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A History of Hindu Chemistry from the Earliest Times to the Middle of the Sixteenth Century A.D. v1.c12.t11: Book XI. On the Purification of Mercury

A History of Hindu Chemistry from the Earliest Times to the Middle of the Sixteenth Century A.D. v1.c12.t11

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English

Book XI. On the Purification of Mercury

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I am now going to describe briefly the various processes for the purification of mercury after having consulted Rasārnava and other works. 10

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There are 3 natural impurities in quciksilver, visha (poison), vanhi (fire) and mala (dirt, dregs) and two artificial, due to its being alloyed with lead and tin.¹ 14-15

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¹ Cf. Rasendrachintámani : मिश्रितौ चेद्रसे नागवङ्गौ विक्रयहेतुना । ताभ्यां स्यात् कृत्रिमोदोषः तन्मुक्तिः पातनत्रयात् ॥ "Trades-people fraudulently adulterate quicksilver with lead and tin, hence it is to be freed from these artificial defects [impurities] by means of three distillations" as given above under Tiryakpátaná (p. 124).

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(1) Cf. Rasendrachintámani : मिश्रितौ चेद्रसे नागवङ्गौ विक्रयहेतुना । ताभ्यां स्यात् कृत्रिमोदोषः तन्मुक्तिः पातनत्रयात् ॥ "Trades-people fraudulently adulterate quicksilver with lead and tin, hence it is to be freed from these artificial defects [impurities] by means of three distillations" as given above under Tiryakpátaná (p. 124).

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Hence for the purification of mercury, the operations (named below) are to be undertaken with the aid of appliances and skilled assistants. 20

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In an auspicious day and under the influence of a benign star, a quantity of mercury weighing 2,000 or 1,000 or 100 or 18 or 10 *palas* is to be taken and the operation begun. 21-22

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[It is useless to enter into the details of the several processes described here ; they are more or less repetitions of what has already been given.]

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Pātanavidhi : [purification of mercury by distillation as described in the foot note p. 130.] 33

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Fixation of Mercury

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Rasavandha : processes for destroying the fluidity of mercury :

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Take mercury and one-fourth its weight of *killed* gold and with the addition of sulphur make a ball. Now add an equal weight of sulphur and roast the mass in a covered crucible.¹ 72

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¹ In other works a glass retort is recommended.

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The mercury thus treated is afterwards killed with six times its weight of sulphur.¹

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Incineration of Mercury

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[The chapter concludes with certain recipes for the killing of mercury, with the aid of purely vegetable products.]

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Mercury, roasted in a covered crucible with asafœtida, which has been previously digested in the milky juice of *ficus oppositifolia*, is reduced to ashes.²

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III

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*Andropogon serratus* and *clitorea ternatea* are to be pounded in a mortar with sour gruel and with the paste thus formed, mercury is to be triturated and digested 7 times and finally roasted in

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(1) The shining reddish brown crystalline sublimate of sulphide of mercury thus obtained is a favourite and frequently-used remedy with the Hindu physicians. It is reputed to be a panacea for a variety of ills that flesh is heir to. In the “Rasendrachintāmani,” “Rasendrasārasamgraha” and other treatises, this preparation is described as “Makaradhvaj” and “Rasasindūra” (lit. minium-like mercury). From the supposed presence of gold it is often named “Svarnasindūra” (lit. gold and vermilion). During sublimation, the gold of course is left behind. The general belief is that by association with gold the mercury acquires most potent efficacy. A later work, Rasapradīpa, is sceptical about the part which gold plays and recommends its being left out.

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(2) Sārngadhara also gives a similar recipe.

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a covered crucible after addition of fresh quantities of the above paste. The mercury is reduced to ashes, resembling salt. 112-113

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The seeds of *achyranthes aspera* and *ricinus communis* are to be pounded together. The mercury is to be placed inside the powder and the mass roasted as before. The mercury is reduced to ashes.¹ 114

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¹ Cf. *Rasendrachintámani*, which evidently quotes from a Tántric work : “O Goddess, I shall now enumerate the substances which kill mercury, without the use of sulphur.” A list of 41 plants is given of which any ten may be employed at a time for the roasting operation. The names of the following among others occur in the list : *vitis quadrangularis*, *andropogon serratus*, *plumbago zeylanica*, *clitorea ternatea*, milky juice of *calatropis gigantea* and of *euphorbia neriifolia* ; *vitex negundo*, *datura stromonium*, *achyranthes aspera*, *ficus oppositifolia* and *tinospora cordifolia*

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Purified mercury is to be preserved in the hollow of a horn or tooth or of bamboo. 119

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Here ends chapter XI of “Rasaratnasamuchchaya,” which treats of the purification fixation and incineration of mercury.

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