The Compendium of Caraka 1.27: saptaviṃśo 'adhyāyaḥ

Now we shall expound the chapter on rules of food and drink.

Thus spoke the venerable Ātreya.

The skilled declare food and drink that possesses desirable colour, smell, taste, and touch, and is prepared according to rule, to be the life of living beings designated as creatures, because its result is directly perceptible. For the maintenance of the internal fire has this as its fuel; it invigorates the mind; it brings about the proper arrangement of body tissues, strength, complexion, and clarity of the sense organs when consumed in the manner stated; [and] the opposite leads to harm.

Therefore, O Agniveśa, for the sake of understanding the wholesome and the unwholesome, we shall instruct in the rules of food and drink in their entirety.

In that regard, by its very nature, water moistens, salt liquefies, alkali digests, honey unites, ghee unctuates, milk invigorates, meat nourishes, meat juice gladdens, surā wine weakens, śīdhu wine depletes, grape-ferment kindles [the digestive fire], molasses-syrup accumulates, yoghurt produces swelling, the vegetable of oil-cake causes depression, black gram soup produces abundant internal waste, alkali destroys vision and semen, sour is generally pitta-increasing except for pomegranate and āmalakī, sweet is generally kapha-increasing except for honey and aged śāli rice, ṣaṣṭika rice, barley, and wheat, bitter is generally vāta-increasing and non-aphrodisiac except for vāyasi, amṛtā, and paṭola leaves, and pungent is generally vāta-increasing and non-aphrodisiac except for pippalī and ginger.

Hereafter, we shall explain dietary substances in summary by groups:

The groups consisting of awned grains, pod grains, meats, vegetables, fruits, / fresh greens, wines, waters, milks, and sugarcane products,

and two further groups of prepared foods and dietary adjuncts / we shall describe by their tastes, potencies, post-digestive effects, and specific potencies.

Now, the group of awned grains:— red śāli, mahāśāli, kalama, śakunāhṛta, / tūrṇaka, dīrghaśūka, gaura, pāṇḍuka, lāṅgula,

sugandhaka, lohavāla, sārivākhya, pramodaka, / pataṅga, tapanīya, and whatever other auspicious śāli rices there are.

They are cold, sweet in taste and in post-digestive effect, slightly vāta-increasing, / binding and reducing stool, unctuous, nourishing, and promoting semen and urine.

Among them, red śāli is the best, allaying thirst and removing the three impurities; / mahāśāli is next to it, kalama is next to that, and after that the others.

Yavaka, hāyana, pāṃsuvāpya, naiṣadhaka, and others: / [these] rices imitate the śāli rices in good and bad qualities.

Ṣaṣṭika rice is cold, unctuous, light, sweet, subduing the three doṣas, and stabilizing; / the white is superior, and next to it is the black-and-white.

Varaka, uddālaka, cīna, śārada, ujjvala, dardura, / gandhana, and kuruvinda differ little from ṣaṣṭika in qualities.

Vrīhi rice is sweet, sour in post-digestive effect, pitta-increasing, and heavy; / it generates abundant urine, feces, and heat; but the pāṭala variety indeed aggravates the three doṣas.

Śyāmāka, along with koradūṣa, is astringent-sweet, light, / vāta-increasing, kapha-pitta-destroying, cold, astringent, and desiccant.

Hastiśyāmāka, nīvāra, toyaparṇī, gavedhukā, / praśāntikā, ambhaḥśyāmāka, lauhitya, aṇu, priyaṅgu,

mukunda, jhinti, garmūtī, varuka, and varaka, / śibira, utkaṭa, and jūrṇāhva are similar to śyāmāka in qualities.

Barley is drying, cold, light, sweet, producing much wind and feces, / stabilizing, slightly astringent, strengthening, and relieving disorders of phlegm.

Bamboo seeds are considered drying, having an astringent after-taste, sweet, destroying kapha and pitta, / destroying fat, worms, and poison, and strengthening.

