The Materia Medica of the Hindus, compiled from Sanskrit Medical Works c6.s4: Serpent Poison

The Materia Medica of the Hindus, compiled from Sanskrit Medical Works c6.s4

Language: English

Serpent Poison

c6.s4.1

*Sans.* सर्पविष, *Sarpavisha*, गरळ, *Garala*.

Serpent poison has been used in Hindu Medicine since a very recent period only. Even the *Bhávaprákasa* which is not more than three centuries old does not mention it. Prescriptions containing it are found in such modern compilations as the *Bhaishajya ratnábali*, *Sárkaumudi*, etc.

c6.s4.3

The poison of the black cobra (*Naga tripudians*. *Vern.* *Keute sáp*, *Beng.*) is used. It is collected by making the reptile bite on a piece of stick or wood when the poison is poured out and received on a piece of plantain leaf. It is preserved in two ways. The liquid poison is allowed to congeal and dry in a cup or it is rubbed with a fourth part of mustard oil and spread out on a piece of plantain leaf. Thus treated it rapidly coagulates into a granular agglutinated mass of a yellowish-brown colour. When allowed to dry spontaneously, serpent poison coagulates into shining, crystalline yellowish white granules. It is used in complicated fever in combination with arsenic, aconite and other medicines. Numerous formulæ containing this poison are given in recent compilations. The following are a couple of examples.

c6.s4.4

*Suchiká bharana rasa.*¹ Take of mercury, sulphur, prepared tin, aconite and cobra poison, equal parts, mix them together and soak the mixed powder in the bile of rohitaka fish (*Cyprinus Rohita*), wild boar, peacock, buffalo and goat successively and make into a pill-mass. This medicine is administered in doses that can be taken up by the point of a needle, hence it is called *suchikábharana*. It is given in remittent fever with cerebral complications.

c6.s4.5

¹ सूचिकाभरणरसः । रसगन्धकनागञ्च विषं स्थावरजङ्गमम् । मत्स्य-वराहमायूरछागपित्तैश्च भावयेत् । सूचिकाभरणो नाम भैरवेण प्रकीर्त्तितः । सुचिकाग्रेण दातव्यः सन्निपातकुलान्तकः । भैषज्यरत्नावली ।

c6.s4.6

*Kálánala rasa.*¹ Take of black cobra poison, sulphur, white arsenic, aconite, black pepper, long pepper, ginger, borax, mercury, prepared iron and copper equal parts ; soak them in the five kinds of bile mentioned above and make into one-grain pills with the juice of *datura* root. These are given in fever with coma, delirium and drowsiness.

c6.s4.7

¹ कालानल रसः । अमृतं गरलं शङ्खं लौहताम्रञ्च टङ्कणम् । रसं गन्धं तु मरिचं पिप्पलं पञ्चपित्तैर्विभावयेत् । मातुलुङ्गद्रवै र्भाव्यं वटिका यवमानतः । धत्तूरक रसञ्चानु दापयेत् सान्निपातिके । अति तीव्र ज्वरं हन्ति सर्वोपद्रव संयुतं । हरिद्रा तैल संमिश्रं मर्दयेत् तीव्रतापिनं । तथा स्नानान्तरे गाढं लेपयेत् गन्धचन्दनं । दध्यन्न दापयेत् पथ्यं द्राक्षादिचाष्ट दाडिमं । कालानल रसो नाम्ना गोप्यः परमदुर्लभः । रसरत्नाकरः ।

Linked texts (3)

Rasaratnākara — Nityanātha Siddha, Sanskrit
Bhāvaprakāśa — Bhāvamiśra 1550, Sanskrit
Bhaiṣajyaratnāvalī — Govindadāsa, Sanskrit