The Materia Medica of the Hindus, compiled from Sanskrit Medical Works c5.s25.t1: Zingiber Officinale, Roscoe.

The Materia Medica of the Hindus, compiled from Sanskrit Medical Works c5.s25.t1

Language: English

Zingiber Officinale, Roscoe.

c5.s25.t1.1

Sans. आर्द्रक, A'rdraka, शृङ्गवेर, Sringavera.

GINGER is described as acrid, heating, carminative and useful in dyspepsia, affections of the throat, head and chest, piles, rheumatism, urticaria, dropsy, etc. It is much used as a carminative adjunct along with black pepper and long pepper under the name of trikaṭu or the three acrids. The dried root is called Nágara, Sunṭi and Mahaushadha in Sanskrit. In addition to possessing the properties of ginger it is said to be laxative.

c5.s25.t1.4

Ginger with salt taken before meals, is highly praised as a carminative. It is said to purify the tongue and throat, increase the appetite and produce an agreeable sensation. Ginger forms the active ingredient of several medicines for dyspepsia and hæmorrhoids.

c5.s25.t1.5

Samasarkara churna.² Take of cardamoms one part, cinnamon two parts, flowers of *Mesua ferrea* (*nágakesara*) three parts, black pepper four parts, long pepper five parts, dried ginger six parts, sugar in quantity equal to all the other ingredients; powder and mix. Dose, about a drachm in dyspepsia, loss of appetite and piles.

c5.s25.t1.6

² समशर्करं चूर्णम्। शुण्ठीकणामरिचमागदललगेलं चूर्णीकृतं क्रमविवर्द्धित-

c5.s25.t1.7

*Saubhágya sunṭi*.¹ Take of clarified butter, sixteen tolás, milk four seers, sugar six seers and a quarter, dry ginger one seer; boil them together so as to make an electuary. Then add coriander twenty-four tolás, fennel seeds forty tolás, *báberang* seeds, cumin seeds, nigella seeds, long pepper, black pepper, ginger, tubers of *Cyperus rotundus*, leaves called *tejapatra*, flowers of *Mesua ferrea* (*nágakesara*), cinnamon and cardamoms each eight tolás in fine powder, and stir with a ladle till cold. This confection is much used as a carminative tonic in dyspepsia and in disorders of the alimentary canal in females after confinement.

c5.s25.t1.8

¹ [The text has no footnote mark for 1, but it appears in the text as "Saubhágya sunṭi.1"]

c5.s25.t1.9

*Sunṭi ghrita*.² This is a preparation of ginger made with a decoction and paste of the root, clarified butter and *kánjika* in the usual proportions. It is said to be useful in rheumatism.

c5.s25.t1.10

² [The text has no footnote mark for 2, but it appears in the text as "Sunṭi ghrita.2"]

c5.s25.t1.11

*A'rdraka khaṇḍa*. This is a confection made with ginger, clarified butter, milk and sugar with the addition of a number of aromatics in small quantities. It is used in urticaria.

c5.s25.t1.12

In cephalalgia and other affections of the head, ginger juice

c5.s25.t1.13

मूर्द्धन्यत्वात् । खादेदिदं समस्तं गुदजाग्निमान्द्यकासाऽरुचिसंनकरठहृदामयेषु । भावप्रकाशः ।

c5.s25.t1.14

1 सौभाग्यशुण्ठी । आज्यं स्यात् पलयुग्ममत्र पयसः प्रस्थद्वयं खण्डतः पञ्चाशत् पलमत चूर्णितमथो प्रक्षिप्यते नागरम् । प्रस्थार्द्धं गुडवर्द्धिपाच्य विधिना सुष्ट्वथ धान्यकात् मिश्याः पञ्चपलं पलं क्रिमिरिपोः साजाजिजीरादपि । व्योष्णाम्भोजदलोरगेन्द्रसुमनस्त्वग्द्राविडीनां पलं पक्वं नागरखण्डसंज्ञकमिदं तत्सूतिका रोगहृत् । हृच्छर्दिज्वरदाहशोषशमनं सश्वासकासापहम् । प्लीहव्याधि विनाशनं कमिहरं मन्दाग्नि सन्दीपनम् । भावप्रकाशः ।

c5.s25.t1.15

2 सर्पिर्नागरकल्ककेन सौवीरं तच्चतर्गुणम् । सिद्धमग्निकरं श्रेष्ठमामवातहरं परम् । भावप्रकाशः । mixed with milk is used as a snuff.¹ The fresh juice of ginger taken with honey relieves catarrh, cough and loss of appetite.²

c5.s25.t1.16

¹ नागरकल्कमिश्रं क्षीरं नस्येनयोजितं पुंसाम् । नानादोषोद्भूतां शिरोरुजां हन्ति तीव्रतराम् । चक्रदत्तः ।

c5.s25.t1.17

² आर्द्रक स्वरसः क्षौद्रयुक्तोवषवातनुत् । श्वासकासारुचिं हन्तिप्रतिश्यायं व्यपोहति । शार्ङ्गधरः ।

c5.s25.t1.18

Saindhavádya taila.³ Take of dry ginger forty tolás, rock-salt, long pepper root and plumbago root, sixteen tolás each, marking nuts twenty in number, fermented rice water sixteen seers, sesamum oil four seers, boil them together and prepare an oil in the usual way. This oil is rubbed externally in sciatica and other forms of rheumatism.

Linked texts (3)

Cakradatta (Cikitsāsaṅgraha) — Cakrapāṇidatta, Sanskrit
Śārṅgadharasaṃhitā — Śārṅgadhara (physician), Sanskrit
Bhāvaprakāśa — Bhāvamiśra 1550, Sanskrit