Aushadha

Aushadha means medicine or drug. It is used for the preservation of health and the treatment of diseases. Aushadha is used for regaining health, and its appropriate use is as beneficial as nector, whereas inappropriate use makes it a poison. The aushadha may be used either in combination or as a single drug. In the context of using a single aushadha, a description of agrya prakarana (superior aushadha) with 152 entities is found in Charak Samhita [Cha. Sa. Sutra Sthana 25/40] and 155 entitites in Ashtanga sangraha. Ashtanga Hridaya described 55 entities. [A. Hri. Uttar Tantra 40/48-58] Aushadha is among the four aspects of the healthcare system with the physician, attendant, and patient. [Cha. Sa. Sutra Sthana 9/3] All dravya in the world are derived from five mahabhutas (prithvi, apa, agni, vayu and akasha). The sharira is a constitution of panchamahabhuta in variable proportion. Any imbalance in this proportion can alter homeostasis and cause disorders. Dravya of a particular panchamahabhautika composition is required to normalize the composition of panchamahabhuta in sharira. For example, if a disease originated due to insufficiency of apa mahabhuta, then dravya rich in apa mahabhuta is administered to patient to increase the quantity of apa mahabhuta back to normal. Since all dravyas have a specific panchamahabhautika constitution, they can be used to establish normal homeostasis of panchamahabhutas of sharira and treat disease. Since aushadhi too is a dravya and similarly treats the disease, thus all the dravyas are aushadhi [Cha. Sa. Sutra Sthana 26/12] [Su. Sa. Sutra Sthana 41/9] Effectively managing a disease requires correct identification, dosage and time of administration of aushadha. Selection of the right aushadha requires understanding its mode of action. To prevent the untoward effects of aushadha, it’s essential to know that the aushadha are patient-specific, location-specific, and season specific. Examination of aushadha must not be missed prior to its use. This chapter describes various aspects of aushadha.

Contributors

Section/Chapter/topic	Concepts / Aushadha
Authors	Bhojani M.K.1, Rahul Anand1
Reviewer	Basisht G.2
Editor	Deole Y.S.3
Affiliations	1 Department of Kriya Sharira, A.I.I.A., New Delhi, India, 2 Rheumatologist, Orlando, Florida, U.S.A., 3 Department of Kayachikitsa, G.J. Patel Institute of Ayurvedic Studies and Research, New Vallabh Vidyanagar, Anand, Gujarat, India
Correspondence email	meera.samhita@aiia.gov.in, carakasamhita@gmail.com
Publisher	Charak Samhita Research, Training and Development Centre, I.T.R.A., Jamnagar, India
Date of first publication:	December 13, 2022
DOI	10.47468/CSNE.2022.e01.s09.120

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