AYURVEDA

Dr. Job Thomas

usk, known as Kasturi in Sanskrit has been a fascination to mankind even from prehistoric time. The exquisite scent of the musk carried by forest wind made him search for its origin for hours and days together. The sweet fragrance is significant for the power, permanency and stability, which would last for several years. It has remarkable ability to

provision for attracting its mate. The Musk is embedded in a gland, an oval or round sac, around 3.5 cm diametre, covered by smooth upper membrane and stiff, hairy under surface and a small opening. It is believed that the best musk is the condensed one, gathered from the favourite haunts of deer after the rutting season, when the deer breaks the gland with its hoof and empties the contents on its own choice.

distilled to produce an odour similar to ketone, termed Muskone. The odour of fresh musk is so strong and it is said to have deleteriously acted on the nervous system, eye sight and hearing of the hunters, quite frequently. According to Bhavaprakash, an ancient Ayurvedic text, there are three varieties of musk, the Kamrup, Nepala and Kashmira musk. Must from China and Tibet brought via Kamroop in

permeate and everything in the vicinity get affected by it, retaining the fragrance with it for a long period. The strength of the sensuous scent of musk can be easily assessed from the act that human beings can distinctly smell a mean 0.02 mg of this precious scent. Musk is the condensed, dried secretion (testicular extract) from the preputial follicles of the male musk deer (Moschus moschiferus. Class: Ruminantia). The deer is generally found in China, Russia, Central Asia, Assam and Pine forests in Himalayan cliff above 2400 metre from mean sea level. Musk is found in the male deer only during the rutting season, lasting about one month, natures

Musk
Studies show that a full-grown deer discharges around 15 to 60 ml of musk in a season. fresh musk is milky, but turns viscid and assumes the shape of irregularblack tint. It possesses a bitter aromatic taste and contains ammonia, oleine, cholesterin, fat, wax, gelatinous matter, albuminons substances, chlorides of calcium, sodium, potassium etc. Musk is ancient days might have been named accoridngly. The Kamroop musk, also known as Assam Musk is identified by its stong odour and blackish colour. This is superior to all other and has high comericial and medicinal value. Nepala musk is Bluish-black in colour and is of intermediate quality. Kashmira is inferior to others. Among the other available types
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KERALA CALLING

Studies show that a full-grown deer discharges around 15 to 60 ml of musk in a season. fresh musk is milky, but turns viscid and assumes the shape of irregular-black tint.
Russian musk is not esteemed due to the poor fragrance, carbadine musk from Mangolia and Manchuria too has an unpleasant odour and Tonkin or Chinese musk is devoid of any unpleasant smell and is therefore highly priced. Indian medicine has recognised the therapeutic importance of musk and Ayurveda regards it as a diffusible stimulant, anodyne, antispasmodic, cardiac, expectorant, disphoretic, diuretic, laxative, antiseptic and aphrodisiac. It stimulates the nervous, respiratory, vascular and urogenital systems, exhilarates the mind, brain, spinal and peripheral nerves. By improviing the blood circulation, it acts as a stimulant to heart. Extended use, however, will have narcotic and soporific effect. Ayurveda recognised the therapeutic value of musk with the following qualities Madhuratiktharasam1, Katu anurasam2, ushnaveeryam3, guru4 and kapha vata haram5. Ayurveda and Siddha systems use musk as an antidote for poisoning to arrest vomiting, cold, cough, rakta-pitham, epilepsy, lysteria and for general toxic. Musk is recommended in curing dyspepsia, colitis, metastatic gout effecting stomach or lead, low fevers with prostration, anaemia, general debility resultant of chronic ailments, general depression, paralysis of tongue and hoarsness.
KERALA CALLING
January 2005

Bhavaprakash prescribes several combinations of mriganabhi or mrigamadha (which are Sanskrit equivalents of Kasthuri) with honey, makaradhwaja, gold, iron, pearls, corals, fruits, vegetables, cardamom, and cloves etc. for varieant diseases and disorders. Musk combined with opium is prescribed for convulsions in children. Western medicinal system too recommends the use of musk for various adynamic fevers as typhoid, typhus and typho-remittent fevers and in all typhoid conditions as collapse of delirium tremens, coma, typhoid-pneumonia, as antispasmodic. It is given to gout, in lockjaw or tetarius, hydrophobia epileptiform and hysterical attacks, chorea, shooping, cough, hiccup, asthma, colic, laryugismus stridulus, insomnia, meningitis and impotence. The Unani system uses the musk as a tonic to heart, brain, for overall vitality and for apoplexy, paralysis, nervous diseases and cold related diseases. The commercial importance of musk as a perfumery for providing odour to liquid perfumes, soaps, powder etc. presently overweights its use as a medicine. Ruthless butchering of deer during rutting season leading to the near extermination of the animal and the ever increasing industrial demand led to the laboratory and subsequent large scale

production of synthetically similar substances, the artificial musk. They possess an entirely different chemical structure. The substitute known as trinitro-meta-tertiary butyl-toluene and the corresponding compounds of toluene and derivatives of ketones. Adulteration with inert substances as dried blood, liver etc. are very common due to the heavy demand for musk. Genuine musk does not change odour even when buried. It is soft, but the adulterated musk is stiff to touch. Few grains of musk, dropped in water will remain granular, if genuine and will melt if adulterated. Similarly if the grain melt and bubble when placed over a live chareol, the musk is genuine, adulterated will harden and become cinder. Natural odourous substances, resembling or identical to musk, occur both in the animal and plant kingdom. The animals known to secrete similar odourous substances are gazelle (Antelope dorcas), the marten (Mustela foina), the alpine goat (Capra ibex), the musk-ox (Ovibos moschatus), the zebu (Bos indicus), the percari (Dicotyles torqatns), the musk duck (Anas moschata), the desman (Myogal moschata) the Nile Crocodile (Crocodilus tulgaris) and cetain varieties of turtles and snakes. Among the plant varieities, more than 20 species of plants produce substances yielding musk odour. Though a large number of plants and animal secretions and the synthetic compounds are capable of affording the musk-odourous substances, none can claim a near parallel to the musk of deer and the mask deer remains very dear to the demands for their medicinal or commercial requirements.
1. Madhuratiktha Rasam/ The mixed taste of sweet and bitterness. 2. Katuanurasam/ Feeling chilly taste at the end. 3. Ushna veeryam/ Feeling heat in the body. 4. Guru/ Something heavy to digest. 5. Kaphavata haram/ Curative of Kabhadosham and Vathadosham among disease- causing Thridoshas.

The writer is a senior physician with Aryavaidya Pharmacy (Coimbatore) Ltd. and AMO to department of space, Govt. of India.

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