Candranandana (circa 8th cent. A.D.), the author of the present work was a Kashmirian scholar. The present work is based on
Sman dpyad yan lag brgyad pa'i snin po'i'grel pa las sman gyi min gi rnam grans (Skt.: Vaidya-Astanga-hrdaya-vrttau Bhesaja-nama-paryaya) by Candranandana (Tib.: Zla-ba-la dga'-ba). The exact title of this work appears to be
Sman gyi min gi rnam grans (Skt.: Bhesajanama - paryaya). Keeping in view the phonetics of the title, it is abbreviated as MGND in the present work.
In the 15th chapter of the Sutra section of
Astanga hrdaya, 33 groups (granas) of drugs which are used in recipes foe elimination therapies, etc., are described. A detailed discussion on the identity of these groups, properties of ingredients of food and drinks are described in the 5th and 6th Chapters of the Sutra section of the
Astanga hrdaya.Three editions of Tanjur have been consulted for the preparation of this work. The Narthang edition is taken as the base. Variant readings in the Derge edition (shown in the brackets as (D) and Peking edition (shown in the brackets as (P) are given in intented form. Forcibly and artificially coining and providing Sanskrit equivalents of the Tibetanised synonyms have been scrupulously avoided.
Properties and therapeutic utility of theses drugs mentioned before are not available in the Tibetan text. These are culled from
Madanadi-nighantu and such other authentic Ayurvedic works as well as from the reputed work on Tibetan Materia Medica called
Dri med sel phren by the 18th century teacher Dil-dmar-dge-bses Bstan-'dzin-phun-tshogs. The book is illustrated as far as possible for Medicinal plants.
Materia Medica of Tibetan Medicine, Vaidya Bhagwan Dash, Hardcover, 694 pages, $69.95
Vaidya Bhagwan Dash has had an outstanding brilliant academic career. In the course of oever three decades dedicated to research and practice of Ayurveda, Dr. Dash has attended several international conferences and seminars all over teh world.