Mahanarayan Ayurvedic Body Oil 100 ml

Mahanarayan oil: a formula, not a scented oil

Most massage oils are simply a carrier oil with a few drops of fragrance. Mahanarayan works the other way around. Here, sesame oil is only the carrier, and the heart of the formula is 27 herbs and roots infused into it using the traditional cooking method. This is how tailam, a classic Ayurvedic oil, is made.

The formula contains the pillars of Ayurvedic herbalism: ashwagandha, bala and shatavari. Alongside them are seven roots from the dashamula group, the “ten roots”, one of Ayurveda’s oldest formulas: bilva, shyonaka, patala, brihati, kantakari, shalaparni and gokshura. The formula is rounded out by turmeric, manjistha, jatamansi, Himalayan cedar, agarwood and cardamom.

The result is a thick oil, warm to the touch, with an earthy, spicy aroma. It leaves your skin soft and supple. Daily oiling stops being just a step in your care routine and becomes a ritual that calms your evening.

Mahanarayan in the Ayurvedic tradition

Mahanarayan is one of the best-known oils of classical Ayurveda. Its formula is described in texts such as Bhaishajya Ratnavali and Sahasrayogam, in the chapters devoted to Vata, the dosha of movement, dryness and cold. The name means “the great oil of Narayana”, and the prefix maha sets it apart from the simpler Narayana oil: more ingredients, a more potent formula.

In the Ayurvedic tradition, Mahanarayan is believed to nourish the tissues more deeply than ordinary oil, which is why people turned to it where the body carries the most strain: the joints, muscles and tendons. It was used for massage after exertion, for people doing hard physical work and for older people, in whom Vata naturally grows stronger. It was also the staple oil for marma massage, which works with the points where, according to Ayurveda, muscles, joints and the flow of energy meet.

Ayurveda counts it among the brimhana oils, that is, building and nourishing oils, as opposed to cleansing ones. That is why it is thick, heavy and warming. It is meant to balance the lightness and dryness of Vata, not to intensify them.

You can read more about how Ayurveda chooses body oils in our guide to Ayurvedic massage oils, and more about the dosha itself in the article Vata dosha: everything you need to know.

Who it's for

For dry, rough skin that tends to feel cold. In Ayurveda, Mahanarayan is above all an oil for Vata. It works well in the colder months, for massage after training and physical exertion, and as the base of your daily abhyanga. For anyone looking for an oil with substance rather than just a scent.

Active ingredients

Sesame oil: the classic base of Ayurvedic oils, warming and nourishing.

Ashwagandha, bala, shatavari: three roots on which Ayurvedic herbalism is built, valued for their strengthening and nourishing properties.

Dashamula: seven of the ten roots of this classic group, traditionally used in massage oils for Vata.

Turmeric, manjistha, daruharidra: classic Ayurvedic care ingredients.

Jatamansi and Indian valerian: aromatic roots with a soothing character, found in evening rituals.

Spread a small amount of oil (approx. 5 pumps) between your palms to fully release its aroma. Massage it into your whole body with slow, mindful movements until the oil is absorbed. Rinse off with warm water in the shower or bath.

In the Ayurvedic tradition, abhyanga is done before a shower or bath, as a regular part of the daily care ritual — not after it.

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