INTRODUCTION:
"Those physicians who expect result from mercury without feeding it black mica, gold and sulphur and those farmers who expect yield from the field without sowing seed are fools" This statement clears all doubts and fears about the practice of Mercurial system. Those who come across the statements about the magical results of mercurial compounds should view them in this perspective. Rasasastra the mercurial system is the first science that has warned about the toxicity of using raw and unprocessed Mercury. It has cautioned to the extent that unpurified Mercury could cause even death. Therefore the iatro-chemistry of Rasasatra should be understood safe and effective since the raw materials undergo diligent processing before making them into a dosage form.
Ayurvedaprakasa gives practical details of making mercurial medicines. The author Madhava Upadhyaya mentions at the outset that he would furnish only practicable technicalities in this book and would not give the details which he has not experienced. He emphasizes the significance of both theory and practice equally in learning Rasasastra. The author laments over the quackery in Rasasastra practice and emphasizes the importance of following the mercurial procedures diligently. This is evident by going through this precise compendium of Rasasastra, the Mercurial system. Apart from his personal experiences he has also quoted the practical oriented procedures from other text books -Rasarajaiaksmi, Rasapaddhati, Rasaratnasamuccaya, Resecintamani, Yogsteretigini etc., famous books. Ayurvedaprakasa seems to be the essence of the material available until time of Miidhava Upadhyaya. |
