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

of four fingers above the instep (Gulpha) should be opened after an application of Sneha and Sveda * to the patient. Vastis should be employed when the patient has been (soothed and) restored to his former condition (with appropriate and nutritious diet, etc.). He should be made to take continuously for a month, a potion consisting of castor-oil mixed with (an adequate quantity of cow's) urine The patient should take rice as his diet with milk duly cooked with S'tmthi. The use of the Traivrita Ghrita as well as cauterization of the affected part with fire is also recommended in such a case. 23

Treatment of Pittaja ^Iipacla:-ln a

case of Pittaja type of Elephantiasis, the vein ^Sira) below the instep (Gulpha) should be opened. Medicinal remedies mentioned in connection with the treatment of the Pittaja type of tumours (Arvuda) and of Erysipelas i^Visarpa) as well as other Pitta-subduing remedies and measures should be employed-f-. 24.

Treatment Of Kaphaja ^Iipacla:-in

a case of the Kaphaja type of elephantiasis the principal vein (Sira) of the first toe should be opened by an experienced surgeon and the patient should be made to take at intervals the decoction (of the Kapha-subduing drugs) with honey. As an alternative, the patient should be advised to take the powders (Kalka) of Abhayd mixed with any officinal kind of urine. The affected locality should be constantly plastered with the paste

* Chakradatta reads "^^if^,:^^^]^^' in place of "^^^^,;^tj^ g^' meaning thereby that suchr Sveda and Upanaha should be applied before the incision of the vein. Giyadasa alio supports this reading as is evident from Dailana's commentary. — Ed.

t The panicle '•=^" in the text shows that Kapha-subduing remedies »nd measures sh^uld also be used in all these cases.

p. 448

of Katuka, Amritd, S'tcnthiy Vidanga, Deva-ddru and Chitraka, or with Chitraka and Deva-ddru. An oil cooked with Vidanga, Markka, Arka, S'unihi, Chitraka^ Deva-ddru, Elakd and all the five officinal kinds of salt should be given him as a potion. Cooked barley is specially recommended as diet in the present case. 25. As an alternative, the patient should be made to drink a potion of mustard oil* or of the expressed juice of the leaves of Puti-Karanja according to his capacity for the cure of Slipada. In the same way-j- the juice of Puiranjivaka should be prescribed by a physician after a due consideration as to the strength of the patient and of the time. The same juice {i.e., of Putranjivaka) should be taken along with the juice of the bulbs of Kechuka with Pakima (vit) salt. 26.

The Alkaline Remedies :— An alkali

should be prepared from the ashes of Kdkddani, Kdkajanghd^ Vrihati, Kantakdrikd, Kadamha-pushpa, Manddri, Larnhd Sukanasd in the usual way by filtering them (twenty one times) after dissolving them in cow's urine. The expressed juice of Kdkodumharikd , Sukanasd and the decoction of Madana fruit should be mixed with the above alkaline preparation Cand duly cooked in the manner of Kshdra-pdka). Diseases, such as Slipada

* Chakradatta reads "fqtrT ^^i;^ ^^f" i" P'^^^ °f "f^?T ^^^ ^^" ■^" which shows that the expressed juice of Puti-Karanja leaves should be taken with nvistard oil and not separately. Dallana evidently supports this in his cittrnentary. That Chakradatta's reading is the correct one is also evident from the next copulet which says that the expressed juice of Putranjivaka should be taken in the preceding manner. This "preceding manner" evidently means "with mustard oil", and unless' we accept Chakradatta's reading, the expression would be unmeaning. — Ed.

+ It evidently means that the expressed juice of Putranjivaka should be taken with mustard oil — see last note. — Ed.

p. 449

(Elephantiasis), Apachi (Scrofula\ Gala-ganda 'Goitre), Grahani (chronic diarrhoea), aversion to food and the affections of all kinds of poison, yield to the iijtprualuse of this alkaline preparation. An oil cooked with the aforesaid drugs, if used as errhines and anointments, will cure all the foregoing maladies as well as malignant ulcers (Dushta-vrana). 27.

The ashes of the Dravanii, Trivrit, Danti. Nili. S'yamd, Saptald and S'amkhini should be filtered in the way of preparing alkalies after dissolving them in c 'w's urine. The solution, thus prepared, should be boiled with a decoction of Triphala. Taken internall}' it tends to act in the lower part of the body {ie , it moves the bowels). This medicine produces the same effect as the preceding ones. 28.

Thus ends the nineteenth Chapter of the Chikitsita Sthanam in the Sus'ruta Samhita which di:\\i with the medical treatment of Vriddhi, Upadams'a and S'lipada.

p. 57

CHAPTER XX.

Now we shall discourse on the medical treatment of the minor ailments or diseases (Kshudra-rogal i.

Treatment of Aja-gallika : -Leeches ^