Pharmacy is a separate and complimentary health care profession concerned with collection, preparation, standardization, and dispensing of drugs.

Ancient Indus recognised ‘Pharmacy’ but in this object they were obviously deficient and even the works which survive are of little avail to the present generation, as they are very rarely studied and still more rarely understood by any of the practitioners. Early attempts were, however, made to obtain remedies from vegetable sources and to a lesser degree from animal auld mineral kingdom.

Early Hindu medicine is divided into two periods. The first continuing from though earliest beginning until about 800 B.C. (Vedic period) and the second roughly from 800 B.C. to 1000 A.D. (Brahmanism period). After 1000 A.D. largo parts of India came under Islamic rule and Arab doctors took over the medical practice in the country.

VEDIC

Vedic medicine was primitive and archaic. Sin was viewed as the cause of disease confession as the healing rite. Hindu medical education in the Abrahamic period was of high calibre, with a wholesome balance between theory and practice. In sixth century B.C., two great university existed in India, Ki{ in the East and Tukwila in the West ; Trey, the physician, taught in the latter university, and his younger contemporary, Sparta., the surgeon, taught in the former. Three great classics of Abrahamic medicine are the books of Karaka (beginning of Christian era), 120 

Su4ruta (500 A.D.), and Vibrato (about 600 A.D.), based on much older Vedic mate. rail. Hindu medicine, like Chinese medicine, froze into dogmatism before the time of Christ and continued in static form through subsequent centuries.

CARARA SATTHITA

Agniveda tantric, composed by the sage Agentive{a, a student of Trey, was a huge treatise on Indian medicine containing eight divisions. This was later revised by Karaka to be called Karaka Samhita. This treatise chiefly deals with vegetable products, though animal and earth products are also included. All these drugs are classified into fifty groups on tho basis of their action on the body.

The drugs were given various forms, such as powders, pastes, infusions, decoctions, pill, confection, roast, fermented, distilled, medicated and alcoholic drinks, medicated oils, inhalants as well as injections into rectum, urethra, female genital organ. Specific drugs were in practice for increasing vigour, restoring youth, improving memory and preventing diseases.

Karaka Samhita stands next in antiquity to Atria Samhita amongst reputed Sanskrit medical books.

TANTRIC CULT

With the decline of Buddhism in India, there appeared a popular philosophical and religious movement called Tantrism, which flourished between 8th and 14th centuries. It was a pan-Indian movement through which the devotees sought deliverance with the help of mantras, Samadhi’s and other practices.

With tantrism developed the art and science of the use of metallic compounds, particularly of mercury and sulphur ; use of iron, silver, tin and load began in 8th and 9th century. This was with though intension of making human body imperishable  an ever young.

MEDICAL EDUCATION

In ancient India one could become aa physician by working with the teacher at his house, or by joining grout situated away from human inhabitation. One could also join medical contras at , , or Nalanda.

The students were taught theory as well as practice of medicine. Practical training had three objectives :

1. Preparation of medicines.
2. Training in surgery.
3. Examination of the patient.

 

The student learnt the art of preparing flower juices, md extracting liquors, concocting different combinations, making medicines using  80d clarified butter, reducing to ashes stones, minerals, and like ; preparing combinations of minerals, making new compounds of minerals and extracting alkalis out of.

Students were also trained in planting, grafting and general care of plants, as also identifying different herbs and when and how to cut and preserve them.

It is evident from the above that present day pharmacy and also pharmacology has been built on experience accumulated over many thousands of years. The influence of these experiences on modern pharmacology can still be traced today. Some of the oldest known written also human documents contain information about such drugs, their properties and use. Few hints may be useful as a. Background and as a link between modern pharmacology and the work founded by our fore-fathers.