Kvatha, Kvātha: 19 definitions
Introduction:
Kvatha means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, Marathi. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.
In Hinduism
Ayurveda (science of life)
Rasashastra (Alchemy and Herbo-Mineral preparations)
Kvātha or Kaṣāya is the filtered liquid obtained by boiling coarse powder of drug(s) in proportion of 4, 8 or 16 (Mṛdu-dravya - 4, Madhyama-dravya - 8 and Kaṭhina-dravya - 16 respectively) times of water and reduced to one-fourth. (see the Śārṅgadhara-saṃhitā II.9.3, which is a 14th century medicinal Ayurvedic treatise in Sanskrit written by Śārṅgadhara).
Kalpa (Formulas, Drug prescriptions and other Medicinal preparations)
Kvātha (क्वाथ, “decoction”) is another name for Kaṣāya, a Sanskrit technical term appearing in the 15th-century Yogasārasaṅgraha (Yogasara-saṅgraha) by Vāsudeva..—At first medicinal plants are dried in shade, cut into pieces or pounded, if necessary. According to the hardness of the drugs, four, eight or sixteen times of water is added and then boiled till about one fourth remains. It is then filtered through a cloth and the filtrate is used as medicine.
Unclassified Ayurveda definitions
Kvātha (Decoction): Herbs are boiled in water without a lid till three-fourths or more water is evaporated. The filtrate is known as kvātha. This process is useful to extract medicinal qualities of herbs with hard consistency. The herbs containing volatile oils are not used to make kvāthas. These forms of medicines are easy to digest and effective in action. Example: Daśamūlāriṣṭa. Kvathas are usually taken orally. They are also used for tub-bath (avagāhana) as external use. Kvāthacūrna means certain drugs or combination of drugs are made into coarse powder and used to prepare kaṣāya.
Kvatha is prepared by boiling the herb (about 60gms or 1 pala) in 16 parts of water in an earthen pot over a mild fire till it is reduced to 1/8 of the original amount. About 120g of decoction can be administered at a time, slightly warmed, after the food has digested. For example, Guducyadi-kvatha.
Kvatha (Decoction): Kvatha is prepared by boiling 1 part of herb with 16 parts of water in an open vessel on mild fire till it reduces to one-eighth of the original quantity. The quantity of water may be four times, eight times or sixteen times the quantity of the part of the plant. This variation in the amount of water depends on the hardness of the material used. Like, it may be simply four times in soft herbs (herbs whose leaves and flowers are used), eight times for medium hardness (includes soft barks of plants, roots of shrubs and plants, soft roots, tubers and medium tubers), while sixteen times in case where the plant material to be used for preparing decoction is too hard (Hard barks of trees, root bark of trees and creeper).
Kvātha (क्वाथ):—Synonym of kashaya boiled & filtered liquid of herbs for specific time used for the therapeutics & pharmaceutical manufacturing

Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद, ayurveda) is a branch of Indian science dealing with medicine, herbalism, taxology, anatomy, surgery, alchemy and related topics. Traditional practice of Āyurveda in ancient India dates back to at least the first millenium BC. Literature is commonly written in Sanskrit using various poetic metres.
Languages of India and abroad
Marathi-English dictionary
kvātha (क्वाथ).—m S A decoction: also a thing boiled.
kvātha (क्वाथ).—m A decoction, a thing boiled.
ख
Marathi is an Indo-European language having over 70 million native speakers people in (predominantly) Maharashtra India. Marathi, like many other Indo-Aryan languages, evolved from early forms of Prakrit, which itself is a subset of Sanskrit, one of the most ancient languages of the world.
Sanskrit dictionary
Kvatha (क्वथ).—A decoction, solution prepared with a continued or gentle heat.
Derivable forms: kvathaḥ (क्वथः).
--- OR ---
Kvātha (क्वाथ).—[kvath-karaṇe ghañ]
1) A decoction, solution prepared with a continued or gentle heat.
2) The mixture of the materials for decoction.
3) Pain, sorrow, distress.
Derivable forms: kvāthaḥ (क्वाथः).
Kvātha (क्वाथ).—(m.; in this meaning Sanskrit Lex.), misery, sorrow: asmābhir anena kvātha-kāyena prāptavyaṃ prāptaṃ (so punctuate) Mūla-Sarvāstivāda-Vinaya i.5.17, by this body of misery we have got all we could get.
Kvātha (क्वाथ).—m.
(-thaḥ) 1. A decoction, any solution or infusion prepared with a continued and gentle heat. 2. Pain, sorrow. 3. Calamity, distress. 4. The mixture of the materials for a decoction. E. kvatha to decoct, ghañ aff.
