

RKI> 0( HRE. 



97 



coloured with oxide of iron. It is purified by being soaked in 

 milk seven times, and is described as sweetish, astringent, cooling, 

 and useful in ulcers, burns, boils etc, it is rarely used internally 

 except as an ingredient of some of the complex prescriptions 

 containing a large number of mineral drugs, such as the prepara- 

 tion called Jivarahtnjara pdrindra rasa, which contains nearly all 

 the mineral medicines. 



Besides gairika several other varieties of earth are described 

 and occassionally used in medicine. A sweet scented earth 

 brought from Surat and called Satm'tstra mrittiM is regarded as 

 astringent and useful in hemorrhages. It enters into the compo- 

 sition of several medicines for relieving bleeding from internal 

 organs. 





13 



