Abstract

SHODHANA PROCEDURE OF VARIOUS VISHA & UPVISHA IN AYURVEDA

Parvesh Kumar*, Rajeev Ranjan, Rudramani Deepak and Naresh Kumar

Abstract

Ayurveda, the science of life make remedial use of plant, animal and mineral source drugs. All the three sources of drugs can be separated in poisonous and nonpoisonous category. Several Acharyas have statement that not all medicinal plants are safe to use since they can bear many toxic and harmful phyto-constituents in them. The science is proficiency in the usage of Visha Drvayas (poisonous drugs) in therapeutics by subjecting them to a Samskara known as Shodhana. The role played by Shodhana process is to reducing the toxicity of the Visha Dravya has to be understood in a scientific way. Shodhana Sanskara (Purification process) of Poisonous plants before its therapeutic use is described in Ayurveda since the times of Charaka Samhita (1000 B.C. to 500 B.C.). Sodhana (Purification) is the essential and most important pharmaceutical procedure for eliminate the impurities, which converts a poisonous drug into a therapeutically very effective medicine for various ailments. Different media are being used for processing the herbal poisonous drugs. Present paper gives the details of Shodhana process of various Upvisha (Mild Poison) in Ayurveda. Therefore understanding the role of Shodhana of Visha Dravyas is the need for present era.

Keywords: Shodhana, Visha Dravya, Ayurveda, Upvisha.