Indian Medicine (Medicin), translated by C. G. Kashikar c12.44

c12.44

Prameha is caused by food and drink which is cold, oily, sweet, fat, fluid, new rice, milk or curds, sweets, excess in eating and other dietetic errors, also by want of exercise, tendency for sleeping, lying or sitting, generally by everything that causes kapha, fat or urine. Its signs are : sweet taste in the mouth, thirst, numbness and burning of hands and feet, the limbs are oily, sticky and heavy, the mouth, palate and throat are inflamed, impure secretions are thrown out of the body, teeth and so forth, foul breething, continuous sleepiness and exhaustion, sweet and white urine run over by insects and ants etc.¹. In all pramehas the urine is sticky and plenty. Besides in kapha there is indigestion, loss of appetite, vomiting, sleepiness, cough and sneezing etc. When caused by pitta, there is pricking in the bladder and urethra, the testicles are swollen, there is fever, heat, thirst, sour eructation, loss of consciousness, diarrhoea, yellow colouring of faeces, urine and the eyes etc. When caused by vāta, there is retention of excretions, trembling, pain in the chest, greediness, colic, sleeplessness, consumption, cough and difficult breathing. Various abscesses can also develop: these will be described later on². All pramehas, if neglected, lead to madhumeha in due course and then are incurable. Madhumeha can also be caused by born sweetness of the body ( Car 2.4; Su 2.6; AS 3.10; AHr 3.10; MN 222-233 ).