Rasa Jala Nidhi, vol 3: Metals, Gems and other substances
by Bhudeb Mookerjee | 1938 | 47,185 words | ISBN-10: 8170305829 | ISBN-13: 9788170305828
This third volume of the Rasa-jala-nidhi deals with purification techniques of the Seven Metals (sapta-dhatu) and various Gems (ratna). It also deals with substances such as Alkalis (kshara), Salts (lavana), Poisions (visha) and Semi-poisions (upavisha) as well as various alcholic liquors. The Rasa-jala-nidhi (“the ocean of Iatrochemistry, or, che...
Part 6 - Tuber Poison (6): Batsa-nabha (aconite)
(a) The tuber, named batsa-nabha, has the appearance of a cow’s udder. It is not more than five angulis in length; neither is it thicker than cow’s udder. It is of two varieties, viz. white and black. The first variety is swift in its action, light, and laxative. The black variety possesses opposite properties. Both the varieties are used in medicines as well as in rasayana.
(b) Batsa-nabha (or aconite) has the colour of nirgundi leaves. It resembles the navel of a calf. Trees and plants growing around it do not thrive at all. It is pale-white in colour.
Properties of Aconite.
Aconite is bitter and pungent. It causes perspiration and discharge of urine. It is digestive, remover of pain, causing depression, and curer of colic and pain due to percussion. It is efficacious in erysipelas, diseases due to an excess of kapha and vayu, fever due to an excess of the three doshas, rheumatism, and heart disease.
Conclusion:
This concludes ‘Tuber Poison (6): Batsa-nabha (aconite)’ included in Bhudeb Mookerjee Rasa Jala Nidhi, vol 3: Initiation, Mercury and Laboratory. The text includes treatments, recipes and remedies and is categorised as Rasa Shastra: an important branch of Ayurveda that specialises in medicinal/ herbal chemistry, alchemy and mineralogy, for the purpose of prolonging and preserving life.