Witnessed by: Ayurveda
Ruby (Corundum), of the oxide mineral (corundum) family. A hard, deep-red, glassy hexagonal crystal or waterworn gem pebble; native range: marbles and alkali basalts and the gem gravels weathered from them — classically Burma and Ceylon, whence the stones came into India. Globally recognized as manikya, padmaraga, ravi-ratna in Sanskrit, manik in Hindi, and ruby, red corundum in English. The part used is the purified and incinerated gem (manikya bhasma), or its levigated preparation (pishti). Deep pigeon-blood to rose-red, glassy and brilliant, extremely hard, cold and dense in the hand, glowing under the sun.
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.
RUBY
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- ruby
- Scientific name
- Corundum (aluminium oxide, Al₂O₃) — ruby is its chromium-red variety
- Family
- oxide mineral (corundum)
Form
- Part used
- the purified and incinerated gem (manikya bhasma), or its levigated preparation (pishti)
PROPERTIES
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- Ayurveda
- the heart (hridaya) and the eyes — its classical seats
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Ayurveda
- hridya (good for the heart), rasayana (rejuvenative), balya (strengthening), chakshushya (good for the eyes), and vishaghna (counters poison)
Cautions
- Contraindications
- the unpurified or incompletely incinerated gem is never given internally
- Toxicity
- an extremely hard and insoluble oxide — an incomplete bhasma is gritty and abrasive to the gut, and the medicine is only as safe as its marana is complete
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