Borax was known to the ancient Hindus from a very remote period, and is mentioned by Sushruta. It is brought from Tibet across the Himalaya, and from Nepal, and is used in medicine as well as in the arts.
Processing of Borax
Borax is purified for medicinal use by being steeped for a night in Kanjika and dried in the sun.
Benefits of Borax
Borax is said to be useful in loss of appetite, painful dyspepsia, cough, asthma, skin diseases and diarrhoea. It is also used for procuring abortion and promoting uterine contractions.
Dose of Borax in Medicine
Borax enters into the composition of numerous formulae for dyspepsia, such as the Amritakalpa Rasa, Tankanadi Vati etc
Amritakalpa Rasa: Take mercury, sulphur and aconite, 1 part each, borax 3 parts, soak them for 3 days in the juice of Weaelia calendulacea (Bhringaraja) and make into 2 grain pills. This medicine is said to be useful in loss of appetite, indigestion and dyspepsia. Tankanadi Vati contains the above ingredients with the addition of ginger and black pepper, all in equal parts.
Chandramrita Rasa: Take three myrobalans, ginger, long pepper and black pepper, Chavica officinarum (chavika), coriander, cumin seeds and rock salt, each 1 tola, and rub them together with goat"s milk. Then add mercury, sulphur and iron, each 2 tolas, borax 8 tolas and black pepper 4 tolas, all in fine powder, mix and make into pills or boluses about 18 grains pill. They are administered with goat"s milk in chronic bronchitis and various sorts of cough with copious expectoration. Along with these pills a decoction made of gulancha, Adhatoda vasica (vasaka), Clerodendron Siphonanthus (brahmayashti), Cyperus rotundus (mustaka), and Solanum Jacquinii (kantakari) should be administered.
Borax enters into the composition of several prescriptions for diarrhoea, along with opium, such as the Grahanikapata rasa and Nripavallava rasa.
A mixture of equal parts of borax, long pepper and baberang seeds is given for 5 days, at the menstrual periods for the purpose of preventing conception. It is also used for procuring abortion and inducing labour pains. Borax rubbed into a paste with the root of Vallaris dichotoma (bhadravalli) is applied to diseased nails.
