Naming A Drug Formulation

The names of the drug formulations are usually based on the following six factors:

a) Important ingredient: Some preparations are named after the most important ingredient, for example, Amalaki-rasayana.
b) Authorship: The name of the sage or rishi who first discovered or patronized the formula is used in naming the drug, for example, Agastya haritaki.
c) Therapeutic property: The disease for which the formula was indicated is at times used in naming the preparation, for example, kushaghna lepa.
d) The first ingredient of the formula: The drug that heads the list in the formula is sometimes used in naming the preparation, for example, Pippalyasava.
e) Quantity of drug: The preparation is named after the quantity of the durg used, for example, Shatpala ghrita.
f) Part of the plant: The drug is named after the part of the plant used, for example, Dashamula kashaya.


Pharmaceutical Processes

In Ayurveda, different pharmaceutical processes are followed in the preparation of drugs. Besides helping isolation of the therapeutically active fraction of the drugs, these processes help make the medicines:

a) easily administrable;
b) tasteful:
c) digestible and assimilable:
d) therapeutically more effective:
e) less toxic and more tolerable: and
f) more preservable.


Shodhana Or Purification

Some raw drugs are required to be used after shodhana. The literal meaning of the word shodhana is purification. But this is often misinterpreted to mean that the substance is rendered physically and chemically pure. Shodhana, no doubt, brings about physical and chemical purity to some extent but at times more impurities are added to the substance during certain stages of the process. By such addition, the drug becomes less toxic and therapeutically more effective. Pure aconite, fore example, cannot be administered so freely as shodhita aconite. Aconite, which is a cardiac depressant, becomes a cardiac stimulant after shodhana. Thus, the actual shodhana process require a detailed study and the correctness of the drug preparations subject to these processes should be assessed by the therapeutic effect of the finished products.

Some gum resins, such a guggulu and some drugs containing volatile oils, such as kushtha are also said to undergo shodhana by boiling them with milk, go-mutra, etc. Boiling, however, reduces the volatile oil content of the drug which is supposed to be therapeutically very active.


The Rationale Of Using Metallic Medicines

Metals, minerals, gems and jewels are in use in the medicine since Vedic period. But they were used extensively during the post-Buddhist era. Several Buddhist saint carried out research and composed works on metallic medicines. Some of these metals, like mercury, lead and arsenic are know to be poisonous to the body and some of them do not get absorbed into the blood from the intestines. Therefore, all metals, minerals, gems and jewels are processed with the following aims in view:

a) to make them absolutely non-toxic:
b) to make them easily absorbable through the intestinal mucosa and to make them assimilable through the walls of the cells;
c) to enhance their therapeutic efficacy so that these could be administered in a very small dose;
d) to make their therapeutic effects broad based; and
e) to make them delicious.


For the above mentioned purposes, these metals, etc, are first of all made to undergo the process of shodhana (lit. purification). During this process, the molecules of the metal become fragile and non-toxic. This is done by boiling and triturating with several herbs and animal products. Thus the inorganic metal is converted into an organic compound.

Finally, the metal is subjected to a process called amritikarna (converting it into ambrosia). Different methods of shodhana, marana and amritikarna are prescribed for different metals, minerals, gems, and jewels. The final products in usually called bhasma or calcined power. These are absolutely non-toxic, safe and useful. In addition to curing diseases, they help in the rejuvenation of the body and preservation as well as promotion of positive health. They are used only in a small dose therapeutically. The properties of these bhasmas (calcined powders) are entirely different from those of the raw metals, minerals, gems and jewels. They are frequently used in ayurvedic recipes along with vegetable and animal products because of the following:

a) they are effective in minimum dose;
b) they do not produce any bad taste; and
c) they produce their therapeutic effect by curing the disease quickly. Many obstinate and otherwise incurable disease are amenable to these metallic preparations.


It is keeping these above - mentioned facts in view, that the system of treatment with recipes containing metals, etc., is called daivi chikitsa (heavenly treatment). What to speak of ordinary diseases, even several ailments needing conventional surgery are amenable to these metallic preparations.