Wheat promotes union, destroys vāta, is sweet, cooling, / vitalizing, nourishing, aphrodisiac, unctuous, stabilizing, and heavy.

Nāndīmukhī and madhūlī are sweet, unctuous, and cold. / Thus ends this first group, that of awned grains.

Now, the group of pod grains:— Mudga is astringent-sweet, drying, cold, pungent in post-digestive effect, light, / clear, and destroying phlegm and pitta; it is considered the best among pulses.

Black gram is exceedingly aphrodisiac, vāta-destroying, unctuous, hot, sweet, heavy, / strengthening, producing much waste, and it quickly imparts virility.

Cowpea is laxative, appetizing, and subdues kapha, semen, and acid gastritis; / it is sweet, vāta-increasing, drying, astringent, non-slimy, and heavy.

Horse gram is hot, astringent, sour in post-digestive effect, removing kapha, semen, and wind, / astringent, and beneficial for cough, hiccup, dyspnoea, and piles.

Makuṣṭhaka is sweet, sweet in post-digestive effect, bowel-binding, drying, and cooling; / it is praised in conditions such as bleeding disorders and fever.

Chickpeas, lentils, grass peas, along with peas / are light, cold, sweet, slightly astringent, and very drying.

They are recommended in [conditions of] pitta and kapha, as soups and as topical pastes; / of these, the lentil is bowel-binding, and the pea is exceedingly provocative of wind.

Sesame is unctuous, hot, sweet, bitter, astringent, and pungent; / it is good for the skin, beneficial to the hair, strength-giving, pacifies wind, and increases kapha and pitta.

The various kinds of pod grains are sweet, cooling, heavy, / strength-depleting, drying by nature, and should be eaten with unctuous substances by strong persons.

The flat bean is dry, astringent, and provokes wind in the alimentary tract; / it is neither aphrodisiac nor good for the eyes, and undergoes digestion only after causing obstinate distension.

Pigeon pea pacifies kapha and pitta and promotes wind; avalguja along with eḍagaja / pacifies kapha and wind; and flat beans aggravate wind and pitta.

One should declare the fruit of kākāṇḍā and cowhage to be like black gram. / This second class, the group of pod grains, has been declared by the great sage.

Now the group of meats: The cow, donkey, mule, camel, horse, leopard, lion, bear, monkey, / wolf, tiger, hyena, brown mongoose, cat, and mouse;

The fox, jackal, falcon, vulture that eats vomit, blue jay, crow, / hawk, bee-eater, bhāsa, vulture, owl, and kuliṅgaka;

The dhūmikā and osprey—these are the snatching beasts and birds. / The white, dusky, speckled-backed, black, and kākulī deer;

The hedgehog, musk shrew, frog, monitor lizard, pangolin, rhinoceros, / kadalī deer, mongoose, and porcupine—these are known as burrow-dwellers.

The sṛmara, yak, one-horned rhinoceros, buffalo, gayal, elephant, / nyaṅku, boar, and likewise the ruru deer—all are marsh-dwelling beasts.

The tortoise, crab, fish, freshwater dolphin, timiṅgila, / pearl oyster, conch, otter, crocodile, culukī, and alligator and others—

These are declared water-dwellers. Now the water-frequenting ones will be described: / The swan, krauñca crane, white heron, baka heron, kāraṇḍava duck, plava cormorant,

The śarāri, osprey, crested duck, pheasant-tailed jacana, / lotus-necked heron, diver bird, kādamba duck, kākatuṇḍaka,

The eagle, lotus-eyed goose, thunder-calling duck, water hen, / spoonbill, openbill stork, and sandpiper—these move in flocks;

The rohiṇī, kämakālī, sārasa crane, red-headed duck, / and ruddy shelduck—these and others are water-frequenting birds.

The spotted deer, śarabha, rāma, śvadaṃṣṭra, mṛgamātṛkā, / hare, wild sheep, kuraṅga antelope, gokarṇa, koṭṭakāraka,

The cāruṣka, black buck, antelope, sambar, kālapucchaka, / white-footed antelope, and wild hog are to be known as dry-land animals.

