Dravyagunavijnana
EXPLORING THE BASICS OF
DRAVYAGUNAVIJNANA Dr. Niya Randeep (BAMS,
MD [Ayu])
Dravyagunavijnana, Scientist, Akay Natural Ingredients Private Limited, Kochi
Practicing herbs as the natural remedies for the disease management and its prevention is dated back to the ancient period. Diverse arrays of healing systems are grown up in the grounds of such practices around the globe. Among them, Ayurveda, the indigenous medical system of India places an important role in maintaining the health and prevention of diseases. Our ancestors keenly observed the nature and they turned this observational knowledge into a perceptional level. A plant grows on rocks by breaking the stones using its roots may helpful in removing the urinary stones formed inside the body. This insight made them to observe the nature more and thus developed the treatment modalities for various illnesses. This theory is known as Lokapurushasatmyavada explained in Charakasamhitha and is one of the fundamental principles of Ayurveda. A rational, well developed pharmacological and pharmaceutical basis lays the foundation of therapeutics in Ayurveda. As per the shastra, four important factors (Paadachathushtaya) are needed for a successful treatment. The factor which is important in the treatment right after the Vaidya is Dravya (Drug). Without the real knowledge in dravya, a Vaidya cannot make the treatment fruitful. Thus Dravyagunavijnana becomes an integral part of all the branches of Ayurveda. Ayurveda is nothing but the science which imparts knowledge about life (Ayu) through the analysis of ayushyaani (substances which promotes longevity)
10 | Issue 7 | May-Jun 2021 | The Ancient Ayurveda
and anaayushyanidravyas (substances which hamper the longevity). Dravyagunavijnana is the branch of Ayurveda which exclusively mentioned for the detailed study of such dravya and its attributes. It is a comprehensive discipline which embraces various aspects of knowledge about the identification, collection and classification of drugs; their physical and chemical properties; biotransformation and metabolic activities; uses, dosage and therapeutic actions; compatibility, synergism and vehicle; incompatibility and toxicity, and their different pharmaceutical applications. The word Dravyagunavijnana comprised of two words dravya and guna. Here, the latter covers guna(qualities) and karma (functions), which are the inherent parts reside in dravya. In Ayurveda, every dravya is considered as panchabhouthika. The proportion of panchamahabhootha determines the guna of a dravya. Based on that proportion, dravya does the karma, the therapeutic action in the body. The qualities present in the dravya are also present in the body. Because “deho hi aaharasambhava” (body is made up of the food we consumed). Hence, the similar (samanya) qualities of a dravya will increase the similar qualities in the body and dissimilar (vishesha) qualities will do the opposite. It is the dravya which responsible for the vrddhi(increase) and kshaya(decrease) of dosha, dhathu&mala inside the body and influence the srothamsi (channel in the body).
