Abstract
Objective： Although the Sanskrit word amrta was used in ancient India to describe any immortal attribute of a variety of things, The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India (API) treats this word as a synonym for certain medicinal plants. This paper analyses the usage of amrta in Indian medical literature and discusses the reasons why amrta can be defined as a synonym for certain medicinal plants.
Methods： At first, we pharmacologically examine the efficacies of medicinal plants considered synonymous with amrta in API. Then, the meaning of amrta is interpreted as it appears in the three major ancient Indian medical works-- the Caraka-samhita (CS), the Susruta-samhita (SS), and the Astangahrdaya-samhita (AHS)-- as well as The Bower Manuscript (Bower Ms.), which quotes formulations from these three sources, and the Bhavaprakasa (Bh), which is one of the sources of API.
Results： The description of amrta is then analyzed philologically. This word was used as a synonym for Guduci (Tinospora cordifolia, (Willd.) Miers.), Haritaki (Terminalia chebula Retz.), and Amalaka (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) in CS, SS, AHS, and Bower Ms. The description of the origin of Guduci as a medicinal plant in the nighantu (meaning vocabulary in Sanskrit) portion of Bh and the resurrection of monkeys described in the Ramayana both mean regaining life and are associated with the concept of immortality.
Conclusion： The description of amrta in API is consistent with the reasoning that originated in ancient mythological legends. Conceivably, this is one of the reasons why API defines the word amrta as a synonym for certain medicinal plants.
