Indian Medicine (Medicin), translated by C. G. Kashikar c15.17

c15.17

The Vedic medicine is rich in spells against poisoning, arrow-poison and the bites of serpents, scorpions and insects and the Bower MS 6 contains a long incantation which the Buddha is said to have recommended for the cure of a bhikṣu bitten by a black serpent (king cobra) and which bears analogy with Car, AS, AHr where, however, it only serves as an accompanying recital while giving the antidote (agada)³. The medical works give in a large number recipes for such agada. They differ in vegetable and mineral poisons according to the stages in the effect of poison (vega), of which seven are distinguished :- 1. The tongue becomes black and stiff, simultaneously there is faint, shivering, oppression of breathing, exhaustion and vomiting. The poisoned person should be given an emetic, he should be sprinkled with cold water and an agada mixed with ghee and honey should be at once given to him to drink. 2. Shivering, perspiration, heat, pain in the throat, and pain in the chest if the poison had entered the stomach. As before, an emetic should be given first, then a purgative and an antidote. 3. Inflammation of the palate, violent pain in the stomach, the eyes become weak, pale and swollen, and there is pain, hiccup, cough and rolling in the body, if the poison has reached the bowels. An antidote should be given internally, as a nasal remedy and ointment. 4. The head is very heavy. An antidote with oil should be given. 5. Salivation from the mouth, decolourisation, pain in joints and body, derangement of all doṣas. An antidote in a decoction of liquorice and honey. 6. Senselessness and severe diarrhoea. Treatment as for diarrhoea. 7. Paralysis of shoulders, back and hips, and death. Nasal remedy (Su 5.2.40-49; AHr 6.35). In serpent-bites also seven vegas are distinguished. A bandage of cloth, leather or inner bark of a tree is to be fastened above the bitten place, so that the poison may not penetrate in the body; or the place should be cut and branded if it cannot be fastened. Sucking, cutting and branding of the place is in any case expedient. While fastening the bandage spells are to be recited; the above-mentioned spell in the Bower MS 6 refers to the dressing of the wound. Antidotes, blood-letting, emetic, nasal remedy, anointing, purgative, cold bath, leeches, scarification with a horn and other remedies are also recommended. Insect-prickings are particularly to be treated with warming, plaster and bath in lukewarm water. In difficult cases, the procedure in serpent-bite is to be followed. A wound caused by mad animals is to be treated with blood-letting and hot ghee, then it should be smeared with antidotes and the poisoned person should be made to drink old ghee. Among other remedies, the prescriptions to be used in madness are prominent (Car; Su; AS; AHr; Bhāv; Vang l.c.; Vr 68).