The quail, bustard-quail, quail species, along with the francolin, / the chukar, upacakra, pheasant-crow, red-wattled lapwing—

These are the scatter-feeding birds beginning with the quail. Now those beginning with the partridge will be described: / The vartaka partridge, vartikā quail, peacock, black partridge, junglefowl,

The kaṅka, śārapada, indrābha, gonarda, mountain partridge, / krakara, avakara, and vāraḍa—these are scatter-feeding birds.

The woodpecker, fork-tailed shrike, lapwing, pheasants-eye, / kairāta, cuckoo, water cock, gopāputra, priyātmaja,

The laṭṭā, laṭṭūṣaka, babhru, vaṭahā, ḍiṇḍimānaka, / jaṭī, kettle-drummer bird, pākkāra, red-backed kuliṅgaka,

The wild pigeon, parrot, hornbill, spotted crake, weaver bird, / common myna, sparrow, house sparrow, scarlet minivet,

The blue rock pigeon, and green pigeon—these are declared peck-feeding birds. / They are called snatchers because they snatch and eat.

They are called burrow-dwellers because they live in holes, marsh-dwelling because they reside in marshes, / water-dwelling because they live in water, and water-frequenting because they move on water.

Dry-land animals are said to be land-born because they roam dry land; / they are scatter-feeders because they scatter [food], and peck-feeders because they peck.

This is celebrated as the eightfold source of meat: / the snatchers, burrow-dwellers, marsh-dwellers, water-dwellers, water-frequenters,

Are heavy, hot, unctuous, and sweet; they increase strength and bodily plumpness; / they are aphrodisiac, supreme in pacifying wind, and greatly increase kapha and pitta.

They are beneficial for those who exercise constantly and for men whose digestive fires are blazing; / the physician should especially administer the meat of snatchers to those who eat meat,

For those afflicted with chronic piles, defective absorption, and phthisis. / The scatter-feeding group beginning with quail, the peck-feeders, and the dry-land animals

Are light, cold, sweet, slightly astringent, and wholesome for men / in toxic fevers where pitta is predominant, wind is moderate, and kapha follows.

The scatter-feeders beginning with partridges differ only slightly in properties from the snatchers. / Goat meat is not excessively cold, heavy, or unctuous, and does not aggravate the doṣas;

Due to its similarity to the tissues of the body, it is non-obstructive and nourishing. / Mutton, because of being sweet and cold, is heavy and nourishing.

Since the habitat of goats and sheep is undetermined due to their varied pastures, / among the meats described generally, each with its own qualities,

A particular distinction will be taught for some on account of the distinction of their properties: / For vision, hearing, intellect, digestive fire, youthfulness, complexion, voice, and lifespan,

Peacock is most beneficial, strength-giving, pacifies wind, and increases flesh and semen. / Swans are heavy, hot, unctuous, and sweet, giving voice, complexion, and strength,

Nourishing, increasing semen, and are said to destroy wind. / Unctuous, hot, aphrodisiac, nourishing, awakening the voice,

Strength-giving, supreme in pacifying wind, and promoting perspiration are domestic fowl. / Heavy, hot, and sweet, but not excessively so because of roaming both arid and marshy regions,

The black partridge quickly overcomes the three doṣas when wind is aggravated. / In disorders of pitta and kapha accompanied by blood,

And where wind is mild, grey partridges are praised for their coldness, sweetness, and lightness. / Quails are astringent-sweet, light, and stimulate the digestive fire;

They soothe toxic states and are pungent in post-digestive effect. / Monitor lizard is sweet in post-digestive effect, and astringent and pungent in taste;

It pacifies wind and pitta, is nourishing, and increases strength. / The pangolin is sweet and sour, and considered pungent in post-digestive effect;

It pacifies wind, pitta, and kapha, and cures cough and dyspnoea. / Astringent, non-slimy, cooling, and destroying bleeding disorders,

And sweet in post-digestive effect are domestic pigeons; / somewhat lighter than these are wild pigeons.

