A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c23.95

v1.c23.95

Subjects discussed in its first part are: the importance of pastes and bandages (18.3); the rule that a paste should be applied against the direction of the hair (pratiloma) and the reasons for doing so (18.4); a desiccated paste should not be used, unless pressure (pīdana) is required (18.5); the three types of paste: pralepa (a thin paste), pradeha (a thick paste) and ālepa (a paste of medium consistency); their actions and indications; the nature of a kalka,¹⁹¹ its actions and indications (18.6); actions and uses of an ālepa (18.7–9); a special rule for the ingredients of an ālepana in disorders caused by vāta, pitta or kapha (18.10); 192 the thickness of an ālepa (18.11); 193 the appropriate time for ālepana (18.12–12); a lepa should always be freshly prepared (18.14–15).