History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c18.3

v1.c18.3

From 8th/9th century A.D onwards, the development of Rasa Śāstra (Advanced Ayurvedic Pharmaceutical Science) takes place with regards to the processing and the use of mercury, metals, minerals and many of their compounds for alchemical as well as therapeutic purposes. Many new methods/procedures/techniques for the treatment of mercury, metals/minerals were developed to convert these into pharmaceutically most suitable forms/compounds which are non-toxic, highly absorbable and most effective in therapeutics.