Dhanvantaram gutika: the favourite of the gods

Dhanvantaram gutika, is so named as it is said to have been the favourite of Lord Dhanvantari, to whom the discovery of Ayurveda is attributed according to Hindu mythology. Lord Dhanvantari, the physician of the gods, is said to have appeared while the primeval ocean was being churned, bringing with him the knowledge of long life, health and medicine.

In Tamil Nadu, there is a deity of Lord Dhanvantari in the courtyard of Sri Ranganathasamy temple at Srirangam. An inscription dated the 12th century states that Garud Vahan Bhattar a great ayurvedic physician established the temple for Dhanvantari here. There are few temples of this antiquity in India although Kerala boasts of one in Nelluvayi, 15 kilometres from Vadakkanchery. Lord Vardarajaswamy’s temple in Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu also is said to have a temple for Dhanvantari.

Detailed in the Sahasarayogam (the ayurvedic text popular in Kerala) Dhanvantaram gutika, it is stated, can be used as a remedy at all times and all places with no side effects. It can be used as a remedy for coughs, wheezing, hiccups, vomiting, chest pain, flatulence, fever and complications relating to the vitiation of the vayu dosha. It can be safely administered to children and pregnant women. One to two tablets are normally given with honey(use unprocessed honey) or jeera water (made from boiling a spoonful of jeera in one or two glasses of water), two to four times a day.

The composition of Dhanvantaram, as with most ayurvedic formulations, is a masterpiece in using the best of nature’s bounty. 10 grams each of cardamom, dried ginger, Terminalia chebula (called kadukkai in Tamil), nutmeg, the roots of Solanum indicum (called mullan katri in tamil), asali, cumin seeds, cubeb pepper (called valmilagu in Tamil), Andrographis paniculata (the plant used is nilavembu), purified rudrakasham (Elaeocarpus ganitrus) and deodar are powdered, sieved and added to 10 grams each of Cat’s Eye kungilliyum, edible camphor (called pachai karpuram in Tamil) and secretions of the repugnatorial glands of the palm civet cat or toddy cat as it is locally known. The ingredients are mixed well, made into 50 mg balls and dried in the shade.

Punugu or civet is used as one of the ingredients when performing the Poorbhishekam of Lord Venkateshwara in Tirupati in the early hours of Friday. Punugu is said to keep the main idol smooth, fresh, and free from splits and cankers according to a spokesperson of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam. Punugu is said to have great medicinal effect as it fixes the aromatic and volatile compounds found in the formulation.

Volatile compounds in cardamom have anti microbial properties, the oil having anti-aflatoxin properties too. Solanum indicum has alkaloids which help in ameliorating coughs and congestion of the chest and in the treatment of fever, dysuria. Deodar contains aromatic oils and cholestrin and hence is useful in the treatment of fever, flatulence, pulmonary and urinary disorders, rheumatism, piles, urinary calculi, skin diseases, ulcers and dysentery. Cubeb pepper contains essential oils and cubebin which act an anticatarrhal agent and a kidney stimulant.

The holy rudraksham is useful in the treatment of diseases of the head and in epilepsy. The seeds of rudraksham, found on the persons of most holy men, is said to have originated from a tear drop of Lord Shiva which rolled from his eyes when he opened them after deep meditation for the welfare of all creatures.

To me dhanvantaram gutika seems to be an almost magical divine formulation because it is so effective against so many common ailments especially when taken with vayu gutika about which I will write in my next article.