EAP810/2/1/15

Title in original script: நூல் 1: தலைப்புநூல் இல்லை (மருந்துகளின் வேதியல் குணம்) நூல் 2: தலைப்பு இல்லை (மருந்து, மந்திரம்)

The manuscript is composed of two texts dealing with preparation of medicines. It is in good condition, slightly damaged by rodents and insects. The texts are written in prose, in both Tamil and Telugu scripts.

Text 1- The text, containing 32 palm leaves, explains a process to calcinate the salt of alum (cīṉākkāram). This technique uses leaves of Capparis zeylanica or Gynandropsis gynandra (vāmiṇṭi) and paper. The fuel for calcinations is cow dung cakes. The product is stored in a small mud pot for preservation.

The calcinated salt, indicated to cooling the body (uṣṇam tīrum) has to be taken 10 days twice a day, mixed with milk.

Text 2- The text, containing 18 palm leaves, describes a medicine based on flowers of red cotton used to neutralise poisonous bites of rat poison. The text indicates that the patient has to take the medicine during three days, after chanting Rutira mantiram (Sk. Rudra) and Mārjāla mantiram, and to take a head bath. The patient is also informed to not consume any poisonous food during the treatment.

The text presents also some medicinal preparations for treating growths in children’s abdomen (kuḻantaikaḷ vayiṟṟil kaṭṭi), ascites (makōtaram), diarrhea (vayataḷaicaḷ) and anemia (pāṇṭu). The medicines are: Pūra paṟpam, Vīra meḻuku and organic exudates from rocks (kalmatam).

Size of the manuscript: 24,0cm x 3.8cm. The text 1 is numbered from 1 to 32 and text 2 from 1 to 18. The manuscript is in good condition with a few leaves damaged by rodents.