Witnessed by: Ayurveda
Blackbuck horn (Antilope cervicapra), of the Bovidae (Mammalia) family. The blackbuck — a slender antelope of the Bovidae, the buck black-and-white with long spiral, ringed horns; native range: the blackbuck of the open plains and scrub of India and Nepal; the animal is CITES Appendix III (Nepal) and protected under Indian law. Globally recognized as kṛṣṇa mṛga śṛṅga, kṛṣṇasāra śṛṅga in Sanskrit, kala hiran ka sing in Hindi, and blackbuck horn, Indian antelope horn in English. The part used is the horn — ground to paste and dried, then powdered, or calcined to bhasma. A slim, hard, near-black keratinous horn wound in tight spirals and strongly ringed; the powder dark grey, gritty, tasteless.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
BLACKBUCK HORN
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- blackbuck horn
- Scientific name
- Antilope cervicapra (Linnaeus)
- Family
- Bovidae (Mammalia)
Form
- Part used
- the horn — ground to paste and dried, then powdered, or calcined to bhasma
PRACTICE
Cautions
- Toxicity
- no intrinsic toxicity is recorded for the horn; the decisive caution is legal and conservation. The source animal is protected in India, and lawful material is not readily to be had — the horns of the cow and the buffalo stand in the same formula and are not listed
- Sourcing status
- cites-iii
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