An English Translation of the Sushruta Samhita, Vol. II — trans. Kaviraj Kunja Lal Bhishagratna (1911)

The Anu-Taila :— The log of a long-standing wooden oil-mill should be cut into small chips and then thrashed and boiled in water in a large cauldron. The globules of oil that will be found floating on the surface of the boiling water should be skimmed off either with the hand or with a saucer. The oil thus collected should then be cooked with the Kalka of Va}ai-subduing drugs as in the preparation of a medicated oil. This oil is known as the Aliu-Taila The use of this oil has been advised by medical authorities in cases of Vataroga. This oil is so named from the fact of its being pressed out of small chips of oily wood (as described above). 22.

The Sahasra-paka-Taila : -The wood

of drugs belonging to the group of Maha-pancha-mula should be collected in large quantities and burnt on a

• Patra me.ins 64 Palas, i e., 8 seer.=, but in cases of liquids the weight should be doubled,

p. 294

plot of land, so as to make the soil black. The fire should be kept burning one whole night ; on the following morning on the extinction of the fire the ashes should be removed and the ground, when cool, should be soaked with one hundred Ghatas (six thousand and four hundred seers) of oil cooked with the drugs of the V iddri-gandJiddi group and with the same quantity of milk and kept in that condition for one night more. On the next morning the earth should be dug up, down to the stratum found to have been soaked with the oil and the soil should then be dissolved in warm water in large cauldrons for the purpose. The oil that will be found floating on the surface of the water should be skimmed off with both hands and kept in a safe basin. Then the decoction of the Vayu-subduing drugs (the Bhadra-darvadi group), meat-juice, milk, fermented ricegruel (each taken in a quantity measuring a quarter part of that oil) should be taken one thousand times and each time should be boiled with the oil. Vayusubduing and aromatic drugs and spices, in the northern i^trans-Himalaya) and southern (Deccan) countries, should be thrown into it and boiled with the oil. The boiling should be completed within the period during which it could be properly done. Then after the completion of tne cooking, conch-shells should be blown, Dundubhis should be sounded, umbrellas should be held open, chowries should be blown into it and a thousand BrAhmins should be treated with repasts. The oil so sacredly prepared should be stored carefully in golden, silver or earthen pitchers. This oil is called the Sahasrapaka-Taila and is of irresistible potency and fit even for the use of kings. Satapatka-Taila is also prepared in the above manner (with the aforesaid ingredients) by cooking it one hundred times only. 23.

Chap. IV.] CIIIKITSA STIIANAM. 295

The Patra-Lavana :— The green leaves of the Eranda plants and those of the trees known as Mushkaka, Naktamdla, Atarushaka, Puiika, Aragvadha and Chiiraka should be thrashed with (salt of equal quantity) in an Udukhala (a hand thrashing mill) and placed in an earthen pitcher, saturated with oil or clarified butter. Having covered the mouth of the pitcher with a lid, it should be plastered and burnt in fire of cow-dung. The medicine thus prepared (with the help of internal heat) is called the Patra-Lavana. Medical experts advise the application of this medicine in cases of Vata-roga. .'^4.

The Kanda-Lavana '.—Similarly, Snuhitwigs, Brinjal (V^rtaku), and S' igru-h-d.xV (taken in equal parts) and rock-salt (of equal weight as the entire drugs) should be thrashed and kept in a pitcher. Oil, clarified butter, lard and marrow should be added to it equal in weight with salt and then having covered the mouth of the pitcher with a lid, it should be plastered and burnt in a fire of cow-dung (as before). The use of this medicated salt which is called the KandaLavana or Sneha-Lavana is recommended by experts in Vata-roga. 25.

The Kalyanaka-Lavana :— The following drugs with their roots, leaves and twigs, viz., Gandira, Paldsa, Kutaja, Viha, Arka, Smihi, Apdmdrga, Pdtald, Pdribhadra, Nddeyi, Krishnagandhd Nipa, Nimba, Nirdahani, Atarushaka, Nakta-indlaka, Putika, Vrihati, Kantikari, BJialldtaka, Ingudi, Baijayanti, Kadali, Varshdbim, Hrivera, KsJmraka, Indravdruni, Sveiamokshaka and Asoka should be gathered in a green condition and mixed with (as large a quantity of) rock-salt and having thrashed them in an Udukhala should be burnt in a hermetically sealed pitcher as ig6 THE SUSIIRUTA SAMIIITA. [Chap. IV.