''Agada'' is one of the eight branches into which
ayurveda
Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population repo ...
medicine is traditionally divided. Literally, ''gada'' means a disease and ''agada'' means any agent which makes the body free from disease; however the term ''agada'' is used specifically for the branch of medicine dealing with
toxicology
Toxicology is a scientific discipline, overlapping with biology, chemistry, pharmacology, and medicine, that involves the study of the adverse effects of chemical substances on living organisms and the practice of diagnosing and treating expo ...
, the description of the different types of
poison
Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figuratively, with a broa ...
s, and their
antidotes.
''Agada Tantra'' is defined as a section of toxicology that deals with
food poisoning
Foodborne illness (also foodborne disease and food poisoning) is any illness resulting from the spoilage of contaminated food by pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites that contaminate food,
as well as prions (the agents of mad cow disease) ...
,
snakebites,
dog bite
A dog bite is a bite upon a person or other animal by a dog, including from a rabid dog. More than one successive bite is often called a dog attack, although dog attacks can include knock-downs and scratches. Though some dog bites do not result ...
s,
insect bites, etc.
The school of toxicology was founded and expounded upon by Kashyapa, also known as Vriddhakashyapa, a contemporary of
Atreya Punarvasu
Atreya (आत्रेय) Rishi, or Atreya Punarvasu, was a descendant of Atri, one of the great Hindu sages (rishis) whose accomplishments are detailed in the Puranas. Sage Atreya was a renowned scholar of Ayurveda and six schools of early Ay ...
. He lived in
Taksashila in what is now
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
. His text was called the ''Kashyapa Samhita''. This, however, is a different book than the ''
Kashyap Samhita Kashyap Samhitā (Devanagari , also ''Kashyapa, Kasyap, Kasyapa''), also known as Vriddha Jivakiya Tantra is a treatise on Ayurveda attributed to the sage Kashyap.
The text is often named as one of the earliest treatises on Indian medicine, along ...
'' of
pediatrics
Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until th ...
. This text is not available now but the references of this text are found mentioned in different commentaries. Some other texts written by Alambayana,
Ushana,
Saunaka
Shaunaka ( sa, शौनक, ) is the name applied to teachers, and to a Shakha of the Atharvaveda. It is especially the name of a celebrated Sanskrit grammarian, author of the , the , the and six Anukramaṇīs (indices) to the Rigveda. He is c ...
, and Latyayana were known to exist. However except for references to them, the original texts are no longer available.
The traditional practice of toxicology is still practiced by different families of
vishavaidyas (poison doctors) who specialize in toxicology. However, their knowledge is limited compared to the knowledge possessed by the earlier ayurvedic physicians. In ancient times, it was the job of Vishavaidyas to protect members of the
royal families from being poisoned, as well to poison enemies of the kings.
References
More sources
Search on Google Books* Forensic medicine under Indian system of medicine(Ayurveda). By Dr. U. N. Prasad
Ayurveda
Alternative detoxification
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