What if the medicines with prohibited ingredients are unavoidable?
A male devotee (Name hidden) asked like this:
“Hare Krishna Prabhu, Thanks for the posts. I have a question, suppose for a person, if an ayurvedic doctor recommends herbs to increase shukra dhatu to normal levels, then if one consumes those herbs, I am not sure if all those ayurvedic herbs will promote sattva guna only?
Do we need to analyse the sattva, rajo and thams gunas of medicine and herbs as well or just take is as prescribed by the doctor?”
REPLY:
It depends on the purpose for which we consume herbal or allopathic medicines.
As said by Krishna Himself in Bhagavad Gita, one should work to maintain his body.
Maintaining the body means, to keep this body with the support of essential supplements and practices.
(CAN DEVOTEES USE MEDICINES & PRODUCTS CONTAINING TULASI? READ HERE!)
Why should we maintain this body properly?
Because –
(1) This Body is a temple where Krishna lives as Paramatma. So, we should keep this temple healthy.
(2) We should work as a service to Lord Krishna till we leave this body. Only if we keep this body healthy, we can serve the Lord nicely.
(3) Maintaining our body to SHOW ourselves healthy and beautiful to others alone is not good for devotees.
So, we are expected to use the food and medicines for keeping the body healthy.
On this basis, if we take the herbs or allopathic medicines for genuine cause of the above mentioned first two reasons, we can take the medicine though it contains prohibited herbs/ ingredients.
If we take the herbs or allopathic medicines for unwanted cause as mentioned in the Point -3 above, we should avoid the medicines that contain prohibited herbs/ ingredients.
Let us take some examples:
If you use a Facial Cream product that has the materials taken from the body of fish or any other animal to make your face glow well, it is an unwanted usage.
So, you should avoid the creams that contains animal products.
Ok, the creams are applied outside. Let us take another example:
You take a herbal product that contains garlic and/or alcohol to enhance the s..xual potency, it is an unwanted usage of prohibited herbs.
(Is an initiated devotee taking Potency treatment allowed? READ HERE!)
At the same time, if your doctor recommended a capsule or tonic that contains garlic to treat your heart issues, you can take that medicine.
Similarly, if a doctor/ surgeon gives alcohol based narcotics to perform critical life saving heart surgery, we will be forgiven with our prayers and chanting.
Because, it is an essential treatment to stay healthy to serve the lord.
Try your best to convince the doctor to recommend the herbal or allopathic medicines medicines that do not contain animal ingredients, garlic, onion, etc.
Most of the doctors may oblige and do so.
In case the doctor says that there is no other alternative to a particular medicine, you can take it.
99% of the medicines have alternatives. Only a few categories of medicines have no other choices.
(What if doctor recommends Non veg foods for newborn child? READ HERE!)
You may ask:
“Is it not sinful to take prohibited herb or allopathic medicine even for essential treatment?”
The reply is: “Yes, it is also sinful. However, since we have taken that herb or allopathic medicines as directed by the doctor without any alternatives to keep our body healthy to serve the Lord better, we will be forgiven if we chant the Lord’s Name daily”.
There are two types of violations. The violations for unnecessary reasons can’t be forgiven. Whereas, the violations for unavoidable reasons are forgiven.
So, the reply for your question is:
If the medicine is recommended for a genuine cause, we can take essential medicines with prohibited ingredients and also pray for pardon from the lord.
If the herbal or allopathic medicine is taken for unwanted or cosmetic cause, it is forbidden.
Hope you are clear what to do if the medicines with prohibited ingredients are unavoidable.
(Another detailed Version of my advice similar to this counselling can be READ HERE)