This section is from the book "The Materia Medica Of The Hindus", by Udoy Chand Dutt. Also available from Amazon: The Materia Medica Of The Hindus.
Sphatikάri.
Alum is prepared from alum shale in the Punjab and Behar It is not mentioned by Susruta, in his list of metallics, but later writers give its synonyms and uses. It is described as an astringent, and as useful in leucorrhoea, strangury, vomiting, ulcers, white leprosy, eye diseases etc. It enters into the composition of several applications to the eye in combination with rusot, opium etc, for which see Berberis Asiatica. It is seldom used internally.
 
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