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Coral - Mystic Ayurvedic Medicine From Sea

Coral is known as Praval or Moonga in ayurveda and is one of the most important medicine used as a rich source of natural calcium since ancient times in ayurveda. Calcium is essentially required in the human body for bone building and remodeling, plays an important role in signal transduction pathways, acting as a secondary messenger in neurotransmitter release from neurons, contraction of all muscle cell types and fertilization. Moonga or coral, are marine invertebrate. They secrete and form an exoskeleton which is composed of calcium carbonate, a source of natural calcium. Coral polyps are tiny, soft-bodied organisms related to sea anemones and jellyfish. The base is hard, protective limestone skeleton, that forms the structure of coral reefs. Reefs begin when a polyp attaches itself to a rock on the sea floor, then divides, or buds, into thousands of clones, creating a colony that acts as a single organism, grows over hundreds and thousands of years, join with other colonies and become reefs.  

When stressed by temperature change or pollution, corals will evict their borders, that can kill the colony if the stress is not mitigated.

Corals live in tropical waters throughout the world, covering less then one percent of the ocean floor but supporting 25% of marine creatures. Found close to the surface where the sun's rays can reach the algae, get most of their nutrients from the byproducts of the algae's photosynthesis. Available in various colors like grey, yellow, white, cream colour. However red coral is the most precious. Red coral is also used as precious gemstone.
Coral: as a medicine
The benefits of Coral are known to humans since centuries. It is used in the form of Coral Bhasma or Coral Pishti. However, Pishti is the more commonly prepared medicine.
The Coral obtained from the market is the hard, dried, exoskeleton of the corals. It is available in two forms Coral Moola & Coral Shakha.
Coral used for medicines is processed by various methods so that it may be used internally in the body. It is initially purified by boiling in specific liquid media for upto three hours. After that, levigation is done with rose water. This process of levigation is repeated several times, till Coral Pishti of desired quality is obtained. The colour of the pishti is light pinkish white in colour and it smells sweetly of rose water.
Coral in Vedic Astrology
According to Vedic Astrology Coral gem stone represents the Planet Mars (Mangal Graha) which is the planet of ambition motivation and desire. The best Coral are found in Italy and Japan. In horoscope, one Coral can increase the strength of Planet Mars.
Wearing a Coral of at least 2 carats is said to remove obstacles, avert warfare, wins over enemies. It has the power to induce fearlessness and courage to face the enemy and makes a person mentally strong. Parval stone helps defeat mental depression, and protects women from widowhood. Helps to increase sexual desire, especially in men.
Negative or weak Mars denotes many diseases like indigestion, stomatitis, fever, menstrual blood loss, fluctuating blood pressure, small pox, lack of energy, piles and boils etc.

Wearing Coral is also very helpful to decrease the auspiciousness of Manglik dosh and bad effects of this dosha, for this purpose atleast five to nine carat Coral put into a gold or copper ring should be worn on tuesday morning during shukla paksha in ring finger. Before using Coral, it should be dipped in milk, honey and water for half an hour.
 
Coral is the Jyotish gem related to Mars, which is the planet of ambition, motivation and desire. Coral turns inactive persons into active ones, helps build finances, increases determination, courage, physical strength, vitality, energy, and leadership qualities, Coral can be substituted with carnelian of at least 5 carats.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1. Reader
2. Lecturer
Department of Ras Shastra,
Dayanand Ayurvedic College,
Jalandhar.