A Glimpse of Medical Recipes of the Jainas
By J. C. Sikdar
Summary
A Glimpse of Medical Recipes of the Jainas by J. C. Sikdar recounts how Jain scholars contributed to India’s Ayurvedic tradition. Early Jain monastic rules discouraged medicine because preparing remedies involved crushing plants, an act considered violent. Over time, however, Jains accepted medicine, crediting Dhanvantari as its founder and recognising eight branches of Ayurveda—including pediatrics, surgery, general medicine, toxicology and rejuvenation. Sikhars lists many diseases mentioned in Jain texts and notes that canonical works describe conception, embryology and childbirth. He explains that Jains attributed illness to lifestyle factors such as overeating or irregular habits and prescribed both medicinal and surgical treatments, from rubbing with oils and powders to vomiting, purging, branding, medicated baths and venesection. The article emphasises that Jain monks were encouraged to seek physicians and that Jain medical traditions were corroborated by Buddhist and Hindu sources. By cataloguing diseases, treatments and surgical instruments, the study shows that Jains not only followed Ayurvedic science but enriched India’s medical heritage.
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Conclusion
Although early Jain ascetics avoided medicine for fear of harming living beings, Jains gradually embraced Ayurvedic science. They recognised eight branches of Ayurveda, catalogued numerous diseases and described both medical and surgical treatments. Jain scriptures urged monks to consult physicians and linked health to ethical discipline, underscoring the community’s pragmatic approach to wellbeing. By assimilating medical knowledge and developing detailed pharmacopoeias, Jains became key contributors to the evolution of Indian medicine.