m 



K 





54 SANSKRIT MATERIA MEDICA. 



Vrihat Somandtha rasa. 1 Take of mercury obtained by sublim- 

 ing oinnabar and purified with the juice of Erythrina ludka 



) 



of Salvini'i 



cucullata (Leandd) each one part, prepared iron four parts, 

 prepared talc, tin, silver, kharpara or calamine, iron pyrites, and 

 gold, each half a part. Rub them together with, and soak in the # 

 juice of Aloe Indica (gliritakum>'ri) and Hydrocotyle Asialica 

 ( mandithapami ) and divide into four-grain pills. They are 

 administered with hopey in diabetes and other urinary diseases, 

 female complaints etc. A preparation similar to the above in 

 composition, and called Somesvara rasa is given in leucorrho?a and 

 other female complaints. Besides the preparations mentioned 

 above numerous other combinations of mercury, iron and talc 

 with the addition of gold, silver, copper etc., in varying propor- 

 tions and combinations, are described under different names. In 

 fact the three first mentioned drugs constitute the basis of the 

 great majority of the pills used by Karirdjas. \ 



Iron forms an ingredient of hair dyes. The following is an 

 illustration. Take of powdered iron two tolas, mangoe stones five 

 tolas, chebulic and emblic myrobalans two tolas each, belleric 

 myrobalan one tola, rub them together with water in an iron 

 vessel and steep for one night. This paste is applied to grey hairs 



. 2 



for turning them into black. 





a, f e. 



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