Purification of Drinking Water: What Ayurveda recommends?

The practice of water purification has a long history involving many cultures and civilizations. The importance of purified water is noted in ancient scriptures and centuries-old paintings. Although modern technology has advanced the processing of water that's fit to drink, many of the methods used by ancient civilizations, such as heating and filtration, are still used today.

Ancient Sanskrit writings, known as "Susruta Samhita," which date back to approximately 2000 B.C., reveal a traditional recipe using alum that was used to purify water. In the recipe, a lump of earth (alum) was mixed with local Indian herbs, with names such as nirmali, phana, mustaka, ela, ushira and chandana, and baked well in a fire. The resulting material was then dropped into water to purify it.

In 1905, Francis Evelyn Place, who studied Sanskrit medical lore, noted a water purification method found in “Susruta Samhita," -- a text dating to about 2000 B.C. According to the text, water was purified by putting it into copper vessels, exposing it to sunlight and then filtering it using charcoal.

The methods for purification of drinking water include- filtration through thick cloth, boiling, making it clear with the addition of some herbs, the addition of tubers of lotus plant, pearls, seeds of kataka (Strychnos potatorum), gomedhaka (Dolomite stone), removing its unpleasant odour by adding into it some fragrant flowers like patala (Steriospermum colais), karavira (Nerium indicum),etc.

Boiling of the water is described in three stages: If the water is hard for digestion it should be boiled and reduced to half of original quantity, if moderately hard for digestion it should be boiled and reduced to two-thirds of original quantity and if slightly hard for digestion it should be boiled and reduced to three-fourths of original quantity. Water boiled in the above standards will become easy for digestion and good for health.