Rasa Shastra in Ayurveda

Historically, Rasa Shastra or "Vedic Chemistry" is an offshoot of Ayurveda that developed around the period when Buddha existed, more than 2500 years ago. This special branch of medicine is called Rasa shastra. Rasa shastra describes the use of metals, gems, minerals and poisons to produce special formulations that combat acute conditions or serious diseases. Rasashastra is Ayurvedic pharmaceutics, which deals with the drugs of mineral origin, their varieties, characteristics, processing techniques, properties and their therapeutic uses. This science is often referred to as "alchemy" and the resultant medications are called rasas, which mainly comprise of metallic ashes called bhasmas. These bhasmas, or lighter forms of metals, are contained in organo-metallic compounds that work as carriers (yogavahi). This means they are able to carry the herbs mixed with them faster to the desired site and start the action immediately. They act as catalysts and increase the bioavailability of the herbs to the cell. After performing the desired action, the bhasmsas are eliminated through our excretory systems, specifically via mutra and mala (urine and stool). Ayurvedic chemists have evolved various procedures like sublimation, oven treatment, controlled heat incineration, grinding, mixing, churning etc. to inculcate the therapeutic properties in the minerals for which many specific types of yantras (instruments) are designed. When it comes to using any metal, mineral or a natural product directly or as a formulation, the alchemic scientists (Raja Siddhas) state that, barring a few exceptions everything should be purified/detoxified first (Shodhana) and then must be converted into bhasma (ash). This is achieved by controlled/sustained heat incineration again and again, as many times as possible. The ancient chemists after classifying mercury as the rasa after which this branch has been named, classified the other metals, minerals and gems into dhatu, upadhatu, ratna, upratna, maharasa, uprasa, sadhrana rasa and sudha varga.

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