Musta (nutgrass)

Cyperus rotundus

Edible plant

ChineseAyurveda

Photo credit: No machine-readable author provided. Rickjpelleg assumed (based on copyright claims).

Safety information

Toxicity: Low at studied doses.

Contraindications: Pregnancy (insufficient data — caution); diabetics (possible glucose effects).

Interactions: Antidiabetics, anti-inflammatories; theoretical additive with hormone-active agents (antiandrogenic signal).

Pregnancy & breastfeeding: Pregnancy: insufficient data — caution.

Evidence level

Clinical

Supported by clinical trials in humans.

Preparations

powder · rhizome/tuber

Part used: rhizome/tuber

Evidence:Preclinical

in digestive/fever formulas (Mustakarishta) · rhizome/tuber

Part used: rhizome/tuber

Evidence:Preclinical

vinegar-processed · rhizome/tuber

Part used: rhizome/tuber

Evidence:Traditional (systematized)

in formula (often gynecological) · rhizome/tuber

Part used: rhizome/tuber

Evidence:Traditional (systematized)

decoction · rhizome/tuber

Part used: rhizome/tuber

Traditional use: diarrhea, indigestion, fever, antipyretic

Proposed mechanism: sesquiterpenes (cyperene, cyperotundone), flavonoids — antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, antimicrobial, antiandrogenic

Evidence:Clinical

decoction · rhizome/tuber

Part used: rhizome/tuber

Traditional use: regulates qi, soothes the liver, regulates menstruation, relieves pain; liver-qi stagnation, menstrual pain/irregularity, epigastric/flank distension

Proposed mechanism: essential oil (alpha-cyperone, cyperene, alpha-selinene), flavonoids — analgesic, anti-inflammatory, spasmolytic (Ca-channel blockade), antidepressant, estrogenic/antiandrogenic

Evidence:Preclinical

General preparation guide →

Associated conditions

epigastric distension liver qi stagnation Diarrhoea Indigestion / dyspepsia menstrual pain irregularity Fever

Edibility

Edible parts: Tubers technically edible/famine food, eaten in antiquity but bitter; mainly medicinal.

Toxic lookalike warning

Sedge tubers resemble other wetland tubers — positive ID needed before any consumption.

Nutritional notes

Tubers contain starch/oils; not a staple.

Healing traditions

ChineseAyurveda

Sources (3)

[E32] Cyperi Rhizoma ethnomedicine/phytochemistry/pharmacology systematic review (Front. Pharmacol.)
Kamala 2018, J Ethnopharmacol (PMID 26297840)
Peerzada 2023, J Ethnopharmacol (PMID 37359712)

All sources →