A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c51.s2.3

v3.c51.s2.3

Part two describes several methods of making artificial gold; 206 a number of saṃ-skāras of mercury are referred to; the medicinal qualities of some preparations are men-tioned; some substances are used for rasāyana purposes, to obtain dehasiddhi, or to revive the dead. Part two is also concerned with the alchemical uses of a number of plants; the groups of verses on these plants resemble kalpas; some of the plants are described: vartulaparṇī (152), jyotiṣmatī (173), and dagdharohā (177–180); the sixty-four divyauṣadhis are referred to (135); kulauṣadhis and tṛṇauṣadhis are distinguished; the tṛṇauṣadhis are, in contrast with the kulauṣadhis, useless for alchemical purposes (133cd–137).