Charaka-Samhita — trans. Kaviraj Avinash Chandra Kaviratna

If one having swellings born of bile and wind, has one’s bowels constipated, or passes stools consisting of undigested matter or

‘Ushana’ may also black pepper. — T.

p. 1314

CHARAKA-SAMHITA.

stools that are liquid, owing to the action of the excited faults, one should then take the paste of chebulic myrobalans mixed with treacle, or the pulv of Nagara (dry ginger) mixed with treacle. 26

If a person having such swellings does not pass stools and the downward wind (owing to constipation of bowels), he should take, before meals, the oil of Uruvaka (castor-seeds), with milk or the meat-juice of such animals as are wild or as live in marshy regions.

When the ducts are obstructed, and the digestive fire and relish for food are lost, one (afflicted with swellings born of wind and bile) should drink well-distilled wines and vinous spirits. 26

Take two prasthas in all, of the following drugs (in equal mea¬ sures), viz., Gandira (or Kandira, that is, a kind of potherb that grows in watery grounds and is called £amatha in Bengali), Bhallataka (the fruits of Semecarpus Anacardium ), Chitraka (Plumbago zeylanica), Vyosha (the three acrids), Vidanga (Embelia Ribes), and the two varieties of Vrihati . ( viz., Solatium Indicum and Solatium xanthocarpum). These should be boiled with a drona (64 seers) of the water of whey on a fire made of (dried) cow-dung. 27

When three-fourths of the liquid remain in the vessel (a prastha having evaporated), and the boiling has been completed, the vessel should be taken down and the contents allowed to cool. When cooled, a drona of the water of curds should be added, as also a hundred palas of refined sugar.

The compound should then be thrown into a jar the exterior surface of which has been plastered over with the paste of Chitraka ( Plumbago zeylanica ) and Pippali (the fruits of Piper longum ).

The vessel should be kept for ten days under the welkin (that is, a place which is under the canopy of heaven and exposed to air and light.

This preparation being properly administered, conquers swellings, fistula-in-ano, piles, (intestinal) worms, leucoderma, gonorrhoea, loss of complexion, emaciation, excited wind, and hiccup.* 28-29

Even this is the composition of ‘Gandiradyarishta.’

* ‘Kurchikamastu’ implies the watery part of whey, as ‘PrSkritamastu’ implies the watery part of curds.

CHARAKA-SAMHITA.

p. 1315

A hundred of each of these should be taken, viz., the' fruits of Kagmarya (otherwise called Gsmbhari, that is Gmelina arbor ea ), (those of) Dhatri (otherwise called Amlaka, that is, Phyllanthus Emblica ), black pepper, Abhaya (chebulic myrobalans), Aksha (otherwise called Vibhitaka, that is Terminalia Bellerica ), the fruits of Kshudra (otherwise called KantakSri, that is, Solarium Xantkocarpum), 2lX\6. Vip’pzM (Piper longum). These and a tulft (12^ seers) of a mixture, that is old of honey, and treacle, should all be kept together in a jar smeared with honey. 3°

In the summer season the articles should be so kept for a week, and in the winter for twice that time. Adding a drona (32 seers) of water, a mixture will result that forms a drink for a person afflicted with swellings born of wind and phlegm.

This drink called ‘the Arishta of eight hundred’ cures swellings and constipation born of wind and phlegm. It kindles the digestive fire also.* 3°-3i

Three palas of each of these should be taken, viz., the two varieties of Punarnava ( Boerhavia diffusa of the white and red sorts), the two varieties of Bala ( Sida cordifolia and Doodia logopodioides ), Paths (Cissampelos hernandifolia ), Vasa ( Justicia Adhatoda), Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia), Chitraka (Plumbago Zeylanica), and Nidigdhika (otherwise called Kantakari, that is, Solarium Xanthocarpum).

Boil these in four ‘dronas’ of water down to one ‘drona.’

Strain the liquid through a piece of clean cloth. When cooled, add two tulas of old treacle, and one prastha of honey.

Keep the product for a month in a jar that has soaked a sufficient quantity of ghee. The jar should be covered with the straw of barley.

After the period of a month, half a ‘pala’ of the pulv of each of the following should be added, viz., Hema (otherwise called Nage-

‘Qatuna’ implies a hundred palas. Where no measure is indicated, a pala should be taken

The earthen vessel to be used should be one that has soaked as muchgfiee as possible. — T. * Both the lines of verse 30 are currupt as occuring in the Calcutta and Bombay editions. I adopt Gangadhara’s reading. — T.

CH ARAKA-SAMHIT A.

15-16

$wara, that is, Messua ferrea), Tvach (the bark of Cinnamomum zeylanicum), Ela ( Elettaria cardamomum , black pepper, Ambir (otherwise called Bala, that is, Pavonia odorata ), and Patra (leaves of Cinnamomum Tamala ).

Also add some sweet-scented article for giving it a good odour ; also honey and ghee (of the measure last mentioned, that is, a prastha of each).

One should, considering the strength of one’s disease, drink this ‘arishta’ when the food last taken has been digested* 32-34