MIND, YOUR MEDICINES PART 6 HERBAL MEDICINES

 

 Part 6….”Ayurveda, Homeopathy and Unani medicine making”

Continuing on, the way medicines are prepared, one can throw light on other types of medicines also.

Most of the herbal medicines were earlier, localized. In fact, they were prepared in situ as and when required. No specifications of ingredients were mentioned. Side effects were not known in detail. This probably made it less known all over the world. However, today the story is different. Herbal medicines are delocalised and are available on shelves with specifications. 

Ayurveda medicines

The medicines are prepared depending on the condition of the patient and the expected therapeutic effect. Generally, the ingredients are from nature. Care is taken so that the materials are safe. A part of a herb is selected with the end effect in mind. The raw materials are obtained from a specially maintained garden called “Dhanavantari Vana” or forests. A few examples are:

Representative raw materials:

Roots like turmeric and ginger.

Leaves of coriander and Aloe Vera.

Fruits like black pepper and gooseberry.

Barks of Ashoka and neem tree.

Seeds of cardamom and coriander and so on.

Attributions

Selections are done based on healing power like:

Appetizer                                           Cardamom and coriander

Indigestion                                        Basil, Ginger and Chrysanthemum

Tissues healing                                Jasmine and Cinnamon

Antibiotic (Viral infections)            Turmeric

Antiseptic (Infection protection)  Aloe Vera and Sandalwood

There is much more. The above are only representative.

A glimpse of methodology

A few simple methods of preparation are based on the concept of Pancha Kashaya Kalpa.

Extraction of the key juice from the plant by grinding or pounding.

The herbs are crushed, mixed with water to make pulps.

Boiling herbs in water and concentrating.

Immersion of herbs in hot water for the required length of time till infusion occurs.

Soaking the herbs in cold water overnight for cold infusion.

 

Homoeopathy

Based on a correlation table of symptoms and illness, materials available in nature like herbs and minerals are selected. They are diluted to the maximum extent possible till the solute and solvent are indistinguishable. To support amalgamation, the solution is shaken or the vessel is tapped on a soft material in between. A paste is prepared with either sugar (lactose) or salt (sodium salt) as the base. They are given as powders, pills or tablets. The criteria is “A disease is cured by the disease”.

Sometimes bush snake venoms are also used in formulations.

Unani

Here depending upon the type of ailment, pharmacological formulations are prepared.

Mufradat is a single drug formulation.

Murakkabat is a combination of drugs and is a compound formulation.

Herbs, minerals and if needed other natural sources are used. Medicines are processed by classical methods.

Ayurveda, Homeopathy, and Unani

All three utilise the naturally available materials in the surroundings.

Both Unani and Ayurveda in principle consider the elements present in the human body. The wellness of a person depends on the balance of these elements. Illness, if they are in imbalance. Both approaches are also very particular about the diet regimens. Homoeopathy also puts dietary restrictions.

Having presented a trailer of the methodology of the birth and death of medicines, it is interesting to know that, medicines are obtained by accidents also. Penicillin, the most sought after, is a classic example.

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