Dashemani — 10 Groups of Drugs by Charaka

The Principle

Charaka opens his Sutra Sthana chapter 4 by saying: out of the hundreds of dravyas available to the doctor, the most efficient way to learn pharmacology is by **karma (action)** rather than by botanical family.

He groups 500 cardinal herbs into **50 dashemani** (groups of 10), each named after the karma it produces. A student who masters dashemani has 500 herbs ordered by clinical purpose, not by alphabetical accident.

Selected Key Dashemani

1. Jivaniya (life-promoting) *Jivanti, kakoli, ksheera-kakoli, mudgaparni, mashaparni, meda, mahameda, ridhi, vridhi, jivaka.* Used in: kshaya (wasting), post-illness recovery, rasayana protocols.

2. Brimhaniya (anabolic, mass-promoting) *Ksheerakakoli, kakoli, mudgaparni, ashwagandha, vidari, bala, meda, jivanti, ksheera (milk), mamsa (meat).* Used in: emaciation, post-partum recovery, paediatric weight gain.

3. Lekhaniya (scraping, fat-reducing) *Musta, kushta, haridra, daruharidra, vacha, ativisha, pippali, chitraka, chirabilva, haritaki.* Used in: medo-vriddhi (obesity), sthaulya, lipoma, atheroma.

4. Bhedaniya (purgative) *Kampillaka, danti, kumari, chitraka, haritaki, indrayava, suvarna, urubuka, kshara, hanjikabija.* Used in: virechana karma, chronic constipation.

5. Sandhaniya (fracture/wound healing) *Madhuka, manjishtha, dhataki, lodhra, priyangu, katphala, mocharasa, samanga, padmakeshara, rasanjana.* Used in: vrana sandhana, asthi vrana (fracture healing), bleeding disorders.

6. Deepaniya (appetiser, digestive fire kindler) *Pippali, pippali-mula, chavya, chitraka, shringavera, amlavetasa, marichha, ajamoda, bhallataka-asthi, hingu-niryasa.* Used in: agnimandhya, low appetite, ama formation.

7. Hridya (cardiac tonic) *Amra, amrataka, lakucha, karamarda, vrikshamla, amlavetasa, kuvala, badara, dadima, matulunga.* Mostly sour fruits. Used in: hridroga, cardiac weakness.

8. Vajikarana (aphrodisiac, fertility) *Vrishya — kapikacchu (mucuna), ikshu, masha, vidari, bala, asparagus, ashwagandha, jivanti, meda, mahameda.* Used in: shukra-kshaya, infertility, impotence.

9. Rasayana (rejuvenative) *Amalaki, haritaki, vibhitaki (triphala), abhaya, dhatri, brahmi, mandukaparni, ashwagandha, bala, shilajatu.* Used in: jara nivaraka (anti-ageing), immunity, post-treatment recovery.

10. Chedaniya (drying, srotas-clearing) *Pippali, marichha, chavya, chitraka, vacha, hingu, ajamoda, kushta, hareetaki, shunthi.* Used in: kapha-vata disorders with stagnation.

11. Vamanopaga (supporting emetic action) Used as preparatory dravyas before Vamana karma.

12. Virechanopaga (supporting purgative action) Used before Virechana karma.

13. Asthapanopaga (supporting niruha basti) ### 14. Anuvasanopaga (supporting anuvasana basti)

15. Shiroviréchanopaga (supporting Nasya karma)

16. Chchhardinigrahana (anti-emetic) *Madhuka, mukta, jeevaka, ridhi, draksha, lodhra, kashmari, ushira, parushaka, padmaka.* Used in: chchhardi (vomiting), pregnancy-related vomiting.

17. Trishna-nigrahana (anti-thirst) ### 18. Hikka-nigrahana (anti-hiccup) ### 19. Purisha-sangrahana (anti-diarrhoeal) ### 20. Mootra-virjania (diuretic)

(...continues to 50 in total)

How to Study Dashemani

1. **Don't memorise all 500 herbs at once.** Pick one dashemani per week.
2. For each dashemani, learn the **karma keyword** + 3-4 most clinically useful herbs.
3. **Connect to clinical pictures**: when you see a patient with cough, brain searches kasahara dashemani; when you see oedema, sothahara dashemani.
4. **Cross-reference with Bhavaprakasha Nighantu** for botanical identification and modern correlation.

Why Dashemani Still Matters

Modern Ayurveda dispensing tends to use proprietary formulations (Liv 52, Tab Mensec, etc.) and proprietary names. But the **prescribing logic** that distinguishes a junior from a senior Ayurvedic physician is dashemani-based reasoning: choosing the right karma category first, then selecting the specific dravya within it.

A patient walks in with chronic constipation. You think: bhedaniya group. From the 10, you pick haritaki because the patient also has chronic ama and vata. Now you've reasoned to your prescription instead of guessing.

Self-test

• List Charaka's 50 dashemani in order. (Goal: by 3rd year)
• For each of: jivaniya, lekhaniya, hridya, rasayana — name 5 herbs and the typical clinical use.
• A patient with sthaulya + slow digestion — which 2 dashemani would you draw from?
• What dashemani is the "modern hypolipidemic" group most aligned with?