Arugampul is Cynodon dactylon, Bermuda grass — the fine, creeping grass of Tamil temple offerings and Hindi dūrvā / doob. It is a sacred and a weedy plant at once. It does not turn a lawn into a blood tonic.
- Botanical name
- Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.
- Family
- Poaceae
- Tamil
- Arugampul
- Hindi
- Doob
- Sanskrit
- Dūrvā
- Parts used
- Whole herb, Runners
- Habit
- Creeping perennial lawn and bund grass
- Last updated
- 2026-10-30
How to recognise Arugampul
Persoon published the combination. Linnaeus had it as Panicum dactylon. The family is Poaceae. It is a low perennial with creeping stolons and rhizomes, short ligules, and finger-like spikes (dactylon = finger) of tiny spikelets.
The grass that people pull for Ganapati and the grass that ruins a flower bed can be the same species. Sacred use does not change the botany.
Tamil arugampul, Hindi doob and Sanskrit dūrvā are the names when the seller means this fine Cynodon. Coarser bund grasses and other Cynodon taxa exist. A handful of “holy grass” from a stall may be mixed.
Finger-like spikes, usually four or five, are the easy field mark when it is in flower. A sterile lawn clipping is harder; the creeping stolons and the fine blade still help.
Kew accepts the species. A temple lawn in Madurai and a sports turf in Florida can be the same grass with different mowing stories.
Whole herb used fresh and a dried churna are different objects. Juice squeezed from a handful is not a standardised extract.
Runners root at the nodes, which is why a small offering patch becomes a lawn. That habit is ecology, not a quality certificate for a juice stall.
Traditional use of Arugampul
Hindu temple practice
Dūrvā / arugampul is offered to Gaṇeśa. That religious use is older than any juice brand and does not require a medical claim.
Living temple practice
Ayurveda and household
The grass appears in traditional lists as a cooling, haemostatic heading. Those are historical categories. They are not a haematology claim.
Ayurvedic headings and household practice
Modern notes on Arugampul
Turf science knows this grass better than supplement science does. A sports-field paper is not a reason to drink lawn juice.
The practical modern issue is roadside grass collected where dogs, diesel and pesticide meet — a piety problem, not a Latin-name problem.
A juice stall that pulls from the temple lawn and a stall that pulls from the bus stand are not selling the same object, even when both say dūrvā.
Arugampul safety
A few blades in a puja are the ordinary exposure. Juices and capsules of unnamed “durva” are not that offering.
Grass collected from roadsides and sprayed lawns is a contamination story. Temple and clean-yard grass are different objects.
People with grass-pollen allergy already know this plant in another way.
Ecology and sourcing
It is a cosmopolitan weed and a useful binder of soil. Conservation of the species is not in doubt. Honesty about where the handful was pulled is.
A later lot, if any, would be a clean cultivated tray, not a highway verge blessed after the fact.
Related plants
Also in Poaceae
Questions about Arugampul
Is arugampul the same as Bermuda grass?
Yes. Bermuda grass is the common English name for Cynodon dactylon. Arugampul is the Tamil name.
Is Arugampul only a temple grass?
No. It is also a lawn and bund grass. Sacred use and weedy habit are the same species.
Sources
- Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. — Plants of the World Online, Kew (search) (accessed 2026)
- Wikidata item Q208705 (Cynodon dactylon)
Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.