They are cooling, bowel-binding, and produce little urine. / Parrot meat is astringent and sour, and dry and cooling in post-digestive effect;

It is beneficial for phthisis, cough, and wasting, is bowel-binding, light, and digestive fire-kindling. / Sparrows are sweet, unctuous, and increase strength and semen;

They soothe toxic states and pacify wind. / Astringent, non-slimy, drying, cooling, pungent in post-digestive effect, light,

And tasty is the hare, and praised in toxic states where wind is least prominent. / Sweet, sweet in post-digestive effect, pacifying all three doṣas, auspicious,

Light, stool- and urine-binding, and cooling is the black buck declared to be; / unctuous, nourishing, aphrodisiac, dispelling fatigue, and removing wind.

Pork is strength-giving, appetizing, diaphoric, and heavy. / Beef is beneficial in isolated wind disorders, chronic rhinitis, irregular fever,

dry cough, fatigue, excessive digestive fire, and wasting of flesh. / Buffalo meat is unctuous, hot, sweet, aphrodisiac, heavy, and saturating;

it also produces firmness, bulk, enthusiasm, and sleep. / Heavy, hot, sweet, strength-giving, nourishing, and wind-dispelling,

fish are unctuous, aphrodisiac, and declared to provoke many doṣas. / Because of feeding on moss and tender sprouts and avoiding sleep,

the rohita fish is digestive-stimulant, light to digest, and extremely strengthening. / Enhancing complexion, removing wind, aphrodisiac, beneficial for the eyes, increasing strength,

producing intellect and memory, wholesome, and dispelling consumption—thus the tortoise is declared. / Meat of the rhinoceros is considered abhiṣyanda [causing excessive outflow], strength-giving, and sweet;

it is unctuous, nourishing, complexion-enhancing, dispelling fatigue, and removing wind. / The eggs of the dhārtarāṣṭra goose, the cakora, the pheasant, the peacock,

and of sparrows are wholesome / in cases of depleted semen, coughs, heart diseases, and chest wounds.

They are sweet, non-burning, and instantly strength-giving. / For nourishing the body, no other food excels meat.

Thus is declared this third group, that of meats. / Now the group of greens:—Pāṭhā, śuṣā, śaṭī greens, vāstuka, and suniṣaṇṇaka

one should know to be bowel-binding and pacifying all three doṣas; vāstuka, however, breaks up the feces. / Pacifying all three doṣas, aphrodisiac, and rejuvenating is kākamācī;

it is neither excessively hot nor cold in potency, purgative, and destroys skin diseases. / The greens of rājakṣavaka pacify all three doṣas and are light,

astringent, and praised especially for those afflicted with chronic bowel disorders and hemorrhoids. / Kālaśāka is pungent, digestive-stimulant, and overcomes slow poisons and swelling;

light, hot, wind-provoking, and dry is kālāya greens declared to be. / Digestive-stimulant, hot in potency, and bowel-binding in kapha and wind,

sour cāṅgerī is praised, and it is beneficial in chronic bowel disorders and hemorrhoids. / Sweet, sweet in post-digestive effect, laxative, increasing phlegm,

aphrodisiac, unctuous, cooling, and dispelling intoxication is upodikā. / Dry, dispelling intoxication and poison, and praised for those suffering from bleeding disorders,

sweet, sweet in post-digestive effect, and cool is taṇḍulīyaka. / Maṇḍūkaparṇī, cane-sprouts, kucelā, vanatiktaka,

karkoṭaka, avalguja, paṭola, śakulādanī, / flowers of vṛṣa, śārṅgeṣṭā, kembūka, with kaṭhillaka,

nāḍī, kalāya, gojihvā, vārtāka, tilaparṇikā, / kaulaka, kārkaśa, the greens of neem, and what is pārpaṭaka—

