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AI-Driven Decipherment of 8th-Century Sharada Fragments Unveils Lost Sanskrit Treatises on Dermato-Toxicology

📅 April 7, 2026 📰 Heritage Daily
AI-Driven Decipherment of 8th-Century Sharada Fragments Unveils Lost Sanskrit Treatises on Dermato-Toxicology

An AI project specializing in the Sharada script has successfully reconstructed a set of birch-bark fragments discovered in the high-altitude Lahaul-Spiti region. The texts contain lost Sanskrit treatises on systematic dermato-toxicology, detailing the chemical interactions between forest-derived toxins and human skin.

The manuscripts outline protocols for identifying and neutralizing various allergens and poisonous resins using specific alkaline-based mineral pastes. Researchers from the Ayurvedic Research Institute noted that the level of detail regarding inflammatory pathways and dermal absorption suggests a highly empirical approach to medicine in the medieval Himalayas. This discovery provides new insights into the ancient pharmacological knowledge of endemic mountain flora and its toxicological properties.

Original source: Heritage Daily