We know that Ayurvedic medicines come in not the
forms we are familiar. Because of the allopathy that we have been having since
our childhood we believe that medicines can be only in the form of tablets or
syrups but what we don’t know is that there are many extra chemicals added in
the process of making the allopathic tablets just to make them look like a
tablet which is not good for anybody. But in the Ayurveda no chemicals are used
in making the medicines so instead of getting the tablets we get some ‘Churna’
or ‘Bhasms’.
Here I am going to discuss about the classification
and working of the Ayurvedic Medicine so that you will get a better
understanding of the matter and you will be able to accept the medicines and
understand the working.
1.
Arishtasavas
These are
medicated spirituous liquors. They are prepared with honey, treacle and
medicinal substances. The ingredients are kept in earthen vessels and allowed
to ferment. When decoctions are used, the fermented product is called arishta.
When raw vegetables are used, the resulting liquid will be in the form of
fermented wine and is called asava. Charaka has mentioned eighty four kinds of
asavas; six are prepared from paddy, twenty six from fruits, eleven from roots,
twenty from piths, ten from flowers, two from leaves, four from stems, four
from barks and one from sugar. Since arishtasavas are in purified form and
strong in content, children and elder patients are required to add equal
quantity of water before any intake of the medicine. In some cases, the water
added shall be four or eight times the quantity of the medicine.
2.
Kashayas
Kashayas,
also called kwathas are decoctions of materials having medical properties. The
materials are first cut into small pieces, or pounded if necessary and boiled
over slow fire. Decoctions are administered by adding to them salt, honey,
sugar, treacle, alkaline, ashes, ghee, oil or medicinal powders as the case may
be. Kashayas, if prepared carefully, won't lose their quality even if
stored for a long period of time. They are considered the most important
category of traditional medicines.
3.
Lehas
Also called Iehyas or avalehas, Eehas mean extracts. The medicines
are formed when decoctions are boiled down to a thick paste. If properly
boiled, they will not readily dissolve in water. Lehas are
administered with the addition of honey, sugar, powders and decoctions. The
manufacturing process is similar to that of tailas.
Lehas are deemed to be the medicines of good taste. Prolonged
diseases are first controlled by kashayas or other categories of
medicines and afterwards by lehas. Lehas are included in the most important
category of medicines in Ayurveda.
4.
Grithas
Grithas, also called as neyyu, are medicated clarified
butter. The preparation process involves adding turmeric juice to the clarified
butter for its purification. The paste of drugs, water, milk or decoctions may
be added to the purified butter which is done by heating. The residue is strained
through a piece of new cloth. It is administered with honey, sugar or both, if
necessary. Sometimes the juice of citrus medica or that of
pomgranates is added.
5. Gulikas
Gulikas, also called gutikas or gurikas, are large pills, the small ones being
called batika or vati. These are prepared by first making a decoction of
medicinal substances and then boiling it down to a thick substance by adding
powders of some drugs or sugar. In this study, batikas and modakas are included
under the head 'gulikas'.
6. Choornas
Choorna is
the powder prepared by pounding dry medicinal substances with a pestle and
mortar. It is also made by pulverizer. Choornas are meant for internal
consumption by the patients preferably after mixing with honey, hot water, etc.
They can be used up to three months without losing quality if preserved
properly.
7.
Bhasmasindhooras
The preparation of bhasmasindhooras by the
manufacturers of Kerala is different from the manufacturers of other Sates of
India. One of the essential ingredients of this Ayurvedic medicine is metal
like gold, silver and copper. It can be consumed internally along with hshayas,
grithas or lehas
8. Rasakriyas
This category of medicines is applied in eyes. Unlike
eye-drops and ointments in Allopathy system of medicines, various restrictions
are there for the usage of rasakriyas. They cannot be applied when the
patient suffers from fever, head ache, vomiting tendency and sleeplessness.
They cannot be applied and used immediately after having food and bathing and
when the body is exposed to sunlight.
9. Tailas
Taila or medicated oil is
manufactured by steeping powdered medicinal substances, water, vegetable drugs
in paste form and fragrant-producing materials such as cardamon, safion,
sandalwood, camphor, etc. Water is added several times after its evaporation
until the ingredients are reduced to thick oil. The oil used as ingredient is
oil such as castor oil and mustard oil.Visit onlinemedicalstore.com/