Charaka-Samhita — trans. Kaviraj Avinash Chandra Kaviratna

* Medicines founded upon acts in respect of the deities,— i.e., ceremonies and rites of propitiation, &c. Those &c. upon reason, — i.e., drugs selected in consequence of their action on particular states of the body, — T,

CHARAKA-SAMHITA.

Objects are again known to be of three kinds, viz., animal pro¬ ducts, vegetable products, and products appertaining to the earth.67 Honey, vaccine secretions, bile, fat, marrow, blood, flesh, excreta, urine, skin, semen, bones, tendons, horns, nails, hoofs, hair, bristles, and the bright pigment called Gorochana, are used (as drugs) among animal products.68 Gold, the ordure of metals, the five metals {viz., silver, copper, lead, tin and iron), sand, lime, red arsenic, gems, salt, red chalk, and antimony, 6 9 are indicated as drugs appertaining to the earth. The vegetable products are of four kinds, ■viz., vanaspati, virudha, vanaspatya, and oshadhi.10 Trees that produce fruits without flowers are called vanaspati-, those that do not produce fruits without flowers are vanaspatya ; those that perish upon the ripening of their fruits are oshadhi ; while those that creep are called virudhas.1 1

The vegetable products are root, bark, pith, exudation, stalk, juice, sprout, cinders, milk, fruit, flower, ashes, oil, thorns, leaves, sheath (of a bud), bullbous root, and shoots. Of vegetable pro¬ ducts, sixteen are root-bearing and nineteen fruit-bearing.72-73

(The sage) Punarvasu has indicated that there are four kinds of principal oil, five kinds of salt, eight kinds of urine, and eight kinds of milk, and six kinds of trees, for the correction of maladies. He who knows how to apply these in disorders, is conversant with the Science (of Medicine.)74-76

Hastidanti(«), Haimavati(^), ^yama(c), Trivrit(<af), Adhoguda(e), Sap tala 09, (jhvetanaman fgj . Pratyak£reni(A), Gavaksha(f), Jyotishmati(;9, Vimbi(^), £anapushi(/), Vishanika(»2), Ajagandha(w), Dravanti(o), and Kshirini/j&)> — these are the sixteen plants whose roots are used. 76-77 Of these, (jianapushpi and Vimbi and Haimavati are.

a. Called also Ndgadanti : Artemisia vulgaris ; identified by Dr. Sircar with Cucumis inaderaspatanus.

b. A kind of vach or orris root ; Acorus calamus ; indentified by Dr. Sicar with

Zingiber zedoarxa. a.

A kind of Trivrit with black roots'^ Panicum frumentaceum.

Convolvulus TurpelKwft: " "

2f Called also Vriddhaddraka ; Argyreia speciosa ; syn. Leltsomia nervosa.

f. Called also Charmakashd ; Abrus precatorius ; identified by Dr. Sircar with Bignonia suave-olens.

g. Called also white Apardjita; Clitoria ternatea.

h. A kind of Danti ; Beliospcrmum Montanum ; identified by Dr. Wise with Croton poliandrum ; by Dr. Sircar and Udaya Chand Dutta with Salvinia cucullata.

i. Called also Goraksha-karkati or Rakhdle Sasha ; Momordica umbellata.

j. Called also Nawdphatki ; Cardiospernium halicacabum.

k. Called also Telakachu ; Coccinea Indica ; syn. Momordica monodelpha.

l. Called also Ghantarava ; Crotalaria verrucosa m. Called also Avartani ; believed by Or. Wise to be Isclepias geminata.

n. Called also Faukandi Yamani ; Ptychotis Aj-noan o. A species of Danti; identified by Dr. Wise will luthcricum tuberosutn.

p. Called also Dugdhikd ; identified by Udaya Cha 1 Dutta with Oxystelma esculenCHARAKA-SAMHITA.

used as emetics. Cweta and Jyotishmati, as cerebral purgatives' (errhines.)78 The eleven that remain are applied as purgatives. Having enumerated, with their names and actions, the plants whose roots are used, listen to those whose fruits are used.79 (^ankhini(d:), Vidanga(£), Trapusha(c), Madana(af), Klitaka(e), which is of two kinds, viz., the aquatic and the land varieties,80 Dhamargava(/), Ikshaku(^), Jimuta(A), Kritavedhana(z'), Prakiryya(/), Udakiryya(^), Pratyakpushpi(Z), Abhaya(zzz),81 Antahkotarapushpi(zz), the autumnal Hastiparni(o), Kampillaka^), Aragvadha(y), and Kutaja(r) ; — of these the fruits are used.82 Of these Dhamargava, Ikshaku, Jimuta, Kritavedhana, Madana, Kutaja, Trapusha, and Hastiparni,83 — these are used as emetics and in enemata. Pratyakpushpi is prescribed as an errhine.84 The ten that remain have been enumerated as purgatives. The nineteen kinds of plants whose fruits are used are thus enumerated by name and action.85 Clarified butter, oil, fat, and marrow, — these four kinds of oil are seen. These may be administered internally, or used as enemata, or as errhines, alone or in combination.86 These act as emollientsr a. Called also Chorapushpi; identified by Udaya Chand Dutt with Andropogon acicularis ; by Dr. Wise with Cissampelos hexandra.

b. Embelia ribes.

c. Cucumis sativus.

d. Identified by Udaya Chand Dutt with Randia dumetorum ; by Drs. Wise and Sircar, with Vangueria spinosa.

e. Called also Jashti-madhu ; liquorice ; Glycerrhiza.

f Called Ghosh-kalta ; a species of Apdng (Bengali.) Achyranthes aspera.

g. A kind of bitter gourd.

h. Called also Mutha (in Bengali); Cyperus rotundus ; identified by Dr. Wise with Andropogon serratus.

i. Called also Koshdlaki or Jyotsnikd ; identified by Udaya Chand Dutt with Luffa amara.