Kamaduga Rasa

By Sheela Rani Chunkath

For all those suffering from hyperacidity and drink the popular pink antacid liquids by the gallon, kamaduga rasa tablets is a very effective classical ayurvedic preparation. The tablet is made from the calx of pearls, pearl oyster shells, sacred conch, cowries and corals. To this calx mixture or bhasma, red ochre and Tinospora starch is added. The bhasma is made through a purification process mentioned in the classical Rasayoga sagara.

The drug is an antacid and antipyretic. It is indicated in hyperacidity, chronic fevers and leucorrhoea. I have taken this tablet with great effect, normally the dose being one to two 100 mg tablets taken 2 or 3 times a day.

Pearls are produced by the pearl oyster, Pinctada margaritifera. The pearl formation is started by the entry of any gritty particle between the body of the animal and shell. The calcareous secretion from the animal encloses the rough particle and it grows into a beautiful pearl. Depending on the irritant, the pearl may be perfectly round or otherwise. Most cultured pearls are engineered to make it perfectly round. For our preparation any pearl will do. Usually the small unsized pearls are used. The calx of pearls is said to be a stimulant, tonic and aphrodisiac.

The shell used is that of the pearl oyster and the sacred conch. Pearl oysters were found in abundance near the Tuticorin coast until recently when pollution and environmental degradation have almost completely destroyed the mollusc’s habitat. The sacred conch, Turbinella pyrum is a marine univalve. The shell is used after removing the animal from inside. The shell is mainly calcium carbonate. The calcium carbonate from the pearl and the shell is biogenic in origin and is of a particularly dense form and yet is easily absorbed by the body.

The calx of the sacred conch, cowries, and corals is prepared by first treating them for prescribed periods of time with lime juice.

Red ochre is a soft red calcareous earth with hydrous silicates of alumina. It is said to be useful in the treatment of inflammation of glands, ulcers and in diarrhoea and dysentery. It is quite amazing how our vaidyars included this in the kamaduga rasa tablets.

Guduchi starch is made from the mature and thick stems of Tinospora cordifolia. The starch is extracted by pulping the stems, allowing the white substance to settle and then straining it out. It is a tonic and useful in the treatment of chronic diarrhoea and dysentery. It is a hepato-protectant and protects the liver from damage. This is especially used when the liver has been exposed to various toxins.

Tinospora cordifolia grows wildly and requires practically no care, one of the reasons that it has grown so well in my house. During one of my walks in my neighbourhood I came across this somewhat deserted place where this creeper was growing wild. I pulled out a few thick stems and planted them near my compound and allowed it to grow on to the trees outside. It has survived the vicissitudes of time and benign neglect. Every now and then I harvest the thick stems and send them to my vaidyar. She tells me that when people complain of chronic tiredness all they have to do is take the thick stems and boil them in water and drink it to feel much better. I wonder why we never include such wonderful information in our school textbooks so we can identify these plants which grow wild both in rural and urban areas, practically all over India. Learning would be fun if we could go on a picnic, gather and learn to name these wonderful medicinal plants of our traditional pharmacopoeia.

It also amazes me how many of my friends will drink the popular pink antacid medication which contains aluminium hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide and simethicone. Simethicone is a foaming agent which prevents bloating. Most people who take these antacid preparations really never bother to find out what they contain. The main ingredients are metal compounds which are ingested without any questions but tell them about kamaduga rasa and you probably have to spend half a day convincing them about its efficacy and safety.

Kamaduga rasa tablets is a multifunctional drug like many ayurvedic drugs. It helps with hyperacidity, it is useful if you have an upset stomach, if your appetite has been reduced due to a sluggish liver and yet this drug is hardly known.

--- The writer was earlier Health Secretary, Govt. of Tamil Nadu and is currently CMD, TN Industrial Investment Corporation. She can be reached at Sheelarani.arogyamantra@gmail.com. Earlier articles can be accessed at http://arogyamantra.blogspot.com/