Ayurvedic Pharmacy [Pancha Kashay ]

The Five Pharmulation processes namely - Swaras ,Kalka ,Quath, Hima and Fanta are together called
Pancha kashay.They are gradually easier to digest from former to later.

Herbal Juice – Swarasa – 

Method 1 - Take fresh herbs like ginger. Cut in to small pieces. Crush it or pound it in mortar and pestle.
Keep the whole mixture in fine cloth and prepare bolus. Then squeeze the same, to obtain the juice. Juice
of fresh basil leaves can be prepared in this way. Dose – 15 ml. Or 1 teaspoon 3 times a day.
Method 2 - Some leaves are very rough and hard, hence it is difficult to express juice from them. Such
leaves should be first exposed to steam for few minutes and then it is easy to squeeze juice from them.
Method 3 - For dry herbs, weaker juice preparation can be made. Take these herbs, crush them, add
twice the amount of water. Keep the mixture for 24 hours and then strain the liquid.
Method 4 - Putapaka This is the method for extracting juice from hard leaves. With this method, one can
obtain juice from the leaves of Adhatoda vasika-Vasa. Take fresh leaves and prepare paste by adding
some water and grinding the same in mortar and pastel. Put this paste in the bolus of leaves of Ficus
religiosa. Then prepare paste of special mud and cover the same up to the thickness of one finger. When
it is dried keep the same in open fire (out) or in oven. When it becomes red hot, take it out. Allow it to
cool. Take out the outer covering of mud and leaves and squeeze the paste. The juice comes out very
easily. The juice contains mostly the element of water of the herb.

Herbal Paste – Kalka – Crush the fresh plant till it becomes soft mass. Dried herbs can be turned in to
paste after adding water and making soft mass. Such pastes can be made with honey, ghee or oil. This is
used as a base substance for making decoction or can be used for external poultice. One can prepare
paste of fresh garlic, onion or horseradish. The dose is 1 to 3 gms. Or one table spoon. With this method
both Earth and Water elements of the herb are obtained.

Herbal Decoction – Kwath – Take 1 part of herb, add 16 parts of water. Keep it boiling on low flame
without keeping lid and reduce it to 1/8th. (Take ½ ounce of herb and add to it one cup water which is
usually 8 ounces.)
Moderate decoction can be made until the water is reduced to half. The decoction can be made from the
hard parts of the plant like root, bark, fruit or stems. The decoction thus prepared must be consumed on
that day. Herbs once boiled cannot be used again for any purpose. The usual dose of decoction is 15 ml.
3 times a day.
Medicated water – 1 part of herb + 64 times water. Boil the same till it is reduced to half.
Mixture of 6 herbs – Two types of sandalwood (red and white), cyperus, vetivera dry ginger and pitta
papada – is boiled in water. When reduced to ½ the water becomes reddish in colour and slightly bitter,
sweet in taste. Give this water in the early stages of any fever. This reduces toxins in the body, increases
digestive fire, quenches thirst. This is called as Shadangodaka.

Gold treated water – Take any pure gold ornament. Heat it till it becomes red hot and then dip it in 1 cup
of water. Repeat the procedure for 20 times. Give this gold treated water for drinking to patients suffering
from diseases due to low immunity like cancer, aids etc. This simple remedy increases immunity. Prepare
ghee from the same water. This ghee then becomes excellent remedy for removing any toxicity from the
body. Give this ghee in dose of 1 to3 tsp. Day, to patients who are undergoing chemotherapy for cancer.
This ghee prevents side effects of chemotherapy like loss of hair, debility and osteoporosis.

Milk decoction – This is known as Kshirapaka. Take 1 part of herb+8 parts of milk and 32 parts of water.
The mixture should be cooked till the water is evaporated. With this method excess qualities and taste of
arjuna is reduced, These are classical examples, however for other herbs smaller amount of water can be
added to milk, so that milk decoction can be prepared quickly. Herbs like Shatavari ans Ashwagandha
can be cooked in milk with this method.

Reducing decoction to solid form (Ghana) – This process is also called as Rasakriya. Keep the decoction
on low fire. The mixture should be constantly stirred till it becomes like the consistency of honey. Later
one can prepare tablets from this. The advantage is that instead of liquid form, this is easy to take.
Various herbal decoctions can be turned into this form like Guduchi Ghana from Guduchi decoction etc.

