Guggulu Tikta Ghrtam

by Sheela Rani Chunkath

I had written earlier about Guggulu Tikta Ghrtam and its usefulness in treating vata conditions. This ghrtam named tikta ghrtam (because it contains the five bitters; neem, patola, vyaghri, guduchi and vasa) lives up to its name and is quite a bitter ghee. Sometimes after consuming these bitter ghee preparations you become averse to even regular ghee.

Normally I shrug off a cold or cough quite easily because I take recourse to my chukku, milagu, tippali kashayam, adathoda kashayam or taleesadi preparation with honey depending on the type of cold or cough. This invariably allows me to shrug off most seasonal colds and coughs. This season I caught one of those virulent cold viruses which turned into a dry cough and a sore throat. My voice turned into an interesting bass, so much so that when I answered my phone many people thought it was my husband. So in addition to Karun thulasi kashayam (boil a handful of black thulasi leaves with a little pepper) and gargling with triphala and turmeric, I decided to bring in guggulu tikta ghrtam. It is a preparation which helps to alleviate vitiation of all three doshas which is why it can be used in conditions of vitiated vata, pitta or kapha.

Among its many ingredients it includes Semecarpus anacardium which is commonly known as the marking nut. This is a versatile fruit and is used in Ayurveda as a rasayana drug. It is called marking nut because dhobis used to mark the clothes with it as the mark would not wash off in water. In days past when dhobis used to wash the clothes of perhaps the entire village there had to be a way to sort out the clothes and return them to their owners. Hardly anybody in metros use dhobis to handle their everyday clothes and the marking nut has lost one of its old uses. But the nut is used widely in ayurvedic preparations because it contains a variety of biologically active compounds. The nut extract is anti-thermogenic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-reproductive, CNS stimulant, hypoglycemic, anti-carcinogenic and a hair growth promoter.

I am hoping that along with getting rid of my dry cough the ghrtam will grow my shiny black tresses. The tree is indigenous to the Himalayas and is found in Assam, Bihar, Bengal, Odisha and Centra India. It is variously called Bhallataka, Erimugi, Nallajeedi and Bhilwa. Guggulu Tikta Ghrtam contains only a small percentage of marking nut. However, since it is extremely heat producing guggulu tikta ghrtam is best taken with the advice of a vaidyar. The reason I am writing about this preparation again is because it is a versatile preparation which can be used to treat conditions of vitiation of all three doshas. It is often used to treat ulcers, abscess, sinus, asthma, rhinitis, cough, cold, cardiac diseases and arthritis. However, it is not given for treatment of pregnant women because of its anti-reproductive properties. Guggulu tikta ghrtam is a versatile preparation which we will do well to be familiar with and to use it to good effect under supervision of an ayurvedic vaidyar.

--- The writer is retired Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu. She can be reached at Sheelarani.arogyamantra@gmail. com. Earlier articles can be accessed at http://arogyamantra.blogspot.com/