Hiraka.

Of the precious stones enumerated in page 14, diamond, pearls and coral only are much used in medicine. The rest are rarely-used or not used at all. Diamond is purified by being enclosed within a lemon and boiled in the juice of the leaves of Agati gran-diflora (vaka). It is reduced to powder in the following manner. A piece of the root of a cotton plant is beaten to a paste with the juice of some betle leaves. Both these vegetables should not be less than three years old. The diamond is enclosed within this paste and roasted in a pit of fire. The process is repeated seven times, when the stone is easily reduced to a fine powder. Another process consists in roasting the diamond enclosed in a paste made of horn-shavings, for three times in succession. Diamond thus prepared is said to be a powerful alterative tonic that improves nutrition, increases the strength and firmness of the body and removes all sorts of diseases. Dose about one grain.

Diamond enters into the composition of several alterative and tonic medicines, such as the Trailakya chintamani rasa, Ratnagiri-rasa, Sarvanga sundara rasa, etc. These medicines are similar in composition. They all contain diamond, pearls, gold, iron, talc, mercury, etc, in varving proportions and are used in similar cases. Trailakya chintάmani rasa1 is thus prepared. Take of diamond, gold and pearls, each one part, iron, talc and Rasa sindura or red preparation of mercury, four parts each, rub together with the juice of Aloe Indica and make into two-grain pills. This medicine is used as an alterative tonic with suitable adjuncts in various diseases.