these remove kapha and pitta, are bitter, cooling, and undergo pungent post-digestive effect. / All greens of pulse plants, phañjī, cillī, kutumbaka,

and all tubers along with leaves, kuṭiñjara, / flowers of sunn-hemp and śālmali, karbudāra, suvarcalā,

niṣpāva, kovidāra, pattura, cuccuparṇikā, / kumārajīva, loṭṭāka, pālaṅkyā, and also māriṣa,

kalamba, nālikā, sūrya, kusumbha, vṛkadhūmaka, / lakṣmaṇā, prapunnāḍa, nalinīkā, kuṭheraka,

loṇikā, barley greens, kuṣmāṇḍaka, avalguja, / yātuka, śālakalyāṇī, triparṇī, and pīluparṇikā—

these greens are heavy and dry, and digest mostly by causing obstruction; / they are sweet, cold in potency, and laxative to the stool.

Steamed, with their juice pressed out, and rich in unctuous substances, they are praised. / The flower of sunn-hemp, kovidāra, karbudāra, and śālmali

is bowel-binding and especially praised in bleeding disorders. / Tender sprouts of banyan, udumbara, aśvattha, plakṣa, lotus, and the like,

are astringent, binding, cooling, and beneficial for those with diarrhea from pitta. / Vatsādanī destroys wind; gaṇḍīra and citraka destroy kapha;

śreyasī and bilvaparṇī [destroy kapha]; bilva leaf dispels wind. / Bhaṇḍī, greens of śatāvarī, balā, and jīvantikā,

as well as parvaṇī and parvapuṣpī, are considered to remove wind and pitta. / Light, stool-purging, and bitter are [the greens] of lāṅgalakī and urubūka;

and the greens of tilavetasa and the greens of pañcāṅgula / are wind-provoking, pungent, bitter, sour, and promote downward evacuation.

Dry, sour, and hot is safflower [greens], destroying kapha and increasing pitta. / Cucumber and melon are sweet, heavy, obstructing, and cooling;

pleasing to the mouth, dry, and diuretic is cucumber especially; / and fully ripe melon dispels burning, thirst, fatigue, and distress.

Bottle gourds purge the stool and are dry, cooling, and heavy. / Cirbhaṭa and melon are similar, and both are beneficial for breaking up the feces.

Ripe white pumpkin with alkaline quality is sweet, sour, light, / promotes the discharge of urine and feces, and destroys all doṣas.

Kelūṭa, kadamba, nadīmāṣaka, and ainduka / are non-slimy, heavy, cool, and considered mildly abhiṣyanda [causing excessive outflow].

Water lilies are astringent and relieve bleeding disorders; / likewise the young shoot of the palmyra palm relieves pain from chest wounds.

Dates and palmyra kernel dispel bleeding disorders and wasting. / Tarūṭa, lotus stem, lotus root-stock, krauñcādana, kaśeruka,

śṛṅgāṭaka, and aṅkaloḍya are heavy, obstructing, and cooling. / Stalks of the white water lily and blue water lily, along with flowers and fruit, are declared

cooling, sweet, astringent, and provoking kapha and wind. / Astringent, slightly obstructing, and removing bleeding disorders is considered

the lotus seed; it is sweet in taste and post-digestive effect. / Strengthening, cooling, heavy, unctuous, saturating, and nourishing,

removing wind and pitta, sweet, and highly aphrodisiac is muñcātaka. / Enlivening, nourishing, aphrodisiac, beneficial for the throat, praised in rejuvenating therapy,

the tuber of vidārī is strengthening, diuretic, sweet, and cooling. / The tuber of the tamarind is considered beneficial in chronic bowel disorders and hemorrhoids, light,

not excessively hot, dispelling kapha and wind, bowel-binding, and praised in alcoholism. / Mustard greens provoke all three doṣas and bind stool and urine; / likewise is red stalk, especially dry and sour. / Piṇḍāluka should be known to be similar, and pleasant to the mouth because of its tuberous nature. / Excluding poisonous toadstools, many other kinds of mushrooms

are cooling, cause chronic rhinitis, and are sweet and heavy. / This is the fourth group, that of greens, comprising leaves, tubers, and fruits.

