Abstract
<em>Saligrama</em> otherwise called <em>Shaligram</em> or <em>Salagrama</em> is a fossilized shell stone usually recovered from the banks of the Gandaki river in Nepal. It is supposed to be a sacred symbol of Hindus. Soaking the stone in water for twenty to thirty minutes and partaking the water was considered to give good health. Hence, we mobilized two stones which were authorized as original by experts. The first one was worshipped for more than 5 years and the other one for two years. The water soaked was around 25 ml which was analysed for antioxidant activity by DPPH assay with plain water without soakage as control. The antioxidant property was significantly found in both the stones with more activity in the stone worshipped for more than 5 years. We did not standardize the volume and the duration of soakage to exact values while it was approximated to around 20 – 30 minutes. We suggest more refined studies with estimation of rare elements needs to be performed to establish the beneficial effects of this sacred <em>saligrama</em> stone.
Highlights
Saligrama or Shaligram refers to a fossilized shell used in South Asia as an iconic symbol and as an incarnation of the God Mahavishnu by some Hindus[1]
The aim was to find out the presence of antioxidant substances in water soaked in saligrama stone and whether the years of puja has any effect on such activity
The control and the Saligrama stone worshipped for two years and five years
Summary
Saligrama or Shaligram refers to a fossilized shell used in South Asia as an iconic symbol and as an incarnation of the God Mahavishnu by some Hindus[1]. Saligramas are usually black coloured stones with different sacred marks. They are the fossilized remains of currently extinct sea dwelling ammonites. They are found in river beds and other regions that were underwater earlier, the most common being in Himalayas and Nepal. It is important to remember that even the water that has touched the Saligrama becomes holy water. This belief currently has no scientific evidence. The aim was to find out the presence of antioxidant substances in water soaked in saligrama stone and whether the years of puja has any effect on such activity
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