Siddhayogasangraha (Based on Vangasena)

Vedas are considered as the most ancient scriptures, which contain the concepts of health and disease and their management with herbs and other magico-religious procedures. Vedic materia medica recorded therapeutic application of various medicinal plants. Acharya Priyavrata Sharmaji enumerated the number of herbs mentioned in Vedic literature, viz. Rigveda mentioned 67 drugs, while Yajurveda and Atharvaveda contain the information about 82 and 289 herbs respectively. He further quoted that 129 drugs were described in Brahmana Granthas and 31 drugs in Upanishads. Herbs were employed in Danradhavana (cleaning the teeth), making carts, cots and other furniture, cloths, food preparations, cosmetics, weapons and other appliances, utensils and other containers and materials employed in Yajnas. In addition to these aspects, herbs were utilised in the treatment of various diseases. The development of application of natural substances in therapeutics started from Vedic period. Man of Vedic lore was living amidst and made some observations on animals which were consuming certain herbs to treat themselves for various conditions. Basing on these observational studies, the Vedic man started administering medicinal plants to treat human ailments.

Charaka's materia medica and during the period of Susruta the usage of metals and minerals was slowly increased. The management of Madhumeha, Kushtha, Vatavyadhi, Sannipatawara and Rajayakshma were the diseases which made Physicians to adopt intensified therapeutic measures in their management. Looking at the clinical material of the classics of Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita it becomes really enigmatic to imagine about methods employed for drafting treatment for various conditions with umpteen numbers of drugs. It may not be incorrect to say that they followed judicious blend of intuition with intelligence while recording their observations on patients only as the chances of animal experimental evaluation were remote. Vagbhata made an attempt to simplify the therapeutics by suggesting easy modalities. Taking Vagbhata as a role model, the scholars of medieval India started writing compendia with single and simple herbal remedies. Vrindamadhava should be considered as the most important compendium of 9th century who highlighted the use of classical single drugs with newer indications and made new inclusions into the Ayurvedic therapeutics. Later works like Chikitsakalika, Chakradutta, Vangasena, Gadanigraha, Sharngadhara Samhita, Bhavaprakasa Samhita and Yogaratnakara conveniently copied as it is the claims of Vrindamadhava in their works.