Palăśa (Butea monosperma (Lamk.) Taub.) and its medico-historical study.

Palăśa (Butea monosperma (Lamk.) Taub.) is considered sacred both by Hindus and Buddhists. It is known to the Hindus under the Sănskrt name Palăśa as it possesses valuable medicinal properties. This sacred tree is being called the treasurer of the gods and of sacrifice. It grows throughout India except in very arid parts and is a medium sized deciduous tree. Parts used are bark, leaf, flower, seed and gum. It is mainly useful as antihelmenthic appetizer, aphrodisiac, laxative etc. Thus its medico- historical aspects are being presented in this paper.

Introduction to Garudapurăna with reference to Ayurvĕda.

The Purănas are the encyclopedic works of the ancient and medieval Hindu religion, philosophy, history, politics, ethics, sciences etc. There are 18 (Astădaśa) purănas, which are, considered as mahăpurănas, among which Garudapurăna is popular one. The Garudapurăna is divided into two parts viz., Pŭrvakhanda and Uttarakhanda. The first part, which is also called Acărakhanda consists of 240 chapters. The greater part of the Pŭrvakhanda occupies the descriptions of Vratas (religious observances), sacred places dedicated to the Sŭrya (sun), Lord Siva and Lord Visnu. It also contains treatises on various aspects like astrology, palmistry, politics, Sănkhya, Yŏga, anatomy, precious stones and extensive information on vedic medicine i.e., Ayurveda. The Uttarakhanda consists of two khandas viz. Dharmakhanda and Brahmakhanda, which are divided into 42 and 29 chapters, respectively. The Dharmakhanda is also known as the Prĕtakalpa which contains directions for the performance of obsequies rites. The Prĕtakalpa portion of the Garudapurăna is generally recited during the period of mourning and so its importance is self-evident. It is almost impossible to narrate within such a small framework, the wide range of splendid truths scattered in the pages of this noble purănam. Little information is available from internal evidence to establish its exact period. However, it is supposed to be quite ancient in its origin.

Medico-historical study of "aśvattha" (sacred fig tree).

Aśvattha (Ficus religiosa Linn.) is a tree which has got mythological, religious and medicinal importance in Indian culture since ancient times. As per Vedic Index Aśvattha means horse stand, a place or site or an object where or under which horses stand. Aśvattha is also known as Pipal and Bodhidrma. This tree is the oldest depicted tree in India. In Vedic times it was used to make fire by friction and considered sacred. Atharvavĕda associates it with the third heaven. It discusses medicinal properties of Aśvattha along with Soma and Kuştha. Aśvattha is associated with the triad of Gods-Brahma, vişņu and siva. Reference to Aśvattha is found in Rămăyaņa, Mahăbhărata, Bhagavadgĭta, Buddhistic literature, Arthaśăstra, Purănăs, Upanişads etc. non-medical literature also. According to Ayurvĕda it has several synonyms. Most of them symbolize its sacredness. Aśvattha is useful in various ailments like consumption, vomiting, ulcers in oral cavity, burns, gynaecological problems etc. Thus its medico-historical importance, regional nomenclature, morphological features in brief etc. are being presented in this article with few illustrations.

Biography of Kaśyapa and his contribution to Kaumărabhrtya (paediatrics).

Maharsi Kaśyapa, the author of Kaśyapa Samhită was the son of sage Marica and Kala. Kaśyapa was an eminent physician and specialist in Kaumărabhŗtya (children's diseases) during ancient times. He was contemporary with Punarvasu. Bower's manuscript referred to him as skillful in children's diseases and many formulae are ascribed to him. Two names Kaśyapa and Kăśyapa appear in the history. Hornle thinks these two are the names of the same rsi there is a confusion over his date. Vrddha Jĭvaka was his disciple. Kaśyapa Samhită or Vrddha Jĭvakĭya Samhită was composed in the form of dialogue between Kaśyapa as the teacher and Vrddha Jĭvaka as his pupil. Vatsya later redacted it during Gupta period. The present editions of the Kaśyapa Samhită are based on the manuscript acquired by Pandit Hemraj Sharma. First edition was published in 1953. This Samhită mainly deals with the children's diseases.

Medico - historical study of "Visŭcikă" (Cholera).

The Sanskrit word Visŭcikă refers to a condition in which vitiated văta dŏşa causes pain like pricking with a needle over the body. It occurs in a person suffering with ajĭrna (indigestion) and its detailed description is available in Ayurvedic literature. This disease has its existence in India since ancient times; it has also been referred in Mahăhărata and Tripitikas. Its etiology, signs, symptoms, complications, prognosis and treatment etc. as described in Ayurveda may be correlated with the disease Cholera, which is commonly known as "Haiza" in Hindi. In Greek language, the word Cholera means a flow of bile or the bilious disease. Cholera is an acute infectious diarrheal disease, caused by comma bacillus or vibrio cholerae sero groups 01 or 0139. Aretaetus, Benjamin Rush, Chadwick, John Snow, Robert Koch, etc. were some of the pioneers in Cholera research. Medico- historical importance of Cholera, its transmission, description and references from Ayurvedic texts etc., are being presented in this article.

Medicinal plants referred in Kautilya's Arthaśastra.

