சித்த மருத்துவ நூல் [18th century]

This palm-leaf manuscript is a Siddha medical work from Nallur, Sri Lanka. It is written in Tamil in prose. On the basis of linguistic analysis and the use of lexicon, the text could be dated to the 18th century. It is an important work that outlines the usage of chemicals (mercury, kentakamm etc.) and plant materials (black neem, cotton, cittāmaṇakku, acorus calamus, asafoetida, pomegrante, etc.) in the preparation and the production of medicines for various ailments such as fever, arthritis, and wounds infected with worms. Extent and format of original material: Palm-leaf manuscript, 114 leaves. Physical characteristics: L 35 cm, W 2.5 cm.