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.
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