It has been over three years, but my honeymoon with those bombastic names still continues. Names like Maharasnayogarajaguggul and Kottam-chukkadi, which need to explode from your mouth when pronounced correctly. To manage them, they need to be broken up in bits, as in maha-rasna-yogaraja-guggul.

These and dozens of others are herbal oils and potions according to ayurveda. They have seen me gradually come out of the burning pains in knees, shoulders and indeed all joints, following an attack of rheumatoid arthritis. They were the alternative as compared to the strong pain-killers that allopathy would prescribe. In fact, modern medicine, not having yet found a cure for rheumatoid arthritis, would have me sit in a wheelchair all my life, gobbling those pain-killer pills and vegetating.

And thus began my tryst with ayurveda. Arya Vaidyan P.K. Ezhuthacchan, whose name was as bombastic as the procedures and decoctions that he prescribed, specified my temperament as vata, and said there are medicated oils like Ksheerabala, Balaguluchyadi and Karpasastyadi (that’s karpas-astyadi) for it.

Even stanyadhara (requiring breast milk) was considered. It was to be combined with Pacchhakarpoora or Gorochana. Anyway, with or without Pacchhakarpoora, the proposal of that treatment was dropped. But Kuzhampu for the body was considered, including oils like Prabhanjanavimardhana (that’s prabhanjan-vimardana) and Bala-swa-gandhadi.

There are treatments for other ailments — with equally bombastic names. There is Madhu-snuhira-sayanam-brihat, effective for wounds, fistula, scabies, itch and so on. For the same troubles, Mani-bhadra-gudayogam is also a possibility. Then there is Madana-kameshwaram, also known as Sarva-rogachikitsa-ratnam, which preceded Viagra by centuries. It helps digestion to boot, stops diarrhoea and vomiting, even makes one hungry.

... contd.