A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c24.222

v1.c24.222

The subjects dealt with are: the mythic origin of poison (viṣa); its two main types: sthāvara (of vegetable origin) and jaṅgama (of animal origin) (35.1–3); 1017 sthāvara poisons, present in tubers and bulbs, and very potent, are: kālakūṭa, indravatsa, śṛṅgī, hālāhala, etc. (35.4); 1018 the severely acting jaṅgama poisons are present in the fangs of snakes, spiders, etc. (35.5ab); 1019 sthāvara and jaṅgama poisons are collectively called akṛtrima (not artificially produced) (35.5cd); artificial (kṛtrima) poisons, called gara, are prepared from various drugs; according to the power of the mixture (yogavaśāt), they kill within a short time, after a long time, or after a very long time, and bring about various disorders (35.6–7ab); 1020 poisons possess the following properties: tīkṣṇa, uṣṇa, rūkṣa, viśada, vyavāyin, āśukārin, laghu, vikāṣin, sūkṣma, and avyaktarasa; they are not subject to digestion (35.7cd–8ab); 1021 these properties are contrary to those of ojas; for this reason, and because vāta and pitta dominate in them, poisons quickly destroy life (35.8cd–9ab); a poisonous substance, after entering the body, corrupts the blood first, and, subsequently, vāta, pitta and kapha, together with their seats; then, after reaching the heart, it destroys the body (35.9cd–10); the symptoms of the seven stages (vega) of poisoning by a sthāvara substance (35.11–16); 1022 the treatment required in each of these stages (35.17–20); 1023 recipes for preparations to be administered in the intervals between these stages (35.21–23); 1024 the formula of the antidote called candrodaya, to be prepared by a ritually pure virgin, clothed in white, during (the conjunction of the moon with) the constellation Puṣya, while the physician has to utter a mantra; a second mantra should be pronounced after the preparation, in order to make the drug effective in providing śānti and svastyayana (35.24–32); 1025 the characteristics of the weakened poison called dūṣīviṣa; the symptoms it brings about; the explanation of its name (35.33–37); 1026 preliminary treatment; the formula of dūṣīviṣāri, effective against poisoning by dūṣīviṣa (35.38–40ab); 1027 the local and general symptoms caused by a poisoned arrow (35.40cd–45ab); 1028 the treatment to be applied (35.45cd–48ab); 1029 gara is sometimes administered by women to their husbands, or by those living at the court to a king (35.48cd–49ab); 1030 gara consists of a mixture of animal excreta and the ashes of various incompatible plants; it has a weak action (35.49cd–50ab);¹⁰³¹ the symptoms of poisoning by gara (35.50cd–55ab); its treatment (35.55cd–59); viṣasaṃkaṭa, a dangerous condition, arising when the patient’s constitution, the season in which the symptoms appear, the patient’s diet, the doṣa and dūṣya mainly involved, etc., correspond to similar characteristics of the poison (35.60); factors leading to an increase of the effects of a poison (35.61–63ab);¹⁰³² poisons become stronger during the rainy season, weaker when this has ended (35.63cd–64); poisoning should speedily be treated, after taking into consideration all the factors influencing the course of the illness (35.65); the treatment of poisoning with a substance of the nature of kapha (35.66),¹⁰³³ pitta (35.67),¹⁰³⁴ and vāta (35.68);¹⁰³⁵ any drug used in the treatment of poisoning should contain ghee (37.69ab); ghee is the best remedy in all cases of poisoning and in all the stages, but particularly when vāta is very strong (35.69cd–70ab); poison located in a seat of kapha can easily be cured; located in a seat of pitta, it is curable with difficulty; located in a seat of vāta, it is extremely difficult to cure or incurable (35.70cd–71).