In brief: Yashtimadhu Taila (also written Yashtimadhu Thailam, Yashtimadhu Thailam, Madhuyashti Taila or simply liquorice oil) is a classical Ayurvedic oil in which the root of Yashtimadhu, liquorice, Glycyrrhiza glabra, is cooked into sesame oil. The tradition describes liquorice as sweet and cooling and places the oil with Vata and Pitta; it is a gentle oil, traditionally used for Abhyanga and for the head. Art of Vedas does not currently offer Yashtimadhu Taila. This guide covers what the oil is, what the name means, how it differs from Madhuyashtyadi Thailam, how such an oil is used in practice, and which oils in our range come closest to it.
What Yashtimadhu Taila is and what the name means
Yashti means stick and madhu means sweet: Yashtimadhu is "the sweet stick", the dried root of liquorice, Glycyrrhiza glabra. Madhuyashti is the same two words in the other order, and Yashtimadhuka is a longer Sanskrit form; Taila, Thailam and Thailam are one word for oil. In English it is simply liquorice oil.
Yashtimadhu Taila is the plain oil: liquorice root cooked into sesame oil. It should not be confused with Madhuyashtyadi Thailam, a longer classical recipe in which liquorice opens a list of further plants (the ending adi, "and the others", marks the difference).
What the classical tradition describes
Liquorice root is one of the plants that the compendia cook into oil on its own, and Yashtimadhu Taila is the result. The classical method is the Sneha Paka: a decoction and a paste of the root are cooked slowly into sesame oil until the water has gone and the paste meets the traditional finishing tests. Our complete guide to traditional Thailams describes the method step by step. The texts describe the oil for the body and for the head, and that is how it is still used.
Character in Ayurvedic terms
The classical texts describe Yashtimadhu by its sweet taste and its cooling quality and place it with Vata and Pitta. An oil cooked with it is therefore one of the gentle, non-heating oils: it does not belong with the hot spice oils for the muscles and joints, but with the soft oils that the tradition uses on the head, on the face and for a light Abhyanga in the warm months.
How such an oil is used in practice
Abhyanga of the body. Stand the closed bottle in a bowl of warm water until a drop feels pleasantly warm on the inner wrist; never use a microwave. Apply the oil with long strokes along the limbs and circular strokes around the joints, leave it on the skin for 15 to 20 minutes and take a warm shower. As a cooling oil it suits a lighter rhythm in winter and a daily rhythm in summer.
Shiroabhyanga, the head massage. Warm a small amount, part the hair and work the oil into the scalp with the fingertips in slow circles for five to ten minutes. Leave it on for at least half an hour, or overnight with a towel on the pillow, then wash the hair as usual. Once or twice a week is the usual rhythm.
Padabhyanga, the foot massage. A few minutes of oil massage of the soles before bed is a classical evening ritual, and a gentle oil suits it. The full sequence is in our Abhyanga guide.
Who should ask first
Yashtimadhu Taila is for external use only. Do a small skin test on the inner forearm before the first full application, keep the oil away from the eyes and broken skin, and do not use any sesame oil preparation if you react to sesame. If you are pregnant or wish to use any oil on a child, ask your doctor or a qualified Ayurvedic practitioner first.
Art of Vedas does not currently offer Yashtimadhu Taila
The closest oils in our range are the gentle oils of the same character. Ksheerabala Thailam is the mild Bala oil placed with Vata and Pitta, the one most often used on the head and face, and the nearest to Yashtimadhu Taila in use and character. Eladi Thailam is the cardamom-led skin oil, used in a thin layer.
