Indian Medicine (Medicin), translated by C. G. Kashikar c12.31

c12.31

One who cannot taste the food put in mouth suffers from arocaka. If one shows disinclination at the thought of food or when one sees or hears of it, then it is bhaktadveṣa (nausea). If one has no desire for food, it is abhaktacchanda (Bhoja in citations). Enemeta, purgative and emetic are prescribed respectively for arocaka arising from vāta, pitta and kapha. For arocaka arising from mental excitement, cheering-up is recommended ( Vr 14.3 = Cakra 117 ). Worse than arocaka is vomiting (chardi) which is related to it (Car 6.20; Su 6.49; AS 4.8; AHr 4.6; cf. MN 137 ff. ). Vomiting is caused by food that is too fluid or oily, disagreeable or saltish, by untimely or too plentiful or unwholesome eating, through fatigue, exhaustion, excitement, indigestion, worms, eating too hastily, objects causing nausea and in the case of women at the beginning of pregnancy. There are in general five kinds of vomiting with the accompanying signs : pain in the chest and sides, in the head and the navel; dryness of the mouth, swooning faint, deafening of the ears, giddiness, faintness, thirst, fever, sweet taste in the mouth, heat, colic, indigestion etc. The case is hopeless if the wind goes upwards stopping the canals which drive out of the body the excrements, sweat, urine and water, the vomit smells like or looks like faeces or urine and the patient is vexed by thirst, breathlessness, hiccup and pain (MN). The treatment, as a rule, commences with fasts, then follow the emetics if the patient is strong and has uninterrupted severe vomitings, and then a purgative. The diet recommended is as follows.— food that is dry, light and agreeable, juice of grapes or sugar and other juices, very cold water, fragrance, various powders, decoctions, licking substances etc.,