EAP810/1/1/72

Title in original script: நட்சத்திர காண்டம்- 500

The manuscript is composed of a text containing 116 palm leaves. The first 7 leaves are damaged.

The text concerns formulations of medicines:

Decoctions: Antarāti kaṣāyam;

Dried plant powders: Civaṉār cūraṇam, Acuvakantāti cūraṇam and Carvāṅka cūraṇam;

Medicated oils: Kantaka tailam, Kavirāca tailam, Cattirāti tailam, Pūraṉa vilvāti tailam, Aṉumār tailam, Cintāmaṇi tailam, Kurunāta tailam, Vimala kaṇṭa tailam, Kaṟpūra valli tailam and Mōkaṉa vilvāti tailam;

Medicated ghī: Aṟivamirta kiṟutam and Pañca varṇa kiṟutam;

Wax-like medicines : Maṉōcilai meḻuku;

Pills: Uyirāti kuḷikai, Raca kuḷikai, Miruttuvāti kuḷikai and Āṉanta vairavaṉ kuḷikai; Mūla cakkara māttirai, Kōṭācuṭi māttirai, Cokkaṉ māttirai and Parākkira pūpati māttirai; Arulmuṉi uṇṭai;

Calcinated white medicine made from metals and minerals: Apiraka paṟpam, Aritāra paṟpam, Raca paṟpam, Turucu paṟpam, Nāka paṟpam, Tāmira paṟpam and Vaṅka paṟpam; Kaṟiyuppu cuṇṇam and Kaṟpūra cuṇṇam;

Calcinated red medicine made from metals and minerals: Kauri cintāmaṇi centūram and Kaṟiyuppu centūram;

Stone-like medicines: Nāka kaṭṭu, Raca kaṭṭu, Kantaka kaṭṭu, Pācāṇa kaṭṭu, Liṅka kaṭṭu, Porikāra kaṭṭu and Akkiṉi kaṭṭu;

Ointment : Pala Kriṣṇa lēpam;

Medicinal acid preparations: Caṅku tirāvakam.

Some medicines are mentioned for their use to treat diseases, among them eye diseases (nayaṉa nōykku eṇṇey), tuberculosis (cayatukku maruntu), fever and periodical fever (viṣa curatukku kaṣāyam and māral curatukku kaṣāyam), and flatus (utira kaṇṭi vāyukku maruntu).

Additionally, the text explains the purification of arsenic (pācāṇa cutti) and the process to prepare copper sulfite (turucu vaippu). It documents the characteristics of medicine kit (kaṇṭūcattiṉ kuṇam). It lists names of stars (naṭcatiraṅkaḷiṉ peyarkaḷ).

Size of the manuscript 31,5cm x 3,2cm. The palm leaves of the text are numbered in Tamil and Arabic from 1 to 120. From the leaf 81, the writting is different and the leaves seem more recent. The palm leaves, notably from 1 to 81, are extremely dark and breakable due to fungus infestation and many of them are broken. The leaves 31 and 107 are broken; there are two leaves numbered 34 and 115.