Forgotten Tanjore Pills for Snake bite

This article about the medicine used by Tamilnadu vaidyas to treat snakebite  around 18th century. Though brought to light by none other than the Britishers, they themselves shunned its use because of prejudice. Even the then Physicians and Surgeons found them to be effective and beneficial in majority of the cases, they  didnot recommend them for general use because of its arsenic content. Irony is that, even now, we continue to use various allopathic medicines having known their side effects, drug interactions and toxic effects. Just because it came from the slave nation and because it contained arsenic they have blacklisted excellent emergency medicines of India and paved way for the downgrowth of Indian systems of Medicine.
This is the abstract of an article 'The Vaidya's Cure' in Madras Miscellany, The Hindu dated 17th September 2012, an weekly column written by S. Muthiah.

In Tamilnadu, Vaidyas used to treat snakebite poisoning using tablets called Tanjore pills. Russell, an authority on Indian Snakes discovered in late 19th century, the pills being used with considerable success. He tested them in Government laboratory and found to contain mercury, arsenic, black pepper and other materials.
But his friend, Dr. Duffin and other allopathic practitioners wrote to Madras Hospital Board that, " Although the results of the tests conducted by Government Chemists on Tanjore pills were convincing, some of the material contained in them were to be reconsidered for a general recommendation for public use".
Some years later, Duffin stated that, despite the arsenic, he had treated several patients with this pills and found beneficial.
Duffin gave his findings to his friend Russell. But Russell suddenly changed his stand and thought the results are inconclusive and pills ineffective.

Let us research our literature and find those forgotten medicines and bring back the glory of our Indian systems of Medicine.