Now the fruit group:—Thirst, burning, fever, asthma, bleeding disorders, wounds, wasting, / wind-pitta, upward movement of wind, hoarseness, alcoholism,

bitter mouth, dryness of the mouth, and cough it quickly dispels; / the grape is nourishing, aphrodisiac, sweet, unctuous, and cooling.

Sweet, nourishing, aphrodisiac, the date is heavy and cooling; / it is beneficial in wasting, trauma, burning sensations, and wind-pitta.

Nourishing and building, the wild fig is heavy, obstructing, and cooling; / parūṣaka and madhūka are commended in wind-pitta.

Sweet, nourishing, strength-giving, āmrāta is refreshing and heavy; / unctuous, kapha-producing, cooling, and aphrodisiac, it digests after causing obstruction.

Mature palmyra kernels and coconut fruits / are nourishing, unctuous, cooling, strength-giving, and sweet.

Sweet, sour, and astringent, obstructing, heavy, and cooling, / bhavya generates pitta and kapha, is bowel-binding, and purifies the mouth.

Sour parūṣaka, grapes, jujubes, and āruka, / as well as karkandhu and nikuca, aggravate pitta and kapha.

Not too hot, heavy when ripe, mostly sweet, pleasant to the mouth, / nourishing, āruka digests quickly and does not excessively aggravate the doṣas.

Pārāvata is known to be of two kinds: cooling and hot, sweet and sour; / it is heavy, causes anorexia, and destroys the digestive fire.

The fruit of kāśmarya is said to have properties slightly different from bhavya; / likewise, sour mulberry has properties slightly different from parūṣaka.

Astringent and sweet, the wood apple (ṭaṅka) increases wind, is heavy and cooling; / unripe kapittha destroys the voice, dispels poison, is bowel-binding, and increases wind.

Being sweet, sour, and astringent, and fragrant, it promotes taste; / and fully ripe, it destroys the doṣas and dispels poison, though it is bowel-binding and heavy.

Bael fruit, however, when ripe is hard to digest, aggravates doṣas, and causes foul-smelling wind; / young, it is unctuous, hot, penetrating, kindles digestion, and overcomes kapha and wind.

Young mango causes bleeding disorders; half-ripe, it increases pitta; / ripe mango overcomes wind and confers flesh, semen, and strength.

Mostly astringent and sweet, heavy, obstructing, and cooling, / the black plum conquers kapha and pitta, is bowel-binding, and greatly produces wind.

The jujube is sweet, unctuous, laxative, and overcomes wind-pitta; / dried, it destroys kapha and wind, and is not opposed to pitta.

Astringent, sweet, cooling, and bowel-binding is the simbiñcitikā fruit; / gāṅgerukī, karīra, bimbī, todana, and dhanvana

are sweet, slightly astringent, cooling, and dispel pitta and kapha. / Ripe jackfruit, plantain, and rājādana fruits

are sweet, slightly astringent, unctuous, cooling, and heavy; / through being astringent and clear, and through its fragrance, it promotes taste,

suitable as an appetizer, pleasing to the heart, wind-producing is the lavalī fruit; / nīpa, śatāhvaka, pīlu, tṛṇaśūnya, vikaṅkata,

and prācīnāmalaka destroy doṣas and remove slow poisons; / the fruit of iṅguda is bitter-sweet, unctuous, hot, and overcomes kapha and wind.

Tinduka destroys kapha and pitta, is astringent, sweet, and light; / one should know the āmalaka fruit to possess all tastes except salt.

Dry, sweet, astringent, and sour, it supremely removes kapha and pitta; / bibhītaka destroys disorders arising from chyle, blood, flesh, and fat.

