SERPENT POISON, 279 



to new. It is much used in the preparation of confections and 

 electuaries, and as an adjunct to decoctions, pills and powders. 



. Wax, called siktha in Sanskrit, is used in the preparation of 

 ointments and ghritas for for external application. 



SERPENT POISON. 



Sans. ?prPrc, Sarpavisha, *TC3T, Garala. 

 Serpent poison has been used in Hindu medicine since a very 



recent period only. Even the Bhavaprakasa which is not more 

 than three centuries old does not mention it. Prescriptions 

 containing it are found in such modern compilations as the 

 Bhaishajya Ratnabali, Sarkaumudi, etc. 



• The poison of the black cobra ( Naga tripndians. Vern. Kent* 3 

 sdp, Beng. ) is used. It is collected by making the reptile bite on 

 a pieoe of stiok or wood when the poison is piured out and 

 reoeived on a pieoe of plantain leaf. It is preserved in two ways. 

 The liquid poison is allowed to congeal and dry in a cup or it is 

 rubbed with a fourth part of mustard oil and spread out on a 

 pieoe of plantain leaf. Thus treated it rapidly coagulates into a 

 granular agglutinated mass of a yellowish-brown oolonr. 

 allowed to dry spontaneously, serpent poison coagulates into 

 shining, orystalline yellowish white granules. It is used in 

 complicated fever in combination with arsenic, aconite and other 

 ttedicines. Numerous formulre containing this poison are given 

 in recent compilations. The following are a couple of examples. 



Suchikd bharana rasa. » Take of mercury, sulphur, prepared 

 tin, aconite and cobra poison, equal parts, mix them together 

 and soak the mixed powder in the bile of rohitaha G-h ( Gyprinus 

 Rohita), wild b>ar, peioook, buffalo and goat successively and 

 make into a pill-mass. This medicine is administered in doses 



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