by Dr. Prasanna Venkatesh

Ayurveda says

चक्षु: तेजोमयं तस्य विशेषात् श्लेष्मतो भयम्    ॥

i.e, eyes are the repository (ಕಣಜ) of Tejas. But have the risk of troubles especially from Kapha. Hence to avoid this, ANJANA (Collyrium / ಕಾಡಿಗೆ) should be used.

Types of Anjana

In general, there are 2 types of Anjana.

• Souviranjana – One type should be used daily

We can use

1. a) I – tone drops
2. b) Opthocare etc drops daily, for the health maintenance of eyes.

(In olden days, collyrium (ಕಾಡಿಗೆ / ಅಂಜನ) prepared with the smoke from the lamp use with castor oil).

For the people who work more with computers / mobiles, travels more etc can have benefits by using these.

Timings and dosage will be varied based on the constitution of the person, season, climate etc.

• Srotoanjana – Another type is comparatively strong and should be used once in a

week.

Elneer kuzhamu (available in the market) could be more beneficial in this regard.

Tips about Anjana (eye salve) to protect health of eyes

These are the (general) instructions based on the text. But in today’s fast paced life, especially for the people indulge more with computers / bright light etc should take some simple steps like

1. a) applying pure, plain castor oil (1-2 drops) over the closed eyes,
2. b) washing the eyes with plain water 2-3 times / day in regular intervals, c) sprinkling water over the eyes, d) palming (closing the eyes & covering with palm)

By adopting these simple steps (suitably), we can try to maintain the health of our eyes.

Author is Chief Physician, Sriranga Ayurveda Chikitsa Mandira, Prakruthi Ayurveda Pratistana ®, Mysore