Role of Purifying Agents in Chemical Transformation of Sulphur: An Ayurvedic Perspective

Abstract

Sulphur has been used through ages as a panacea in the Ayurvedic system of medicine 1. It has been used extensively in the preparation of drugs like Rasasindura 2 , Panchamrita parpati 3 , Kajjali 4 , Shila Sindoor 5 , Swarna Makshika 6 and many other Ayurvedic formulations. Mainly it is used to process mercury. It is believed that the toxic effects of mercury are avoided by combining with sulphur 4. The mercury and sulphur are subjected to mechanical grinding in a mortar to obtain a black powder of β-HgS. This black powder is subjected to a controlled heating process to obtain Rasasindura (α-HgS). It is well known that sulphur forms covalent linkages to mercury 7. This leads to formation of mercury sulphide, which is insoluble in the gastrointestinal tract and hence non-toxic 6. According to Ayurveda, sulphur has to be purified before being used in combination with other formulations 8. The purification process is carried out using butter/ghee and milk, resulting in certain chemical transformations and removal of impurities from raw sulphur. Thus far, there is no scientific evidence to prove this. This study was carried out to assess and scientifically validate the role of the purifying agents in the chemical transformation of sulphur.

Analytical insights into the detoxification process and characterization of a traditional metallopharmaceutical formulation

“…The processing of minerals and metals using herbal extracts, followed by the addition of non-toxic polyherbal ingredients, had transformed their toxic nature and altered the properties of the formed Hg-S organic complex, which could possess suitable biocompatibility at optimum dose. 85 The results were similar to the commercial sample and the previously published research reports on SAM. 73 D. filix-mas and A. ferox.…”

“…When the orthorhombic sulphur was heated to more than 369 K (122.85 °C) and cooled immediately, it was converted to the monoclinic form. 85 The melting point was used to confirm the formation of monoclinic sulphur (393 K or 119.85 °C) crystals, which could be suitable to form polymeric transformations, mercuric sulphide (Hg-S), sulfur cement, and also exhibited notable medicinal uses. 90 The endothermic peak at about 350-400 °C in all samples indicated the boiling temperature range of sulphur, followed by its decomposition.…”

Mercuric-sulphide based metallopharmaceutical formulation as an alternative therapeutic to combat viral and multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial infections

“…The peaks observed at 3410 cm −1 , 1634 cm −1 , 1417 cm −1 , 1152 cm −1 , and 1078 cm −1 indicated –O–H stretching, –C=N stretching, –C=C aromatic stretching, –C–O stretching of ether and alcohol groups, respectively, which could be due to the presence of the organic phyto compounds. The functional groups identified in the FTIR spectrum convincingly represented the presence of a metal–mineral complex along with the herbal ingredients in the Sivanar Amirtham formulation 34 , 44 – 46 .

Figure 2 ( A ) FTIR spectrum and ( B ) XRD pattern for mercuric-sulphide-based metallopharmaceutical Sivanar Amirtham.

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