The first time somebody mentioned this kashayam to me I wondered what saptasarams had to do with it? The actual name of the kashayam is saptasaram as it is made up of seven herbs. This kashayam may well become a staple as it can treat hip pain, lower back pain and menstrual pain. Half the young girls and women I meet seem to have one or more of the above complaints and therefore a knowledge of this kashayam would be very worthwhile. It also helps relieve constipation as it is vata hara and decreases vata. Some of the seven herbs would be known to many.
The first is Boerhavia diffusa (called mukkarata in Tamil, punarnava in Sanskrit and thazhuthama in Malayalam). The plant grows wild and is mostly seen in cracks of sidewalls with its small pretty pink flowers. It grows in abundance in my college and it makes a tasty side dish of greens.
The second herb is Aegle marmelos or Bilva, the sthala vriksha of many Shiva temples and one of the group of the dasamoola dravyas. This leaf is often given to devotees as prasadam in Shiva temples. The third dravya is Macrotyloma uniflorum or horse feed. Horse gram or kulatha is ushna veerya and hence drives out the vata and relieves pain. In some households they make horse gram soup or rasam and even horse gram sundal. I would not advocate eating horse gram during the summer especially if you have pitta prakriti.
The fourth ingredient is Ricinus communis or Eranda as it is known in Sanskrit. This is the same castor that our grandmas used. Every once in three months it was time for the periodic clean up or detox as we like to call it fashionably now. Every Sunday morning, children would be given 5 to 15 ml of castor oil depending on the age and koshta of the recipient. Then after a few visits to the toilet all accumulated wastes and toxins would be flushed out. The dravya plays the same role in the kashaya and is effective in relieving constipation.
Barleria cristata or sahachara is something that I grew up with. In December you would see the flower ladies with their beautiful thick strands of mauve flowers called December poo. It used to be available in various shades of purple and pink, there even used to be a variegated variety with a beautiful white and purple combination. There is a yellow variety as well. The flower is very soft but grows on a prickly shrub. For me the flower always spells nostalgia.
Zingiber officinalis or dried ginger is the sixth ingredient and we are all familiar with its digestive properties as a deepana and pachana dravya that helps in the downward movement of gases. The last ingredient is Premna corymbosa (called agnimantha in Sanskrit and munnai in Tamil). It is again one of the dasamoola group of drugs.
This felicitous combination of drugs helps women during their monthly menstrual cycle. The kashayam is available ready-made. Most vaidyars prescribe 12-24 ml with equal quantity of water before food. I suggest making fresh kashayams as most store-bought kashayams contain preservatives. And they don’t mention it on the labels. I have raised this issue with many of the reputed companies, which are for now taking advantage of low consumer awareness. So if you have the time and inclination, you may want to make your own kashayams. It could well be the start of an interesting journey.
The writer is retired Additional Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu. She can be reached at sheelarani.arogyamantra@gmail. com/arogyamantra.blogspot.com