Para پارہ

Para at sknatural is mercury. It is cold in second order and moist in third order. Mercury, a white metallic element, remains generally liquid at atmospheric temperatures. Nature seldom encounters it free, where it usually appears as silvery globules, or more commonly, as sulphide or native Cinnabar.

In its pure form, devoid of other compounds or elements, it is mobile and tasteless, insoluble in water, hydrochloric acid, or cold sulphuric acid, yet soluble in nitric acid and hot sulphuric acid. Moreover, it readily volatilizes at red heat without leaving any residue. When present in the market, it often comes with impurities such as tin, lead, and stones, which necessitate purification before use.

Other names:

• Arabic Name(s): Zeebaq
• Urdu Name(s): Paara, Seemaab, Seemab Musaffa
• English Name(s): Mercury

Properties:

Purified or incinerated (fixed or killed) mercury finds use in traditional medicine made into preparations with suitable drugs. In small doses it has tonic, alterative, purgative, attributes stimulates liver cells and act as indirect cholagogue, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and sialagogue activities. It readily combines with acids and fluids of the body easily absorbed and appear in blood, urine and faeces. In chronic ailments where other drugs fail, it is administered with other minerals and metals as calcined compounds which exert required diffusible action and assist absorption of drugs systemically. Often regarded as general tonic, antiphlegmatic, blood purifier, desiccative, aphrodisiac-avoricious, antimicrobial, anthelmintic, and anti-lice in application. It stimulates the salivary, duodenal, pancreatic glands, increase flow of bile.

Recommended dosage:

Purified and calcined (incinerated/Kushta) 7-14 mg. only, Cinnabar 7-14 mg. only.

Medicinal uses:

Calcined silver and copper, when roasted with mercury and sulphur, yield valuable tonic, antispasmodic, and blood purifying activities. Similarly, lead, when roasted with sulphur and mercury, imparts its astringent property to the resulting red sulphide of mercury. Calcined mercury, known as Kushta, when combined with other suitable ingredients, proves effective against nervous and phlegmatic disorders, paralysis, hemiplegia.

Also in chorea, spasms, catarrh in cold and flu, bronchitis, asthma, rheumatism, acute and chronic blood disorders like syphilis and leprosy, immunodeficiency, cancers, severe impotency in healthy individuals, tuberculosis, skin ailments, ulcers, etc. Ointment containing impure mercury (containing sulphur) is beneficial for ringworm and eczema, and when combined with Cinnabar, it is effective for buboes. For syphilis, both external and systemic use of mercury is effective.