Rajata

TRADITIONAL VIEW, WITH SAFETY LIMITS

Hindi name: Chandi

What the texts say Rajata does

• Rasayana — rejuvenative
• Medhya — supports intellect and memory
• Balya — strengthening
• Vrishya — aphrodisiac, supports reproductive vigour

What the evidence says. Silver's antimicrobial action is established for topical use. The classical internal claims are not.

Side effects and limits

Prolonged silver exposure causes argyria — an irreversible slate-grey discolouration of the skin. It is cosmetic rather than dangerous and it does not reverse.

Avoid or ask first: Prolonged uninterrupted use, because argyria does not reverse.

A traditional classification, not a recommendation. The full safety record is below.

AS THE CLASSICAL TEXTS AND THE API PRESCRIBE

Used in vatavyadhi and as a medhya, often paired with swarna in rasayana yogas.

Reported from Sharangadhara Samhita and the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India. Laisha states what the texts prescribe; it does not recommend. No quantity here is adjusted for a particular person — not for agni, koshtha, bala, age, pregnancy, kidney or liver function, or anything already being taken.

Rajata is classed among the Dhatu.

Rasa, guna, virya, vipaka and karma are recorded as the classical texts give them, with the text and section named so a student can open the book and check.

German silver — a copper-nickel-zinc alloy with no silver in it — is the commonest substitute.

Elemental silver, Ag. Rajata bhasma is chiefly silver sulphide and silver nanoparticles.

A WAY TO REMEMBER IT

Rajata is from raj, to shine — and is cognate with the Latin argentum, which gives silver its symbol Ag and Argentina its name.

Rajata bhasma is used in vatavyadhi, prameha and as a medhya rasayana.

Constituents. Elemental silver, Ag. Rajata bhasma is chiefly silver sulphide and silver nanoparticles.

• This is a study and clinical reference for practitioners and students. The matra and anupana it records are what the classical texts and the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India PRESCRIBE — Laisha reports them, it does not recommend them. They are not a prescription for any particular person, and they are not adjusted for your age, agni, koshtha, bala, pregnancy, kidney or liver function, or anything else you are already taking. Only a qualified practitioner who has examined you can do that.
• Traditional classification is recorded as what the classical texts say, with the text and the place in it named. It is not restated as a finding about a human body.
• Nothing here replaces a qualified Ayurvedic practitioner or a doctor.