixed herbal decoction with iramusu
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Frequently Asked
We are not going to answer that one, and you should be wary of any shop that does. It is a traditional Sri Lankan herb with a long history of home use and a body of research that is still argued over. We sell it as the plant it is and leave the claims to somebody qualified to make them.
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