Kautilya's Arthaśastra which was written somewhere in 321-300 B.C. on ancient Indian Polity, holds a unique place in Indian history and culture. It was discovered at Tanjavore district of Mysore in Karnataka. The Manuscript of Arthaśastra (Devanagiri script) traced by Sri Munisri Jinavijayajee of Patna. Mr. Shyama Sastry had first published the translated text in 1909 as Volume 37 of the Bibliotheca Sanskrta of Mysore. There are 150 chapters in this work. The author of this work, Kautilya is also known as Visnugupta or Canakya. The author himself in the concluding verse of the Arthaśastra quoted his name as Visnugupta. The later writers on his works also designated his name as Cinakya. It was also translated into German and Russian languages. The plants and herbs having medicinal value were compiled the Arthaśastra to bring out the knowledge of the period and how the people honored, patronized, considered their own indigenous system as a part of their life. Same information is being presented in this article.

Biography of Bhăvamiśra author of Bhăvaprakăśa (a treatise of Laghutrayee).

Bhăvamiśra, the author of Bhăvaprakăśa was a great scholar in Samsŗt and ancient medical science. He set a great example to modernize ayurvĕda by incorporating new drugs, diseases, procedures of treatment etc. and making ayurvĕda up to date. He was the son of Latakanamiśra. Bhăvamiśra was an orthodox Brahmin. He belonged to Măgada (South Bihar in North India). Date can be determined from the following points. The latest text from which Bhăvamiśra was quoted is Madanapăla Nighaņţu. This was completed in 1347 A.D. and this will be the upper limit for the date of Bhăvamiśra. Yogaratnakara and Vaidyajivana (by Lolimbaraja) both texts belonging to 17th century A.D. quoted verses from Bhăvaprakăśa. His works are Bhăvaprakăśa (most famous), Guņaratnamăla, a commentary on Mădhava Nidăna and Vaidyanighaņţu.

Medico-historical study of "Kilasa" (vitiligo/leucoderma) a common skin disorder.

The earliest known reference to Kilăsa was in 2200 B.C. in the period of Aushooryan. In 1550 B.C. information regarding Vitiligo was noted in the Ebers Papyrus. Atharvavĕda also carries the description of the disease Kilăsa along with several herbal prescriptions. Buddhist literature (Pĭtikăs) especially Vinaya Pĭtika carries the description of Kilăsa. Old Testament also carries the description of white spots i.e. in the Leviticus chapter 13. In ayurvĕda the word Kuşţa was used for all types of skin diseases. Both Kilăsa and Switra are mentioned together in ayurvĕda because of similarity in their aetiology. Kilăsa is also called as Băhya (external) Kuşţa. It is classified into three types based on three Dŏşăs. Prognosis of the disease was also described in ayurvĕda. This disease can be compared with Vitiligo/leucoderma in modern medicine. The Roman Physician Celsus first coined the term Vitiligo in the 2nd Century A.D. This article carries medico-historical references of Kilăsa from ancient to modern literature.

Medicinal plants referred in Vămana Purăna.

Purăna and Itihăsa (history) have been the allied subjects since the early Vĕdik times. They have been regarded as supplementary to each other. The word 'Purăna' as an adjective means ancient or old. Its earliest use as a noun in the sense of 'ancient lore or old narrative' (or works containing ancient lore's or old narratives) is found in the Atharvavĕda and the Brăhmanas. This Vămana Purăna contains information on medicinal plants which are used in ăyurvĕda for treating different kinds of ailments. This article carries the list of medicinal plants referred in Vămana Purăna with their scientific names, context and references.

Moalejat-e-hindi: a compilation of ăyurvĕdic formulations tested by Nizam--III of Hyderabad.

This Indian Institute of History of Medicine possesses more than 100 medical manuscripts (paper) in Arabic, Persian and Urdu languages. One of the rare manuscripts is known as "Moalejat-e-Hindi", its specialty is that it is on ăyurvĕda in Persian. It contains shlokas in transliterated form. It contains three sections. It has been compiled by the order of Nizam-III of Hyderabad.

Medico-historical review of drug Kustha.

Kustha is well known for its cures since ancient times. Atharvaveda considers this as a potent plant next to Soma (a divine plant) in curing several diseases. It is also called Takmanashana (which cures fevers) in Atharvaveda. It grows in Himalayas and Kasmir. In Ayurveda, root of Kustha is used for fevers, skin diseases, headache etc. Almost all Nighantus carry the description of Kustha with several synonyms. Some scholars consider two varieties of Kustha i.e. sweetish and bitter, but one with bitter taste is the real Kustha. Pushkarmool (Inula recemosa Hook.f.) is available in the market as sweet variety of Kustha. Thus its medico-historical importance and other details have been presented in this article.

General medicine in Atharvaveda with special reference to Yaksma (consumption/tuberculosis).

The Atharvaveda (AV) is by all accounts a curious compendium of medicine in its various stages of evolution and contains the most primitive as well as some of the most highly developed stages of therapy. In AV the word Brahma was used in the sense of Physician. The name Atharvan is almost synonymous with Bhesaja or medicine. The AV represents the charm system of the Ayurveda of the Vedic age. The refrain of AV is that, charms and amulets are more efficacious than herbs and medicine. Kãyaçikitsa (general medicine) is one of the eight branches of Ayurveda, which has exhaustive mention in the AV and helps to establish the continuity of medical tradition in the Vedic period. Hence some scholars had mentioned Ayurveda as Upaveda or Upãnga of AV. AV mentions a large number of diseases both major and minor some where in clear terms and some where vaguely. The term used in AV for disease is Yaksma. Classification of the diseases based on a etiological factors is not found in AV. Thus this article depicts the views expressed in AV i.e. regarding causative factors, classification and number of medical disorders with special reference to Yakşma (Consumption).