Therapeutic Arrays of Jeeraka in Bhaishajya Ratnavali: A Review

Background: Our ancient seers recognised the value of Aahara Aushadhi (medications in the form of diet) and adopted different cooking methods with addition of condiments to make our daily meal, our daily potion of health. Jeeraka is one of the herbs that has been well amalgamated in the daily food in Indian subcontinent. Though it is used regularly as a spice, its therapeutic benefits are not known to all. Besides, the same Jeeraka can be modified into different dosage forms and treat a number of diseases like Grahani (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), Agnimandya (loss of appetite), Jwara (fever) etc. Out of the countless formulations of Jeeraka, this research aims to see its potentials as mentioned in Bhaishajya Ratnavali. Materials and Methods: The present review has compiled the formulations containing any of the Jeeraka Traya i.e. Krishna Jeeraka, Shveta Jeeraka and Kalaunji from Bhaishajya Ratnavali. Recent researches regarding the pharmaceutical benefits also have been screened. Results and Discussion: Total 242 formulations contained Jeeraka. Out of these, maximum formulations are used in the treatment of Grahani. Conclusion: The present work showed that Jeeraka had been used in different dosage forms in 44 diseases.