Monkey bone: 2 definitions

Introduction:

Monkey bone means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.

In Hinduism

Ayurveda (science of life)

[«previous next»] — Monkey bone in Ayurveda glossary

Agriculture (Krishi) and Vrikshayurveda (study of Plant life)

Source: Asian Agri-History: Drumavichitrikaranam—The Ancient Approach to Plant Mutagenesis

Monkey bones were used in a recipe to accelerate fruit droppings: which was one of the technologies known to ancient Indian agriculturists, which presents a safe technology and methodology regarding organic agriculture, according to treatises (such as the Vrikshayurveda). One such technology was to selectively ripen fruits as well as to delay or accelerate fruit dropping: Harvesting and fruit dropping are critical factors which can alter the shelf-life and the taste of the fruit by the time it reaches the end-user, the customer. [...] A number of queer raw materials such as wet hides of animal, bones of a monkey, ichor (elephant’s rut) and nose bone of elephant have been prescribed in the treatises to delay ripening. In order to accelerate fruit dropping concoctions of Tamarindus indica (tamarind), Ziziphus mauritiana (Indian jujube), Terminalia arjuna (arjuna) and Citrus limon (lemon) are prescribed.

Source: Shodhganga: Drumavichitrikarnam—Plant mutagenesis in ancient India

Monkey Bones (denoted by the Sanskrit term Plavaṅga-Nalaka) are is used in certain bio-organical recipes for plant mutagenesis, such as to delay of ripening in fruits, according to the Vṛkṣāyurveda by Sūrapāla (1000 CE): an encyclopedic work dealing with the study of trees and the principles of ancient Indian agriculture.—Accordingly, “The ripening of fruits of a tree can be delayed by one year by piercing their roots with long bones of monkey’s legs (plavaṅga-nalaka) dipped in the ichor of an intoxicated elephant. Ripening of fruits of a particular branch of a tree can be stopped by covering that branch firmly by the skin of the hunch of a bull that is just then killed. The fruits of a particular branch of a tree do not ripen if it is covered seven times with the skin from the dewlap of a black bull, killed for the purpose”.

Ayurveda book cover
context information

Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद, ayurveda) is a branch of Indian science dealing with medicine, herbalism, taxology, anatomy, surgery, alchemy and related topics. Traditional practice of Āyurveda in ancient India dates back to at least the first millenium BC. Literature is commonly written in Sanskrit using various poetic metres.

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