Hot infusion  – Phanta – Take 1 part of herb and 8 parts of boiling water. Keep it for 12 hours and then
strain the mixture. (One can also prepare quick hot infusion by steeping herbs for 30 minutes.) This is
better for delicate parts like flower and very smooth leaves and aromatic herbs.

Cold infusion – Hima –  Take 1 part of herb and add 6 parts of cold water to it. Allow it to stand for 24
hours and then filter the same. This is best for anti-Pitta herbs having cold potency and aromatic flavors.

Quick cold infusion – Mantha – Take 1 part of herb and add 4 parts of water. Then mix the ingredients
properly and drink the mixture. Infusion of dates, raisins, garcinia indica, black grapes and amalaki can be
prepared with this method. It is an excellent remedy for alcoholic hangover.

Rice washing – Tandulodaka  – Take 40 gm. Rice, add 320 ml water (1to8). Mix rice in the water by hand
for a few minutes. Keep it for 10 minutes and take out the water. Give this water every day to treat
dehydration in cases f diarrhea. Take 1 part of cumin seeds and add 8 parts of this water for treating
leucorrhoea. Give this mixture twice daily for three weeks.

Preparation of ghee  –  Take unsalted raw butter in a pan and keep it over fire. The butter will soon melt
and broth will be produces. Now turn the fire low and watch the melted butter. Soon there will be golden
yellow or brown bubbles around and it and it will start smelling like popcorn. At this point turn the heat off
as it may burn quickly. Let it cool and then strain it through the filter and store it in cool place. For storing it
does not require refrigeration.

Medicated ghee or oil – 1 part of herb + 4 parts of ghee or oil + 16 parts of water should be cooked, till
the water evaporates. Or first make the decoction of the herb and then add equal amount of oil or ghee to
the decoction and boil the mixture, till the entire decoction is evaporated. Simple test – Put small drop of
the mixture over the fire. It burns without making crackling sound, it is ready.

External applications – Different types of pastes (lepa), aromatic and heavy oils for massage, poultice
(upanaha) can be prepared from variety of herbs. Similarly juices and decoctions can be used for washing
wounds or eyes and ears.

Shatadhauta ghruta  - This means ghee washed in water 100 times. Take flat pan preferably of copper.
Put 100 gm. Ghee and pour 1 cup of water. Then with the flat surface of the hand, start mixing ghee and
water. When the colour of the water changes and there is froth formation, stop the process. Then allow
the mixture to stand still for 5 minutes and slowly pour the water. Repeat the procedure, till the
consistency of the ghee becomes like wax. This washed ghee is the best external soothing application for
skin. This can be applied in cases of severe burns, itching, dryness, burning sensation of the skin etc. For
reducing burning sensation in the body due to fever or high Pitta, for treating Pitta disorders and for piles,
this can be taken internally in dose of 1 tsf. 2 times a day.

Powder and tablets – (Churna and Vati or Bati)  – Most dried herbs can be turned in to powder form. The
expiry for most powder is only 6 months. However in western countries, they do not loose their potency
up to 1 year. After adding gum acasia tablets can be easily prepared. Expiry for tablets is up to 3 years.

Medicated charcoal – (mashi)- Take powder of the herb. Put it on a flat pan and keep it on low fire, till it
turns in to black charcoal. Put this mixture in mortar and pestle and triturate it till it becomes very soft.
Triphala Mashi- Medicated charcoal prepared from triphala is an excellent remedy for treating vomiting,
hiccough and pain in the abdomen due to gas.
Amalaki mashi – Take fresh emblica fruits. Cut them in to pieces, take out the seed and dry them. Put
them on iron pan and start giving them low heat. Add little fresh butter when black smoke starts coming
out. Reduce the mixture to charcoal. Then add ¼ powder of psyllium seeds. This simple herbal
preparation is excellent remedy for hyperacidity. Give this in dose of 1 table spoon – 5 times a day.
Avaleha – There are 3 steps in preparing avaleha. 1. Prepare decoction of the herbs. 2. Prepare sugar
syrup and 3. Add these and the prakshepa (powders of other herbs) and prepare avaleha.
Avaleha of ginger – Juice of ginger 1 part + Sugar 4 parts + Water 4 parts. Prepare sugar syrup, then add
juice of ginger and prepare avaleha.

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