Ayurvedic Cough Syrups in India: Ingredients, Well-Known Brands and How They Are Regulated

• Updated 5 October 2026
• Reviewed by Sudhanshu Singhal
• 10 min read
• 25 sources

Common herbs in ayurvedic cough syrups at a glance

How ayurvedic medicines are regulated in India

Ayurvedic cough syrups are regulated as Ayurvedic drugs under Chapter IVA (sections 33B to 33N) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and the Rules made under it. The framework covers Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani (ASU) medicines together.

Classical medicines and patent or proprietary medicines

The Act divides Ayurvedic medicines into two groups. Classical medicines, under section 3(a), are made exclusively to the formulae given in the authoritative books listed in the First Schedule.

Patent or proprietary medicines, under section 3(h)(i), are formulations that contain only ingredients drawn from those same authoritative books, but are not themselves formulations from those books.

Licensing, standards and labelling

Section 33EEC bars the manufacture of an Ayurvedic drug without a licence. Licensing sits with State Licensing Authorities, and Good Manufacturing Practice is governed under Schedule T.

• Pharmacopoeial standards are set by the Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy.
• Adverse reactions are reported through AYUSH pharmacovigilance centres.
• Rule 161 requires the label to carry the true ingredient list with botanical names, plant part and quantity.

For a reader, this means the back label of an ayurvedic syrup for cough should tell you exactly what is inside and how much, not just a marketing description.

Advertising and Rule 170

Advertising of these medicines remains governed by the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954.

Common ingredients and what the evidence says

The brands listed further down share many of the same herbs. Traditional use is not the same thing as proof from human clinical trials, so below, the traditional use and the modern evidence are kept separate.

Vasaka (Adulsa) — Adhatoda vasica

Traditional use: vasaka is used for cough, bronchitis and asthma. Evidence: vasicine is its main alkaloid, and the modern drugs bromhexine and ambroxol are derived from it. Antitussive effects have been shown in animal studies, but the reviews found no human efficacy trial. The same reviews report abortifacient effects, so vasaka should be avoided in pregnancy.

Mulethi (Yashtimadhu) — Glycyrrhiza glabra

Traditional use: mulethi is used for dry cough and bronchitis. Evidence: its glycyrrhizin fraction can raise blood pressure and lower potassium, a condition described as pseudohyperaldosteronism, and this is reversible on stopping. If you have high blood pressure or low potassium, ask a doctor before using a liquorice-containing syrup.

Tulsi — Ocimum sanctum

Use: tulsi is in 7 of the 8 brands listed below. Evidence: a review of 24 human studies on tulsi covered metabolic, stress and immunity outcomes; cough was not studied in those trials, so a cough benefit cannot be read from that review.

Pippali — Piper longum

Traditional use: pippali is used for bronchitis, cough and cold. Evidence: the research is mostly preclinical, which means laboratory and animal work rather than human trials.

Kantakari — Solanum xanthocarpum

Use: kantakari is listed in Honitus, Zandu and Kasamrit (as kantikari). Evidence: small human trials of the whole-plant extract reported benefit in asthma. These were small trials, and they looked at asthma rather than ordinary cough.

Haridra (turmeric) — Curcuma longa

Traditional use: NCCIH records turmeric as traditionally used for the common cold and other conditions. Evidence: NCCIH states that we do not know enough to say whether turmeric helps, and liver injury has been reported with bioavailable turmeric products.

Honey for cough

Honey has been tested for cough in children in randomised trials, and it has a firm age limit. The Cochrane review of 10 April 2018 looked at 6 trials with 899 children aged 12 months to 18 years and concluded that honey probably reduces cough frequency more than no treatment or placebo, with moderate certainty.

NICE guideline NG120 likewise refers to limited evidence of some benefit from honey for cough in people over 1 year of age. The NHS lists honey among simple measures that may help a cough.

Safety and when to see a doctor

Herbal cough syrups are medicines too, and some common ingredients carry their own cautions. Read the label, and ask a doctor or pharmacist if you are unsure.

• Liquorice and blood pressure: glycyrrhizin in mulethi can raise blood pressure and lower potassium. The effect is reversible on stopping; if you have high blood pressure or low potassium, ask a doctor first.
• Vasaka in pregnancy: reviews of Adhatoda vasica report abortifacient effects, so it should be avoided in pregnancy.
• Turmeric products: liver injury has been reported with bioavailable turmeric products.
• Honey: never for babies under 1 year.

The NHS advises seeing a GP if a cough lasts more than 3 weeks, or if it comes with chest pain, breathlessness, coughing up blood, or weight loss. A cough that does not go away needs a proper diagnosis. Follow the directions on the label, or your doctor's advice.

Well-known ayurvedic cough syrups in India

The ayurvedic cough syrups below are sold by well-known Indian companies. The table lists ingredients as published by the companies and by online pharmacies.

Nuracuff syrup from Vibcare's NURALZ ayurvedic division

Nuracuff Syrup is Vibcare Pharma's ayurvedic cough syrup, from the NURALZ ayurvedic division. Its composition, as listed on our product page, has 21 ingredients, with vasaka (1,200 mg) and somlata (1,000 mg) the largest.

Composition as listed on our product page

• Vasaka 1200 mg IP, Somlata 1000 mg IP
• Ustukhuddus 120 mg IP
• Banafsha 60 mg IP, Munakka 60 mg IP, Unav 60 mg IP, Gajwan 60 mg IP, Mulethi 60 mg IP, Saunf 60 mg IP, Reshakhatmi 60 mg IP, Anjeer 60 mg IP, Kantakari 60 mg IP, Kaiphal 60 mg IP, Giloy 60 mg IP, Tulsi 60 mg IP, Ginger 60 mg IP
• Lasura 30 mg IP, Apamarg 30 mg IP, Noshadar 30 mg IP, Satpudina 30 mg IP, Sat Kapoor 30 mg IP

The label on the pack is the authority on ingredients and directions. Like most of the brands above, Nuracuff contains vasaka and mulethi, so the cautions under Safety apply.

Availability through a PCD franchise

Vibcare Pharma Pvt Ltd, incorporated in 2014 and running commercial operations since 2015, appoints PCD franchise partners district by district, with one partner per district and monopoly rights confirmed in writing. The company works with more than 5,000 partners across 11 divisions.

NURALZ products, along with injectables and ophthalmics, are made at partner WHO-GMP units, and the manufacturer is named on the pack. To start a franchise you need a wholesale drug licence and GST registration.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

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