When a hakeem says the head has become hot, this is the oil he prescribes. Kaddu seed has been the standard cooling agent of Unani head medicine for centuries, and Laraib prepares it the long way — seeds and fresh gourd juice cooked together into the base oil at low heat until only the medicated oil is left. The result cools without chilling, and settles rather than sedates.
What it is traditionally used for
- Massaged into the scalp to cool the brain and relieve a hot, heavy head
- Long considered beneficial in headache, particularly the kind brought on by heat
- Applied at night to bring calm, restful and uninterrupted sleep
- Used to relieve dryness of the ears
- Used to relieve dryness of the nose and the discomfort that comes with it
How it is made
Single-origin bottle gourd seed is crushed and cooked with the fresh juice of the gourd into cold-pressed sesame oil, held at low temperature by the classical damp-heat method until all the water has evaporated and the oil alone remains. It is filtered clear and bottled at the Multan facility. Nothing artificial is added — no mineral oil, no fragrance, no colour.
How to take it
Massage about a teaspoon into the scalp with the fingertips, working from the crown down to the temples, and leave it in overnight. Three or four nights a week through the hot months, or nightly during a spell of headaches and broken sleep. A drop warmed on the fingertip may be applied around the outer ear or the rim of the nostril for dryness.
Good to know
- 60 ml bottle; a teaspoon per application makes it last a full season
- DRAP registration number 0803812108
- 100% natural gourd-seed preparation with nothing artificial added
- Naturally cooling — most families keep it from April through September
Sana Jamil (verified owner) –
Works well and the price is fair for 60 ml. The smell is very plain, almost like plain sesame, so do not expect anything perfumed. Reached Hyderabad in four days, properly packed.
Tooba Iqbal (verified owner) –
Bought this for the sleep more than the headaches. It is not a sedative, it just takes the heat out of your head so you settle. I use it four nights a week and skip the weekends.
Kamran Akram (verified owner) –
My mother has used Roghan Kaddu for forty years and says the Laraib one is the closest to what the old pansar shops used to sell. Light, not sticky, washes out easily. We order three bottles every summer.
Usman Tariq (verified owner) –
June in Multan is unbearable and this is the only thing that stops the afternoon headache turning into an evening one. I keep it by the bed. One teaspoon, ten minutes of massage, and I am asleep by eleven instead of one.