Ayurvedic Medicine: The Living Tradition (A Guide to Ayurvedic Generic Formulations)

For procuring medicines various resources were tapped by ancient scholars of Ayurveda. The medicines were systematically classified into three basic groups of plant, animals and mineral origin during the period of Charaka.

Ayurvedic system of medicine could flourish because it had its concomitant materia medica which had been developed to a very advanced level. Ayurvedic medicine is a vast treasure of Ayurveda. It contains numerous forms and methods of preparing medicines. Designing of various modes and methods for preparing drugs is based upon the basic principles of Dravyagunarasa shastra. It approaches the medicines through a science of energetics. The properties of drugs are related systematically according to the taste, elements, heating or cooling effects, effect after digestion and other special potencies of the ingredients they contain.

This book is written by Dr. Prakash Paranjpe is a comprehensive treatise on the subject. There was an acute need of a conscious effort to compile most commonly used generic Ayurvedic preparations, and to integrate the Ayurvedic concepts to interpreter them in the modern scientific language. This book fulfill the same.

The author has done a commendable job to compile the useful information of various forms of generic Ayurvedic medicines, detailing their composition, action of ingredients along with their indications in various diseases and ailments. This compilation of most commonly used medicines will be of use to Ayurvedic practitioners, students and researchers as well as to medical and scientific fraternities like pharmacy, botany, biochemistry, microbiology etc. and also to the common man.

About the Author:

He is graduated in Ayurveda B. A. M. & S. from University of Pune, in 1974 and then secured M.B.B.S. degree from Nagpur University in 1981. Subsequently the did his PhD from Open International University of Complimentary Medicine, Colombo in 1990. he is practicing Ayurvedic Consultant for more than two decades, specializing in the treatment of Acne and Obesity. He is actively engaged in clinical research on various Ayurvedic drugs and herbs to combat, especially chronic diseases.

He has to his credit many research articles which have been published in various Indian and foreign scientific journals. He has visited Italy and Germany couple of times to deliver lectures on Ayurveda and medicinal herbs. He also pursued the full course in Italian language of Italian Embassy Cultural Center, at Deccan College, Pune. He has traveled across the length and breadth of India to photograph various medicinal plants on different seasons.

He is founder member and director of Ayurveda Research foundation, Pune, India. He is also director of S.K.A. Ayurveda, Milan Italy he is visiting professor to school of Health Sciences, University of Pune and member of the advisory board of Holistic Healing published by Indian Express Newspapers, Mumbai. He is actively engaged in conducting various courses in Ayurveda viz. Basic principles, Herbology, Home remedies etc. For Indian as well as foreign students.

Preface:

Ayurveda the ancient system of medicine fully recognize and utilizes the medicinal properties of plants Vedic period. A review of valuable texts like charaka samhita and Sushruta Samhita manifests that he incredible 1600 out of the 2000 odd Ayurvedic formulations ate plant based. Though the mention has been made of a few metals and minerals for their medicinal usages in Vedic period, Rasa Shastra, the science of metals and minerals got flourished since 400 A.D. during the era of Gupt. Since then the passage of time saw the valuable addition of number of classical texts on the subject. Thousands of formulation have been mentioned in these texts, with vivid description of various metals and minerals in context with their purification and methodology of preparing medicines from them.

There is no substances in the world that has no medicinal value provided you know how to use it says Charaka. The medicines were systematically classified into three groups of plant, animals and mineral origin during the period of Charaka. The scholars for procuring medicines tapped variety of sources. About six hundred different medicinal plants are mentioned in the principal Ayurvedic texts, selected for inclusion from the thousands of species of plants growing in India, by the seers.

Ayurvedic system of medicine could bloom because it had its concomitant Materia Medica which had been developed to a very advanced level. It contains various forms and methods of preparing medicines. Different scholars prepared the same geneic formulation with different method or even ingredients, suiting the needs of their patients. With these contributions Ayurvedic medicines has become a vast treasure, which has passed down from generations to and is still existing as the greatest living tradition of India, till used today.

This book is a sincere effort of compilation of various generic medicines which are used by Ayurvedic physicians today. A conscious effort ha also been made to bridge the gap between Ayurvedic philosophy and allopathic postulates and parameters by describing the actions of ingredients on doshas and their therapeutic indication in different disease in modern terminology. I sincerely hope that this compilation of Ayurvedic medicines will be use as a ready- reckoner to all Ayurvedic practitioners, students and researchers as well as to allopathic fraternity.

I would like to express most heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Raghunath, Director General, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, New Delhi, who has written the Foreword for this book.

Dr. Prakash Paranjpe.

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