Akarkara Benefits and Side Effects: Toothache and Stammering
Bite a piece of pellitory root (Akarkara) and within a minute your tongue tingles, buzzes and goes slightly numb, while your mouth floods with saliva. That effect is real, and it’s why akarkara has been pressed against aching teeth for centuries. Akarkara benefits and side effects come down to this: a short-lived numbing that can take the edge off toothache until you reach a dentist, a stammering tradition that speech therapy does far better, and a daisy-family allergy risk worth knowing.
In brief
- Plant: Anacyclus pyrethrum, pellitory or Spanish chamomile, a daisy-family herb from North Africa
- Active: pellitorine and related compounds that cause tingling and numbness
- Real effect: brief local numbing and lots of saliva
- Toothache: Depends: stopgap only, never instead of a dentist
- Stammering: Skip as a fix; speech therapy is what helps
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What is akarkara, and why does it make your mouth tingle?
Akarkara is the dried root of a low, daisy-like plant with white petals and a yellow centre; the roots sold in Pakistan and India are mostly imported, which is why the best-known kind is called “akarkara irani” or “Algerian”. They look like brown, wrinkled, finger-thick pieces, 5 to 10 cm long, with a pale, slightly spongy inside.
The tingle comes from alkylamides, chiefly pellitorine; they act on nerve endings in the mouth, first stinging, then buzzing, then dulling sensation for a while. Sichuan pepper and the “toothache plant” (spilanthes) work in a similar way.
That last one matters. In parts of India, “desi akarkara” sold in markets is often spilanthes flower heads (Acmella), a different plant with the same buzzing effect. If your akarkara is a small, olive-yellow, cone-shaped flower head rather than a root, that’s what you’ve got.
Is akarkara the same as ashwagandha? No. They’re unrelated plants; ashwagandha is a nightshade-family root with a horsey smell and no tingle.
What do people say akarkara does?
The famous claims run long. Search results promise akarkara for toothache, for stammering and “speech”, for memory, for diabetes, for blood pressure, for hair and for children’s height; most of that list is marketing stacked on a real but narrow effect.
In Unani, akarkara is classed as hot and dry, quite strongly so. Hakeems used it in tooth powders (manjan) and gargles for aching teeth and gums, rubbed a little powder on the tongue for heaviness of speech and stammering, and used it for “cold” conditions like a stiff, phlegmy throat or numb, cold limbs. Ayurveda knows it as akarakarabha and uses it in similar ways, including as a “brain” herb in compound mixes.
Our honest take: does akarkara work for toothache?
Short answer? A little, briefly. A numbing herb can quiet pain for a short spell, the same way a clove does; that’s useful at 11 pm when the dentist opens tomorrow.
That’s all. What it can’t do is fix the cause. Toothache comes from decay reaching the nerve, a cracked tooth, an abscess, a gum infection or a wisdom tooth pushing through. None of those heal with a root; numbing them while they get worse just moves the pain to later, sometimes with a swollen face.
For the house stopgap steps, with clove oil done safely, see toothache home remedies until the dentist. To work out which kind of tooth pain you’ve got, our triage guide helps.
Well supported: the local numbing and saliva. Plausible but unproven: some antibacterial effect in the mouth. False: that akarkara heals cavities, abscesses or loose teeth.
A safer stopgap for tooth pain tonight
- Dissolve half a level teaspoon of salt in 250 ml of warm water (about 40 °C, comfortable to sip).
- Swish gently around the sore side for 30 seconds, then spit. Repeat until the glass is finished.
- Floss gently around the tooth; trapped food is a common cause of sudden pain.
- Hold a cold pack wrapped in a cloth against the cheek for 15 minutes on, 15 minutes off, if there’s swelling.
- Sleep with your head on an extra pillow, which can ease throbbing.
- Book a dentist. If pain lasts beyond 2 days, see the red flags below.
If you still want to try akarkara the traditional way, as an adult, a small piece is held against the sore gum for a few minutes and then spat out. Don’t swallow the saliva in quantity, don’t use it on raw or ulcerated gums, and stop if it burns.
Akarkara for stammering and speech: what helps a child?
This is the claim most worth getting right, because parents are the ones searching it. The tradition is to rub akarkara powder, often mixed with honey (never safe under 1 year), on a child’s tongue to “loosen” speech; the tingle makes the tongue feel active, so it looks like it’s doing something.
Stammering isn’t a tongue problem. It’s a difference in how the brain times and sequences speech, often running in families. Many young children stammer for a while between 2 and 5 years and grow out of it; those who don’t do best with speech therapy, and the earlier the better.
- No honey under 1 year, in any mix, because of infant botulism.
- No akarkara for children of any age. A strong, numbing herb in a young child’s mouth can cause gagging, drooling and allergy, and numbness raises the risk of biting the tongue.
- What helps at home: slow down your own speech, give the child time to finish, don’t finish their words, and keep eye contact. Calm, unhurried talk at home does more than any powder.
