Usage of Minerals and Metals in Ayurveda

Ayurveda – Usage of Minerals and Metals

The Ayurvedic system of medicine has stood the test of time for over 4000 years. The ancient text provides detailed explanation of drugs from different natural origin i.e. herbal, metal or animal. Additionally, Ayurveda also guides on the codes of conduct and dietary regulations as suitable tool to maintain health of healthy and curing diseases in diseased.

Apart from various minerals, the use of metallic preparations for maintenance of health is a unique feature in Ayurveda. Processed metals such as Mercury, Gold, Silver, Lead, Zinc, Copper etc. were used very frequently by the practitioners of Ayurveda in different disease conditions with great results.

Ayurvedic texts also detail the detoxification of these metals through a highly complex manufacturing processes especially in Rasa-shastra texts. Charaka Samhita, one of the scheduled books of Ayurveda also holds numerous references to the use of metals for different purposes. Charaka advocated converting the metals in to fine purified powder before their usage and observing great caution during the period of administration in different disease manifestations. Such preparations are held to be safe and efficacious when manufactured and used as per the classical Ayurvedic guidelines.

This section of our website details some of these metals and minerals along with their therapeutic usage.


Metals

Minerals