It destroys hoarseness, excess kapha moisture, and pitta diseases; / sour, astringent, and sweet, it destroys wind, binds the bowel, and kindles digestion.

Pomegranate is unctuous, hot, pleasing to the heart, and not incompatible with kapha and pitta; / that pomegranate which is dry and sour, however, aggravates pitta and wind.

The sweet one dispels pitta; among these, the former pomegranate is best. / Vṛkṣāmla is bowel-binding, dry, and hot, and commended in wind-kapha.

The ripe fruit of amlikā differs little from it in properties; / possessed of those same properties, amlavetasa is laxative.

In colic, anorexia, constipation, sluggish digestive fire, alcohol intoxication, / hiccup, asthma, cough, vomiting, and bowel disorders

arising from wind and kapha, it is universally prescribed. / The filaments of the citron are light; the rest is otherwise.

Appetizing, kindling digestion, pleasing to the heart, and fragrant when peeled, / karcūra destroys kapha and wind, and is beneficial in asthma, hiccup, and piles.

Sweet and slightly sour, pleasing to the heart, stimulating appetite for food, / hard to digest, pacifying wind, the orange is heavy.

Almond, pistachio, walnut, mukūlaka, and nikocaka / are heavy, hot, unctuous, sweet, along with urumāṇa, and strength-giving.

They destroy wind, are nourishing and aphrodisiac, and increase kapha and pitta; / one should know the priyāla kernel to be similar to these in properties, except for heat.

Kapha-producing, sweet, cooling, the śleṣmātaka fruit is heavy; / kapha-producing, heavy, and obstructing, the aṅkoṭa fruit suppresses the digestive fire.

Heavy, hot, sweet, dry, and destroying the hair is the śamī pod; / the kārañja fruit causes obstruction and is not opposed to wind-kapha.

Āmrātaka, dantaśaṭha, and sour karamardaka, / as well as airāvata, should be known to cause bleeding disorders.

Vārtāka destroys wind, kindles digestion, and is pungent and bitter; / one should know the parpaṭakī fruit to produce wind and destroy kapha-pitta.

Sour akṣikī fruit destroys pitta and kapha, and produces wind; / sweet fruits having a sour post-digestive effect remove pitta and kapha,

and the fruits of aśvattha, udumbara, plakṣa, and nyagrodha / are astringent, sweet, and sour, produce wind, and are heavy.

The nut of bhallātaka is equal to fire; its flesh is sweet and cooling. / Thus this fifth group of fruits has been declared, predominantly suitable for use.

Now the group of fresh greens:—Appetizing, kindling digestion, aphrodisiac is fresh ginger, the universal medicine; / its juice is prescribed in wind-kapha and constipation.

Appetizing, kindling digestion, penetrating, fragrant, purifying the mouth, / the jambīra lime destroys kapha and wind, eliminates worms, and digests food.

Young radish removes doṣas; old, it aggravates all three doṣas; prepared with unctuous substance, / it dispels wind; dried, radish overcomes kapha and wind.

It dispels hiccup, cough, poison, asthma, and flank pain, / creates pitta, destroys kapha and wind, and basil removes foul odors.

Yavānī, arjaka, śigru, and śāleya / are pleasing to the heart, appetizing, and excite pitta.

Gaṇḍīra, jalapippalī, tumbaru, and śṛṅgaverikā / are penetrating, hot, pungent, and dry, and remove kapha and wind.

Destroying virility, pungent, dry, and hot, bhūstṛṇa purifies the mouth; / kharāhvā destroys kapha and wind, and removes pain of bladder diseases.

Coriander, ajagandhā, and sumukha are appetizing, / fragrant, not overly pungent, and excite the doṣas.

Bowel-binding and penetrating, the wild turnip is beneficial in piles caused by wind and kapha; / one should employ it in fomentation and food for those free of pitta.

Onion increases kapha, destroys wind, and does not reduce pitta; / it is suitable for food, strengthening, heavy, aphrodisiac, and appetizing.

