Indian Medicine (Medicin), translated by C. G. Kashikar c12.28

c12.28

§ 53. Additional Diseases of Digestion :— Four kinds of digestion (fire) are enumerated already in the Bower MS 1.50 ff. : weak (*manda*), excessive (*tīkṣṇa*), irregular (*viṣama*), regular (*sama*). Similar statement is found in Su 1.35.24 where the ailments proceeding from these are also given : irregular (digestive) fire sometimes digests the food, sometimes causes flatulence, colic, constipation, diarrhoea, heaviness in abdomen, noise in the bowels, dysentary and causes vāta-diseases. Excessive digestion quickly digests even plentiful diet and causes dryness, burn and heat in the throat, in the palate and on the lips, as well as diseases of pitta. Weak digestion slowly digests even a small amount of diet and causes swelling of the body, heaviness in the head, cough, dyspnoea, salivation, vomiting, gout and diseases of kapha. Weakness of digestion (*agnimāndya*) is also considered as a particular ailing condition for which Vr 6.12, for instance, prescribed a pill consisting of *Asafoetida* (*hingu*), the three myrobalans (*triphalā*) and other substances and the Bower MS already knows a powder that gives 100 years' life (2.43-55).