Rasaut (Daruhaldi) for Eyes and Skin: Uses and the Warnings

Rasaut is a dark, bitter, tar-like lump made by boiling down the root and stem of Indian barberry (Daruhaldi, Berberis aristata). Its yellow chemical, berberine, really does fight germs in the lab, which is why grandmothers dabbed rasaut on sore eyes, boils and mouth ulcers. But it should never go in the eye, it can clash with common medicines, and it’s a firm no in pregnancy and for newborns with jaundice. Here’s what’s fair, what isn’t, and what to do instead.

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What is rasaut, and how is it made?

Daruhaldi is a thorny Himalayan shrub with yellow flowers and small, sour, purple berries; cut the root and the wood inside is a startling yellow, almost like turmeric, hence the name.

To make rasaut, the chopped root and lower stem are boiled in water for hours; the liquid is strained and simmered down until it’s a thick, dark paste, then dried into brittle, glossy, brown-black lumps. It’s sold by pansaris in small blocks or as powder; good rasaut dissolves in warm water to a muddy yellow-brown liquid and tastes intensely bitter.

A related barberry, zereshk, is the tart red berry you find in Persian rice. Same family, very different job.

What do people say rasaut does?

The famous claim online: rasaut for piles, rasaut for “aankh aana” (pink eye), rasaut for pimples, wounds, mouth ulcers, diabetes, liver and even hair; some videos show it mixed into kajal or rubbed along the lash line.

Our honest take: which rasaut uses hold up?

Well supported (as far as it goes): berberine kills or slows many bacteria and fungi in a dish. It’s also among the best-studied plant chemicals for blood sugar and cholesterol, taken as a purified product.

Plausible but unproven: that a dab of crude rasaut helps a small boil, a cracked heel or a mouth ulcer heal faster. It might. There aren’t good human trials, and crude lumps vary a lot in strength and cleanliness.

False or unsafe: rasaut in or around the eye, rasaut “melting” piles, rasaut as a diabetes medicine replacing your prescription, and any rasaut for babies or in pregnancy.

Depends: an adult’s mouth ulcer or a tiny skin spot, after a patch test, is a fair traditional use. Everything near the eye is a Skip.

Why should rasaut never go in or near your eyes?

Eyes first. Pink eye is the classic rasaut job in old homes; it’s also where rasaut does the most harm.

• It isn’t sterile. It’s a home-boiled, air-dried lump, handled by many hands. Anything you dissolve it in can carry bacteria and fungal spores onto an already inflamed eye.
• It stings and stains. Bitter, concentrated plant chemicals irritate the eye’s surface, and a red eye can turn into a raw, scratched one.
• Kajal mixtures are worse. Homemade kajal and surma can also carry lead, and we’ve covered that in surma and kajal for babies.
• It hides what’s really going on. A red eye can be simple viral conjunctivitis, which settles on its own in 1 to 2 weeks, or something serious like a corneal ulcer, iritis or acute glaucoma, which need a doctor fast.

For itchy, red eyes from dust and pollen, a rinse and a cool compress are what help; see red itchy eyes in smog and pollen season.

What to do for a sticky red eye instead

1. Wash your hands with soap for 20 seconds before and after touching the eye.
2. Boil a cup of water (about 250 ml) for 1 minute and let it cool until lukewarm, close to body temperature.
3. Dip a clean cotton pad in it and wipe the closed lid once, from the inner corner outward.
4. Use a fresh pad for each wipe, and a separate pad for each eye.
5. Repeat 3 or 4 times a day while there’s crust.
6. Keep your own towel and pillowcase; change the pillowcase every 2 days.
7. No eye make-up and no contact lenses until the eye has been white and comfortable for 24 hours.

Who must avoid rasaut completely?

Rasaut for mouth ulcers and skin: a careful method

If you’re an adult, not pregnant, not on regular medicines, and want to try the traditional dab, keep it small and short.

• Patch test first: dissolve a crumb of rasaut, about the size of a grain of rice, in 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of warm boiled water. Dab a pea-sized spot on your inner forearm and leave it 48 hours; redness, itching or bumps mean stop.
• On a mouth ulcer: touch the ulcer with a clean cotton bud dipped in that solution, then spit out the bitter saliva; don’t swallow mouthfuls of it. Stop if it burns more than briefly.
• On a small boil or crack: a thin layer on intact skin around it, washed off after 20 to 30 minutes. Never on a large, hot, spreading area.
• Expect yellow staining on skin, nails and cloth.

An ulcer that lasts more than 2 weeks, keeps coming back, or comes with weight loss needs a dentist or doctor. Our guide to munh ke chhale covers the gentler home steps. A boil with spreading redness, fever or red streaks needs a doctor the same day.

Piles: a bitter paste won’t shrink them. Bleeding from the back passage, especially over 40 or with a change in bowel habit, needs a check before any home remedy.

How to buy and store rasaut

Real rasaut is brittle, glossy and brown-black, breaks with a clean edge, and turns water yellow-brown with a bitter taste you’ll feel on your lips just by handling it. Sticky, soft or sweet-smelling lumps may be old, damp or bulked out. “Shuddh rasaut” on a label is a claim, not a test. Buy from a shop that names the maker and date. Store it in a sealed glass jar away from damp and children, and throw it out if it grows mould or goes soft.

More herb explainers live in Unani & Herbal, Decoded.

Did you know?

• Berberine glows yellow under ultraviolet light, which is one way labs check for it.
• Berberine was used as a yellow dye for wool and leather long before it was studied as a medicine.

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