- See a speech therapist if stammering lasts more than 6 months, starts after age 5, comes with facial tension or struggle, or the child is upset by it.
Our full guide to hakla pan (stammering) in children covers what therapy involves. A related warning about another “speech” herb is in our piece on why vach is not for babies.
Myth: the stronger the tingle, the better the akarkara works
Wrong. A strong tingle just means more pellitorine. It doesn’t mean better healing, because there’s no healing happening; there’s numbing. More tingle also means more irritation, and in a mouth with ulcers or a child’s mouth, more harm.
Akarkara side effects and who should avoid it
Daisy-family allergy: akarkara is a cousin of chamomile, ragweed, marigold and chrysanthemum. If any of those give you hay fever, rashes or asthma, skip it; swelling of the lips or tongue, or trouble breathing, needs emergency care. Pregnancy and breastfeeding: avoid it; there’s not enough safety information, and strongly “hot” herbs are traditionally kept away from pregnancy. Children: no. Mouth ulcers or raw gums: it will sting and irritate. By mouth as a medicine: akarkara powder in “brain”, diabetes or BP mixes is medicinal use, so the amount comes from the pack or a qualified practitioner, and you should tell your doctor if you take diabetes or BP medicines. Never change a prescription because of a herb. See a dentist the same day for a swollen face or jaw, fever with tooth pain, pus, a bad taste that won’t go, or pain that wakes you; go to emergency if swelling spreads to the eye or neck, or you struggle to swallow, breathe or open your mouth.
How to buy and store akarkara
Choose dry, firm root pieces that snap rather than bend, with a faint, sharp smell. Avoid dusty, crumbling roots, pieces with tiny holes (insects), or anything sold as a ready “speech powder” for children with no ingredient list. Powder loses its punch fast; whole root keeps longer. Store it in a glass jar in a cool, dark cupboard, out of reach of children, and use it within a year.
Akarkara price varies with where it’s from and how it’s cleaned, so a much cheaper “irani” may be a different root. Ask the seller which plant it is.
More honest herb explainers are collected in Unani & Herbal, Decoded.
Did you know?
- “Pyrethrum” in the botanical name comes from the Greek word for fire, a nod to the root’s burning taste.
- Spilanthes, the other “akarkara”, is sold in the West as the “toothache plant” or “buzz button” for exactly the same tingle.
Akarkara benefits and side effects: your questions
What is akarkara in English?
Akarkara is pellitory root, also called Spanish chamomile, from the plant Anacyclus pyrethrum; in some Indian markets, spilanthes flower heads (the toothache plant) are also sold under the name akarkara.
What are akarkara benefits?
The real, checkable effect is brief local numbing and extra saliva, which can dull toothache for a short while; traditional uses for speech, memory, diabetes and blood pressure aren’t backed by good human evidence.
Akarkara side effects?
Burning and irritation in the mouth, drooling, and allergy in people sensitive to daisy-family plants; swallowed in quantity it can upset the stomach. Avoid it in pregnancy, breastfeeding and for children.
Is akarkara good for speech or stammering?
No herb fixes stammering. It’s a speech-timing difference, not a tongue problem, and speech therapy is what helps. Akarkara shouldn’t be put in a child’s mouth, and honey is never given under 1 year.
How to use akarkara for toothache?
Traditionally, an adult holds a small piece against the sore gum for a few minutes, then spits it out; it’s a stopgap only. A warm salt-water rinse is gentler, and the tooth still needs a dentist.
Can I give akarkara to kids?
No. Numbing, burning herbs in a young child’s mouth can cause gagging and allergy, and numbness makes tongue-biting more likely; for speech worries, talk to a doctor or speech therapist.
Is akarkara hot or cold?
In Unani it’s classed as hot and dry, quite strongly; that’s why it was used for “cold” complaints and kept away from people seen as already hot, and from pregnancy.
Is akarkara and ashwagandha same?
No. They’re different plants from different families. Akarkara makes your mouth tingle and numb; ashwagandha doesn’t.
Is akarkara good for diabetes or high blood pressure?
There’s no good human evidence for either. If you take diabetes or BP medicine, don’t add herbal powders without telling your doctor, and never stop or change a prescribed medicine.
Is akarkara safe for women and in pregnancy?
For non-pregnant women it’s like anyone else: a mouth herb with allergy cautions; in pregnancy and while breastfeeding, avoid it, because there isn’t enough safety information.
Does akarkara help hair growth?
There’s no good evidence. On the scalp it may sting and irritate; if you try a hair oil containing it, patch test behind the ear for 48 hours first.
What’s the difference between akarkara irani and desi akarkara?
Irani or Algerian akarkara is the root of Anacyclus pyrethrum. What’s sold as desi akarkara in parts of India is often spilanthes flower heads; both tingle. They’re different plants, so ask the seller which one you’re buying.