Indian Medicine (Medicin), translated by C. G. Kashikar c9.28

c9.28

§ 24. Curing Methods :— The most important curing methods are collected together under the name *pañcakarman*, namely vomiting (*vamana*), purgative (*virecana*), enemeta (*basti*), oily enemeta (*sneha*) and nasal therapy (*nasya*). The most usual vomiting remedy (*vamana*) is Madana (*Randia dumetorum*), a small sweet fruit like a small apple¹. As a support to the action of vomiting, the patient puts a castor-stalk in his throat, while an attendant holds him by his head and sides. The physician must examine the vomit. Emetic is indicated in phlegmatic diseases, poisoning, fever, consumption, diseases of female breast, diarrhoea, diabetes, flatulence, cholera, indigestion, dyspepsia, nausea, erysipelas, leprosy, asthma, cough, elephantiasis, heart-disease, excessive fatness, madness, epilepsy, rheumatism, ozena, swollen tonsils and other diseases. Among the *virecanas* the foremost are *trivrt* (*Ipomea Turpetum*), the most popular remedy of this kind among the Hindus even to the present day, and *eranda-taila* among the oils². Purgative is prescribed in fever, poisoning, loss of appetite, hemorrhoids, swelling of the body and of the spleen, abscess, leprosy, fistula of the anus, female diseases, erysipelas, cholera, wind-dropsy, diabetes, strangury, wounds, burns, opthalmia, cataract or glaucoma, heat in the head and other parts of body, hemorrhage, jaundice, colic and other diseases (Car 1.15 f.; Su 4.33 f.; AS 1.27; AHr 1.18; Vr 73 f.). An enemeta is called *basti*, *bastikarman*. The enema-pot should be made of the bladder of cattle, buffalo, boar, goat or sheep or eventually of leather or of thin but closely woven cloth; the tube (netra) should be made of gold, silver, copper, iron, brass, ivory, horn, reed etc., ending to a point like cow's tail, 12 fingers long for a patient of 25 years and thick as a thumb at the beginning. Bastis are prescribed in fever, diarrhoea, glaucoma, cataract, headache, opthalmia, convulsions, hemiplegia, flatulence, calculi (śarkarā), colic, swelling of testicles, constipation, strangury, stone, dystocia and many other diseases. They make an impotent potent, a thin man fat, a fat man thin, remove wrinkles and grey hair. Distinction is made between a cleaning enemeta (nirūha, nairūhika) and oily enemeta (snaihika, anuvāsana). Oily enemeta should be resorted to when the passages in the body are purified by nirūha. The recipes for enemeta are of many kinds. Accidents (vyāpad) in enemeta appear to have frequently occurred, since Suśruta counts 76 of them. In the first place he mentions wounds and pains in the anus. Injections in the urinary passages, also in vagina in the case of women, are called uttarabasti (Car 8.10-12; Su 4.35-38; AS 1.28; 5.4-6; AHr 1. 19, 5.4.f.; Vr 15 f.). Snuffs or nasal remedies (nasya) are then mentioned, whereby a medicine or an oil mixed with medicine is put into the nose (nāsikā, Su 4.40). Like enemeta, the Nasyas are divided into two classes, namely the purifying, purging the head (sirovirecana) and oily or strength-giving (snehana, bṛmhana). Further the dropping of pungent juice is called avapīḍa, the introduction of powder in the nostrils through a reed is called pradhamana, the pulling up of oils in the nose by drops without swallowing them down is called pratimarśa. The nose-remedies are suited particularly for diseases of head and throat (Su 4.40; AS 1.29; AHr 1.20; Vr 78).