Charaka-Samhita — trans. Kaviraj Avinash Chandra Kaviratna

In such swellings, if accompanied by swoons, dislike for every¬ thing, burning of the skin, and thirst, he should prescribe ghee mixed with cow’s milk, if, of course, the administration of correctives be desirable.

Swellings arising from (excited) phlegm should be conquered by means of drugs mixed with alkaline ashes, pungents, and things of heating virtues, as also with cow’s urine, whey, and wines. :7

A person afflicted with swellings should avoid the flesh of animals that are domesticated as also of animals living in marshy regions, salt, dry potherbs, new rice, articles manufactured with raw sugar (treacle), cakes, food made of curds and sesame seeds, slimy articles, wines, sour things, fried barley, dried flesh (or fish), stuffing the stomach with food, also food that is heavy and unassimilable, and

* The second line in the Calcutta editions is corrupt. I adopt Gangadhara’s readings. — T.

1 3T2

CHAR AKA -S AMBIT Ay

■food that burns the stomach, sleep at daytime, and also sexual congress.* 18

Vyosha (the three acrids, viz., dry ginger, Piper longuvt, and black pepper), Trivrit ( Convolvulus Turpethum ), Tiktaka-Rohini (Picrorrhiza Kurroa), with the pul v of iron, (and) mixed with the 'decoction of the three myrobalans, if drunk, allays swelling born of phlegm.

Chebulic myrobalans, boiled in Cow’s urine, exercise a curative effect on swellings born of phlegm. *9

Chebulic myrobalans, ginger, Pinus deodafa, (reduced to pulv and) mixed with water agreeably hot, or the powder of these three along with that of Punarnava ( Boerhavia diffusa ) mixed with water of the same kind, or all the four combinations (mentioned here), mixed with cow’s urine, should be drunk in all the three varieties of swelling (viz., that arising from wind, that from bile, and that from phlegm).

When the medicine has been digested, the patient should be allowed a bath, and he should take (boiled) rice mixed with milk. 2°

In the case of swelling accompanied by (excited) wind, the patient should drink the paste, of the measure^of an aksha (2 tolas), of PunarnavS (Boerhavia diffusa ), dTy ginger, and the tubers of Cypetus rotundas, mixed with milk of the measure of a prastha (2 seers).

Or, Mayuraka (another name for Apamarga, that is, Achyranthes ' aspera ), Mfighadhikfi (Piper longum ), with Mulfi (dry radish), and Nfigara (dry ginger), reduced to powder and mixed with a prastha of milk, should be drunk. 21

Or, a person (afflicted with this ailment) should drink milk boiled with the powders of Danti (Baliospermuin montanum ), Trivrit (Con¬ volvulus Turpethniri), Tryushana (the three acrids), and Chitraka (Plumbago Zeylanica).

This medicine alleviates the excited faults.

* The text of these verses is very corrupt as occuring in the Calcutta and the Bombay editions. I adopt Gang5dhara’s readings. ‘Sama9anam,’ which I take to mean ‘stuffing the stomach with food,’ is explained by Gangadhara as intended for a mixture of food that is wholesome with food that is unwholesome.— T.

CHARAKA-SAMHITA.

Or, milk of the measure of two prasthas, boiled with half a pala of each of the (six) drugs mentioned above till only half the quantity remains, should be drunk by one who is afflicted with swellings accompanied by (excited) bile and wind. 22

In swellings accompanied by excitement of wind and bile, the decoction of Pitadru (otherwise called Daruharidra, that is, Berberis Asiatica), mixed with the pulv of ginger, (and boiled with milk), may also be given as a drink ;

Or, the decoction of Krishna-Trivrit ( Convolvulus Turpethum ), (of the variety having roots of a dark colour), and Uruvuka (other¬ wise called Eranda, that is, Ricinus communis), mixed with Ushana (the fruits of Piper longum),* (and boiled with milk), may be given ;

Or, the decoction of the bark of Tvak ( Cinnamomum zeylanicum), Daru (Berberis Asiatica ), VarshSbhu (otherwise called Punarnava, that is, Boerhavia diffusa ), mixed with the pulv of ginger, (and boiled with milk), may be given ;

Or, milk boiled with the decoction of Guduchi ( Tinospora cordifolia ), Nfigara (ginger), and Danti ( Baliospermmn montanum ), may be given. 23

Or, the patient may live entirely on camel’s milk for seven days, or for a month, without taking any other food-and abstaining entirely from water ;

Or, he may take cow’s milk with cow’s urine ; or the milk of thebuffalo ; or, he may take boiled rice with milk and drink cow’s urine. 24

If a person afflicted with swellings born of excited bile and wind, passes stools that are liquid and that are heavy (so as to sink in water), he should then drink whey mixed with the pulv of Vyosha (dry ginger, the fruits of Piper longum , and black pepper), ‘Sauvarchala’ salt, and Makshika (honey). ®S