The Materia Medica of the Hindus, compiled from Sanskrit Medical Works c4.s8.41

c4.s8.41

*Vrihat Somanátha rasa.*¹ Take of mercury obtained by subliming cinnabar and purified with the juice of *Erythrina Indica* (*pári-bhadra*), and of sulphur, rubbed with the juice of *Salvinia cucullata* (*Leandá*) each one part, prepared iron four parts, prepared talc, tin, silver, *kharpara* or calamine, iron pyrites, and gold, each half a part. Rub them together with, and soak in the juice of *Aloe Indica* (*ghritakumári*) and *Hydrocotyle Asiatica* (*mandukaparni*) and divide into four-grain pills. They are administered with honey in diabetes and other urinary diseases, female complaints etc. A preparation similar to the above in composition, and called *Somesvara rasa* is given in leucorrhoea and other female complaints. Besides the preparations mentioned above numerous other combinations of mercury, iron and talc with the addition of gold, silver, copper etc, in varying proportions and combinations, are described under different names. In fact the three first mentioned drugs constitute the basis of the great majority of the pills used by *Kavirájas*.