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Herbal medicine: The basics

Published On: June 22, 2009, 5:01 am

By Dr. HN Pandey, B.Sc. MD (Ay), Professor, Aligarh Ayurvedic Medical College

 

Introduction:

Herbs that help cure human diseases without any type of side effect are called herbal medicines. Presently there are many types of medicine available in market. However, most medicines have side effects because they are chemically synthesized, hence do not follow complete natural process of healing. Herbal medicines on the other are naturally produced and heal without any side effects.
 
Herbal medicine can divided in three groups.
 
  1. Plant oriented herbal medicine or, trifala churn
  2. Animal oriented herbal medicine or, mrig sring bhasma
  3. Matter oriented herbal medicine or, lohabhasona
  4. Mix (plant & matter) oriented herbal medicine or, lohasava
 
Basically, all these types of herbal medicines are made by natural process so these do not show any type of side effects as modern medicines. Their details are present in Drvya-Guna & Rasa shastra, Bhai-sjaya, Kalpna
 
Theory of herbal medicine:

Herbal medicine theory is completely based on a) Rasa, b) Guna, c) Vreeya, d) Vipaka and e) Prabhav. Descriptions are as follows:

 
  1. Rasa – Rasa means taste of matter. There are six types of Rasas in herbal medicine:
i.                    Madhur or, sweet matter. These improve kapha and depress pitta. The degree varies from one sweet matter to other.
ii.                   Amla or, sour matter. These are commonly acidic matter that improve pitta and depress vata. The degree varies from one sour matter to other.
iii.                Lawan or, salty matter. These are neither acidic nor alkali matter. It improves both kapha and pitta. It also improves body agni like apetite and body temperature thereby helping in digestion and metabolism. The degree varies from one salty matter to other.
iv.                 Kattu or, bitter matter. These effect in tingling sensation and cannot be consumed in large amounts. These improve vata and pitta and depress kapha because they are made by a combination of agni-vayu mahabhuta.
v.                  Tikta or, hot matter. They improve vata, pitta doshas in human body and depress kapha doshas. They give raise to amla, pitta, vakrit roga (hyper-acidity) and amaseya and antra vrana (gastro-intestinal ulcer). 
vi.                 Kashya or, dry tasting matter. They are a combination of prithvi-vaayu mahabhuta. They improve vata dosha and depress pitta dosha. They help in healing arthritis, asthma, influenza various aches.
 
  1. Guna – Guna means quality and property of medicine. Guruguna improves kapha  and snidhaguna improves to kapha and pitta and depresses vata.
  2. Veerya – Veerya means potential powers of medicine. These are of two type: a) sheeta and ushna. Sheet veerya medicines improve vata and kapha and depress pitta. Ushna veerya medicines do just the opposite. They improve pitta and depress vata and kapha.
  3. Vipaka – Veepaka means after digestion effect of medicine. There are three types of vipaaka – a) Madhur, b) Amla and c) Katu. Its effects are same as those of the rasas.
  4. Prabhava – Prabhava means the final effect of medicine on human body. It cannot be clearly defined on theoretical basis.

 

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