Ayurvedic medicines

CLASSIFICATION AND DEFINITIONS:

Ayurvedic medicines are all the medicines intended for internal or external use, for or in the diagnosis treatment, mitigation or prevention of disease or disorder in human beings or animal and manufactured exclusively in accordance with the formulae described in the authorative books of Ayurvedic Systems of medicine specified in the first schedule of the Drug and Cosmetic act 1940. Ayurvedic Drugs are obtained from the natural source that is from animal, plants and minerals. Ayurvedic Dosages forms are classified in to four groups depending upon their physical forms:

a) Solid Dosage Forms: Pills, Gutika, Vatika.


b) Semi-solid Dosage Forms: Avleha, Paka, Lepa, Ghrta.

c) Liquid Dosage Forms: Asava, Arista, Arista, Arka, Taila, Dravaka.

d) Powder Dosage Forms: Bhasma, Satva, Mandura, Pisti, Parpati, Lavana, Kshara, Churna.
Pharmaceutical aids like Binding agent, Flavouring agent, Sweetning agents, Colouring agents, Preservatives are commonly used in Ayurvedic Formulae.

1) Asava and Arista:
Asava and Arista are the medicinal preparations prepared by soaking the drugs in the powdered forms or in the form of their decoction, in a solution of sugar or jaggery as may have intended for a specific period of time.

2) Arka:
It is the liquid preparation obtained by distillation of certain liquids or curde – drugs soaked in water using the distillation unit, (Arkayantra)

3) Avleha or Leha and Paka:
Avleha or Leha is a Semi-solid preparations of drugs prepared by addition of sugar, jaggery or sugar candy and boiled with prescribed drug juice or decoction.

4) Kvatha Curna:
The coarse powder of crude drugs or the combination of drugs in powder form, kept ready for preparation of decoction (Kasaya) are known as Kvath Curna.
e.g.: Dasmula Kvath Curna, Rasanadi Kvath Curna.


5) Curna (Churna):
Fine powder of drug or drugs is known as Curna, Drugs mentioned in yoga are cleaned, properly, dried thoroughly, Pulversied and then sieved.

6) Dravaka:
The liquid preparations obtained from lavanas or ksharas are known as Dravakas. They are prepared by distillation process with or without addition of any fluids.
e.g.: Sankha Dravaka.

7) Ksaras:
Alakaline substances obtained from the ash of drugs are known as Ksaras. Drugs are cut in to small pieces and burnt to get ash. Ash is dissolved in water, stained again evaporated to get rid of water while salty solid obtained is known as Ksar.
e.g.: Yav Ksara, Palsa Ksara.

8) Lepa:
The preparations in the form of paste meant for external applications on the body are known as Lepa.
e.g.: Sinduradi Lepa, Pathyadi Lepa.

9) Vati or Gutika:
Medicaments in the form of Tablets or pills are known as vati or Gutika.
e.g.: Muktadi Mahanjana and Chandroday Vartti.

10) Netrabindu and Anjan
Netrabindu is made by dissolving the specified drugs in water or kasaya or honey and used as eye drops. Anjans are very fine powders of medicaments to be applied with netrasalaka.
e.g.: Muktadi Mahanjana and Chandroday Vartti.

11) Sattva:
Water extractable solid substances obtained from drugs are known as Sattva.
e.g.: Gulvel Sattva.

12) Pisti:
These are obtained by triturating the drug with the specified liquids and exposing to sun or moon light.
e.g.: Praval Pisti, Mukta Pisti.

13) Ghrta (Snehkalapa):
These are preparations in which ghee in boiled with the prescribed quantity of the decoction and fine paste of the drug as specified in the formula.

14) Taila (Oils):
Tailas are the preparations in which tailas (Fixed Oils) is boiled with specified becoction and fine paste of the drug as mentioned in the prescribed formula.
e.g.: Bhrangaraja Taila, Maha Narayan Taila.


15) Bhasma:
The powdered form of the substances, obtained by calcination of metals minerals or animal products by a special process in closed crucibles in pits covered with cow dung cake (Puta) is known as Bhasma.
e.g.: Godanti Bhasma, Lauha Bhasma.

16) Rasa-Yoga:
The Medicinal Preparations containing mineral drugs as their main ingredients in the form of powder or pills are known as Rasa Yoga.
e.g.: Kapura Rasa, Laghu Malini Vasant Rasa.

17) Kupipakva-Rasayana:
These are the drugs prepared as: The minerals and drugs of metallic origin in the powdered form are mixed together and placed in glass flask occupying about one third of volume. The glass flask is closed with clay smeared pieces of cloth around the bottle in seven consecutive layers. The flask is dried and buried in sand (Valukayantra) up to neck. The flask in Valukayantra is then heated gradually in three that is Mrdu-agni, Madyamgni and tiksnagni for specified period of time as mentioned in process. Then the red hot iron rod about 5cm in diameter is inserted in glass flask through the opening and stirred properly, do that opening of flask is not chocked due to the coating formed by sublimed Sulphur. When the process is over, the glass flask is cooled and broken to collect the content carefully without the contamination of any glass pieces therein.
e.g.: Makaradhvaja, Swarna sindura.