Kvātha (क्वाथ).—i. e. kvath + a, m. A decoction, [Suśruta] 2, 85, 10.
Kvatha (क्वथ).—[masculine] decoction, extract.
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Kvātha (क्वाथ).—[masculine] boiling, decoction.
1) Kvatha (क्वथ):—[from kvath] m. ([gana] jvalādi) a decoction, extract.
2) Kvātha (क्वाथ):—[from kvath] a m. ([gana] jvalādi) boiling, [Yājñavalkya iii, 253 [Scholiast or Commentator]]
3) [v.s. ...] a decoction, any solution or infusion prepared with a continued or gentle heat, [Varāha-mihira’s Bṛhat-saṃhitā vli, 49; Suśruta; Śārṅgadhara-saṃhitā]
4) [v.s. ...] the mixture of the materials for a decoction, [Horace H. Wilson]
5) [v.s. ...] pain, sorrow, distress, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
6) b etc. See √kvath.
Kvātha (क्वाथ):—(thaḥ) 1. m. A decoction; pain.
Kvātha (क्वाथ) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Kāḍha.
[Sanskrit to German]
Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.
Kannada-English dictionary
Kvātha (ಕ್ವಾಥ):—[noun] an extract or the essence, flavour, etc. produced of by boiling; a decoction.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Starts with: Kvathadhikara, Kvathadi, Kvathadiyoga, Kvathan, Kvathana, Kvathanabimdu, Kvathanamapaka, Kvathanamapana, Kvathananka, Kvatharasa, Kvathayitavya, Kvathodbhava.
Full-text (+33): Kvathodbhava, Nishkvatha, Ikshurasakvatha, Avakvatha, Utkvatha, Prakvatha, Kvathadhikara, Kvatharasa, Manjishthadikvatha, Pathyashadangakvatha, Amritadikvatha, Pushkaradikvatha, Punarnavashtakakvatha, Dashamulakvatha, Dhanyapancakakvatha, Vatsakadikvatha, Rasnasaptakakvatha, Darvyadikvatha, Patoladikvatha, Pancabhadrakvatha.
Relevant text
Search found 27 books and stories containing Kvatha, Kvātha; (plurals include: Kvathas, Kvāthas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Cinnamon and clove as preservatives for kwathas in Indian medicine. < [Volume 3 (issue 3), Jan-Mar 1984]
The history of the development of Ayurvedic medicine in Russia < [Volume 35 (issue 3), Jan-Mar 2016]
Wound healing potential of Pañcavalkala formulations in a postfistulectomy wound < [Volume 35 (issue 2), Oct-Dec 2015]
Journal of Ayurveda and Holistic Medicine
Conceptual study of role of simhasyadi kvatha in vatarakta < [Volume 5, issue 1 (2017)]
Effect of pancha tikta kshira basti karma in avascular necrosis < [Volume 4, issue 1 (2016)]
A clinical success in Vataja Shirashoola with Rasnadi Taila Nasya and Dashamoola Kwatha – A Case Report A clinical success in Vataja Shirashoola with Rasnadi Taila Nasya and Dashamoola Kwatha – A Case Report < [Volume 9, issue 4 (2021)]
Journal of Ayurveda and Integrated Medical Sciences
A comprehensive review of Formulations containing Mākśika Bhasma < [Vol. 9 No. 9 (2024)]
A case study on effect of Vasakadhi Kvatha and Katakadhi Anjana in the... < [Vol. 7 No. 1 (2022)]
Multi-modal treatment approach in management of Sandhigata Vata w.s.r. to... < [Vol. 2 No. 04 (2017)]
World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research
Elādi lepa and raktapācaka kvātha < [2017: Volume 6, March issue 3]
Effect of panchavalkala kvatha and ropana ghrita on dushta vrana. < [2017: Volume 6, July issue 7]
Agni in āmavāta: rheumatoid arthritis and management case study. < [2016: Volume 5, July issue 7]
Journal of Ayurvedic and Herbal Medicine
Novel approach for sophistication of fingerprinting methods for polyherbal... < [Volume 1, Issue 2: September–October (2015)]
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) < [Volume 3, Issue 2: April–June (2017)]
Solanum xanthocarpum and Acacia catechu Willd- An Ayurvedic Soothe < [Volume 7, Issue 1: January–March (2021)]
Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine
Review of unique ophthalmic formulations in Kerala Ayurveda < [Volume 13 (issue 2), Apr-Jun 2022]
Ayurvedic management of amoebic liver abscess-a case report < [Volume 13 (issue 2), Apr-Jun 2022]
Ayurvedic management in cervical spondylotic myelopathy < [Volume 8 (issue 1), Jan-Mar 2017]
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