Page 12 - NAMAH-Oct-2016
P. 12
Namah Vol. 24, Issue 3, 15th October 2016
five hundred astringents. Ecara ya Caraka puts indicates that this plant kills worms. Or,
these herbs under various groups or vargas Eclipta prostrata is named as keśarañja or
like jīvanīya or those prolonging life, lekhanīya that which blackens the hair.
or those reducing obesity or thinning the
tissues, dīpanīya or those promoting appetite 3. Localnames(deśokti)—Gynandropsisgynandra
and digestion, etc. This classification of Ecara ya is named as hurahurā which is a local name
Caraka is based on the finer properties of the but it is adopted in the scripture because of
plants (8). Ecara ya Susrs uta classified plants under popular usage.
thirty-seven sections or gannas depending
upon their medicinal properties and named 4. Special morphological characteristics (lāñchanā)
them after the most important medicine — for example, Ricinus communis denotes
of that group (9). For example, the group the palm-like leaf of the plant and is named
rodhrādiganna has plants which are antidotal as gandharvahasta meaning ‘like the hands
to upset kapha (10). of celestial beings’.
Similarly we also find a detailed classification 5. Similarity or resemblance (upamā) — for
of the plants done by various aca aaryas based example, markattahastatrinna is a beautiful
on their diet-related values. Ecaarya Caraka descriptive name indicating the spikes of
(11) recognised six groups of plants based the plant Eleusine genus which resemble
on diet-related values and Ecaarya Sussruta the fingers of monkeys.
(12) recognised fifteen different groups.
Amara Simha (13) in his Amarakośa lists the 6. Potency (vīrya) — the plant Plumbago rosea
names of various grains in vanaussadhivarga is named agni because of its potentiality to
and vaīśyavarga. digest and promote metabolism.
Nomenclature 7. Place of growth (itarāhvayādideśāt) — Vanda
roxburghiana is named as vrkr sās rūha because
The ancient Indian plant names were based on it grows on trees.
several parameters. Works like Rājanighannttu
and Dhanvantari Nighannttu have given an Here is the original verse of the Raja anighantn ut
outline of these parameters. Here I take that gives the above description:
up the parameters given in Rājanighannttu of
Pandita Narahari. Rājanighannttu prescribes nāmāni kvacidiha rūdhd itahh svabhāvāt deśoktyā
seven criteria for deriving names (14): kvacana ca lāñchanopamābhyām vīryenna
kvaciditarāhvayādideśāt dravyānnāmiti
1. Tradition of usage (rūdhd itah)h — for example, saptadhoditāni (Rājanighantn ut , grantha-prastāvanā
Ocimum sanctum is named as krrssnnatulasī 9).
because it is used in the worship of Krrssna
and its leaves are a blackish-green in colour. Apart from this, we find several other parameters
enumerated in other texts. Sometimes we see
2. Properties (svabhāvatahh) — for example, that the names of certain plants denote some
Embelia ribes is named as krrmighna which of their special features. For example, the
12
