Dravyaguna

Dravyaguna, the counterpart of modern pharmacology, is the science of the properties and actions of drugs. Ayurvedic pharmacology is taught through Rasa (taste), Guna (properties), Virya (potency), Vipaka (bio-transformation) and Prabhava (specific action).

Students study 104 drugs in detail (Latin name, family, synonyms, morphology, chemical constituents, actions, part used and formulations) and 148 more in brief, along with modern pharmacology, drugs of animal origin and Annapana Vargas.

Drugs are identified on visits to the herbal garden and through the dry-drug museum. Students learn section cutting to study internal structure, and prepare herbarium specimens on garden and field visits.