Charaka-Samhita — trans. Kaviraj Avinash Chandra Kaviratna

t It has been said that the wind excited, vitiates the marrow, ‘Ojas’, fat, and ‘Lasika’. In those varieties of ‘Prameha’ which are caused by excited wind, the urine, in respect of colour, taste, touch, and smell, accords with marrow, ‘Ojas’ &c.-— T.

Charaka-samhi-ta.

p. 1198

down in the Division called ‘Kalpa’ for the purpose of purging the system of impurities, should be applied.

When the impurities of the system have been expelled upward or downward, rich and nutritive diet should be directed to be taken in all kinds of ‘Meha.’ 15

By adopting an opposite course of regimen, viz., spare diet or fasts, ‘gulma,’ consumption, pains in the male organ and the bladder, and suppression of urine, supervene on ‘Meha.’

Hence rich nutritive diet should be administered to a person suffering from ‘Prameha’ after a careful examination of his power of digestion. 16

Those persons afflicted with ‘Prameha’ with whom correctives do not agree, should have such medicines administered to them as restore the harmony of the system.*

(They should take) ‘Manthas’ (flour of barley mixed with water or decoctions of drugs till some measure of consistence is attained), decoctions (of the five astringent drugs), electuaries formed with powdered barley, f and light diet. *7

The food of such a person should also consist of boiled ‘Shastika’ rice and the variety of rice called ‘Kango.’

With the tastefully prepared meat-juice of those fowl living in jfingala tracts, which scratch the ground with their feet in search of food (such as cocks, &c.), and of those birds which pick up their food with their beaks, food made of barley, unmixed with oil or ghee, Vfitya {manda made of barley flour), wines, powders of fried barley, and cakes of diverse kinds, and old £ali rice boiled, with the soup of Mudga ( Phaseolus Mungo), and bitter pot- herbs, as also with the oil of Danti {Baliospermum montanum ) and Ingudi (. Ximenia AEgyptiaca), the oil of Atasi (linseed), and that of mustard seeds, should be taken by one afflicted with ‘Prameha.’ 18-16

Verily, a person afflicted with ‘Prameha’ should have barley for his principal food.

One afflicted with phlegm-born ‘Prameha’ should take diverse kinds of edibles made of barley, mixed with honey. 20

* Drugs which restore the harmony of the system are called ‘Sam$amanas\ — T. t GangSdhara takes ‘yavachurna-lehah’ as implying ‘yava’ (barley), ‘churna’ (powder), and ‘lehSh’ that is, diverse kinds of linctus. — T.

CHARAKA-SAMHITA.

p. 1199

Powdered barley, drenched for the whole night (in an exposed place) in the decoction of ‘Triphala’* and mixed with honey, would form a Tarpana.

This, mixed with the wine called ‘Sidhu,’ a person afflicted with ‘Prameha’ should drink habitually for the cure of his disease. 21

Of barley successively macerated in each of the astringent decoc¬ tions which have been mentioned as remedies for ‘Prameha’ born of phlegm, ‘£aktu,’ cakes and ‘Dhana’ should be made, which the patient should take with treacle. Other preparations made of such barley should form the food of the patient.f 22

Diverse kinds of food made of barley passed undigested with the excreta of asses, horses, kine, ducks, and porcine deer, should be given to the patient.*

Also food made of wheat, and of (rice-like) grains obtained from bambus, treated after the manner of barley, should be given. 23

Correctives, emetics, and fasts, administered and observed at proper times, conquer such varieties of ‘Prameha’ as are born of phlegm. Purgatives, cooling and nutritive food and drink, and alleviatives produce the same effect. 24

One afflicted with ‘Prameha’ should drink the decoction, strain¬ ing it through a piece of clean cloth, of Darbi (otherwise called DfrruharidrS, that is, Berberis Asiatica ), Surahva (Cedrus deodara ), the three myrobalans, and Musta (tubers.of Cyperus rotundus).

Or, he should take the paste of Haridra (turmeric)' with the expressed juice of the fruits of Amalaka ( Phyllanthus Emblica), and honey. 25

The following ten decoctions, mixed with honey, are laid down for persons afflicted with phlegm-born ‘Meha :’

1. Haritaki (chebulic myrobalans), Katphala (Myrica sapida), Musta (tubers of Cyperus rotundus ), and Lodhra ( Symplocos racemosa ) ;

2. Patha ( Stephania hernandifolia ), Vidanga (Embelia Ribes ), Arjuna ( Pentaptera Arjuna\ and Dharmana ( Grewia Elastica) ;

3. The two kinds of Haridra (vis., Berberis Asiatica and Curcuma t Some texts read — ‘barley macerated in the meat horses, kine, ducks, and porcine deer’.

* ‘Triphala’ — the three fruits named ‘Haritaki’, ‘Bahera’ and ‘Amalaka.’ t ‘Qaktu’ means fried barley reduced to powder. ‘Dhana’ means fried grains of barley.— T.

IS2

t-juice obtained from the flesh of asses,

p. 1200

CHAR A KA-SAMHITA.

longa), Tagara ( Taberncemontana coronaria ), and Vidanga ( Embelia Ribes ) ;