Garlic destroys worms, kuṣṭha, and kilāsa; destroys wind and gulma; / it is unctuous, hot, aphrodisiac, pungent, and heavy.

When dried, these and their fruits destroy kapha and wind. / And thus concludes this sixth group, of fresh greens.

Now the group of alcoholic beverages: By nature, alcohol is sour and hot, and said to be sour in post-digestive effect; / this is so for all in general; its particular qualities will be taught.

For the emaciated, those with retention of urine, and those suffering from grahaṇī disorders and piles, / surā wine is praised; it destroys wind, and is indicated in wasting of breast milk and blood.

In hiccup, dyspnea, coryza, cough, retention of stool, anorexia, / vomiting, abdominal distension, and constipation, madirā is beneficial and destroys wind.

Beneficial in colic, dysentery, rumbling in the bowels, and piles due to kapha and wind, / jagala is bowel-binding, dry, hot, destroys swelling, and digests food.

Ariṣṭa destroys wasting, piles, grahaṇī disorders, anemia, anorexia, fevers, / and diseases caused by kapha; it is appetizing and kindles digestion.

Pleasant to the mouth, producing mild intoxication, fragrant, removing bladder disorders, / digestive, properly matured, beneficial to the heart, and complexion-enhancing is śārkara liquor.

Appetizing, digestive, beneficial to the heart, beneficial for wasting, swelling, and piles, / destroying disorders of unctuousness and kapha, pakvarasa liquor is considered complexion-enhancing.

Digestive, relieving constipation, clarifying voice and complexion, / scraping is śītarasika; it is beneficial for swelling, abdominal enlargement, and piles.

Promoting the expulsion of cracked stool and downward wind, gauḍa liquor is nourishing and kindles digestion; / ākṣikī liquor is considered beneficial for anemia and wounds, and kindles digestion.

Surāsava causes intense intoxication, destroys wind, and is pleasant to the mouth; / madhvāsava is scouring and penetrating; maireya is sweet and heavy.

Fermented with dhātakī, beneficial to the heart, dry, appetizing, and kindling digestion, / like mādhvīka liquor and not overly hot, is the liquor fermented from grapes and sugarcane juice.

Appetizing, kindling digestion, beneficial to the heart, strengthening, not aggravating to pitta, / relieving constipation, destroying kapha, honey wine is light and slightly increases wind.

Barley surā with clear scum is dry and hot, and increases wind and pitta; / madhūlikā wine is heavy, digests with obstruction, and increases kapha.

Kindling digestion, digestive, relieving diseases of the heart, anemia, and worms, / beneficial for grahaṇī disorders and piles, Sauvīraka and tuṣodaka are purgative.

Removing burning sensation and fever by touch, and relieving wind and kapha by drink, / relieving constipation, downward-clearing, and kindling digestion is sour kāñjika.

Fresh alcohol is generally heavy and excites the doṣas; / aged alcohol cleanses the channels, kindles digestion, is light, and is appetizing.

Exhilarating and gladdening, alcohol removes fear, grief, and fatigue; / it bestows boldness, virility, intellect, contentment, nourishment, and strength.

Consumed according to the rules and properly by persons of sattvic temperament, it is like ambrosia. / This seventh group has been proclaimed concerning alcoholic drinks.

Now the group of waters: All water falls from the sky as a single kind, belonging to Indra; / while falling and after having fallen, it is conditioned by place and time,

Falling from the sky, touched by the moon, wind, and sun following the seasons, / and by cold, hot, unctuous, dry, and other qualities of the earth according to proximity.

Cold, pure, auspicious, agreeable, clear, light—possessing these six qualities / by nature is celestial water; once fallen, it depends on its receptacle.

In white soil it becomes astringent; in pale soil it is bitter; / in tawny soil it is mixed with alkali; in saline soil it possesses saltiness;

It is pungent along mountain expanses, and sweet in black earth: / this sixfold variation is declared of water resting on the earth; / and that rain, hail, and snow from Indra should be known as having an unmanifest taste.