Swasanandam

              by Sheela Rani Chunkath

​  ​ In this column I have written about various Ayurvedic preparations which have contained only herbal ingredients. I recently had an interesting discussion with a leading Ayurvedic vaidyar who strongly feels that the Ayurvedic preparations containing metals and minerals are being given a bad name so that people do not know how cheap and effective these non herbal preparations could be and how they are quite safe. The vaidyar was of the opinion that there seems to be a concerted effort to create a phobia much in the same manner that the medical establishment created a phobia about ghee. Ghee was a bad word but suddenly wisdom seems to have dawned on the nutrition establishment and we now have nutritionist Rujuta Diwakar telling us what a wonderful fat ghee is.

Similarly our Acharyas have been telling us that purified or specially prepared metals can help in serious chronic cases. Instead of taking steroids which have well documented serious side effects we can very well resort to preparations which have metals or minerals but which have been documented as safe by the Ayurvedic Acharyas and vaidyars. Metals need to be used with caution and the usage of metals by unqualified medical practitioners or quacks needs to be curbed. But one cannot throw the baby out with the bath water.

Ayurveda has many wonderful drugs to offer which contains metals which are safe because they have been purified or treated as per detailed protocols laid down in the texts. I find that many people undergo systematic torture in the name of cancer therapy but are unwilling to give Ayurvedic treatment a chance.

I have seen Tibetan medicine which contains metal or minerals work wonders with cancer patients. I have seen terribly ill patients with severe breathing distress miraculously recover with Ayurvedic preparations.

One such preparation is called Swasanandam gutika. It contains both herbal and mineral ingredients. The preparation needs to be taken under strict medical supervision as it cannot be overused. Swasanandam is used in cases of acute respiratory distress, severe cases of cold, cough, bronchitis and asthma. Very often patients do not respond to even powerful broad spectrum antibiotics and have to be on steroids. Swasanandam had less side effects or almost none if taken as prescribed. This medication is not used for treating children and pregnant ladies. The preparation contains shuddha hingula (purified and processed cinnabar), vatsanabha (purified and processed Aconitum detox), karpoora (camphor) and triphala.

Our Acharyas have clearly stated that pure or shuddha chikitsa is one where the treatment does not provoke an unwanted side effect. The Acharyas were very conscious of digestion and there problems associated with organs such as the kidney, liver spleen etc. It is unlikely that they would be prescribing medicines for asthma that would adversely affect the kidneys. Toxicity had been found where quacks who have no knowledge of medicine, either allopathic or Ayurvedic have prescribed these medicines for wrong conditions or at wrong dosage levels.

However, it is high time that Ayurvedic medical establishment rises to the challenge and deals with the phobia that the western medical establishment is creating about Ayurvedic preparations containing metals and minerals.

--- 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/