Review on Ekala Oushadha Prayogas (Single drug remedies) from Sarngadhara Samhita

Sarngadhara Samhita (1363 AD), the famous treatise of Ayurveda written by Acharya Sarngadhara , is well known for its simple and effective medicinal preparations in different dosage forms. In addition to compound formulations, various ekala oushadha prayogas (single drug remedies) are also mentioned in this treatise. Aim of the present work is to enlist the ekala oushadha prayogas (single drug remedies) mentioned in Sarngadhara Samhita . Detailed review of Sarngadhara Samhita was carried out, along with library and electronic search of relevant books of Ayurveda and peer reviewed academic articles. 159 ekala oushadha prayogas (single drug remedies) using 93 drugs were found out by this review. Along with plant origin drugs, Sarngadhara mentioned ekala oushadhas (single drugs) of animal and mineral origin. The dosage forms prescribed are swarasa, putapaka rasa, kwatha, sita kashaya, kalka, choorna and gutika . Ekala oushadhas are also used in treatment modalities like sodhana, gandoosha, lepana, karna poorana, netra kriyakrama etc. The findings of the present work can be utilized for various research and drug development studies and also for scientific validation. Physicians can utilize these ekala oushadhas (single drugs) according to the stage of the disease and condition of the patient, so that the hurdles behind the preparation and usage of compound medicinal formulations can be addressed successfully. Also overutilization of the available drug sources can be minimized to a greater extent.