Chapter 7.3: Pharmaceutical Preparations of Ikshvaku (Ikshvaku Kalpa Adhyaya / इक्ष्वाकुकल्प अध्याय)

Forty-five recipes of Ikshvaku (Lagenaria siceraria, bottle gourd) processed in various media including milk, alcohol, whey, and buttermilk for emetic therapy.

Source: Astanga Hridaya Sutrasthan by Vagbhata

This chapter describes 45 pharmaceutical preparations of Ikshvaku (bottle gourd, Lagenaria siceraria) for emetic therapy. The cold-potency drug contains cucurbitacins B, D, G, and H. A unique progressive seed dosage protocol (50 to 100 seeds) enables dose titration. The chapter covers 16 therapeutic conditions from cough and asthma to goiter and diabetes. Modern research documents anthelmintic, antioxidant, adaptogenic, and cardiac support activities.