A Review of Dosha-Based Dravya Prayoga: Siddhamantra's Reverse Pharmacological Methodology as a Unique Contribution to Indian Materia Medica

Abstract

Siddhamantra, authored by Vaidyācārya Keśava in the first half of the 13^th century A.D., represents a distinctive contribution to Ayurvedic Materia Medica. The text introduces an innovative reverse methodology of drug description, classifying substances primarily according to their effects on Doṣas, rather than beginning with Rasa, Guṇa, Vīrya, Vipāka and Prabhāva. Edited and published in 1898, the work has remained largely unexplored in modern scholarship. This article critically examines the historical background, structural framework, pharmacological principles, and doctrinal positions of Siddhamantra, along with its authoritative commentary Prakāśa by Vopadeva. The study highlights the relevance of this text in the evolution of Dravyaguṇa Vijñāna.