A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c25.1103.1

v1.c25.1103.1

The subjects are: poisons may be employed in cases of poisoning if mantras and other measures fail; this way of treatment may be resorted to when the fifth stage (vega) of poisoning has passed, but before the seventh one has arrived; permission has to be asked from the king, but no other person should be notified (48.1); the physician, acquainted with the use of mantras, should carry out first dharaṇībandha (48.2); 723 poisons of vegetable origin are usually of the nature of kapha and tend to move upwards, while those of animal origin are usually of the nature of pitta and tend to move downwards (48.3); 724 the properties of these two categories of poisons are opposed to each other; therefore, those bitten by poisonous animals should be treated on root poisons in the form of drinks and plasters (48.4);⁷²⁵ a physician should make those having ingested a vegetable poison be bitten by poisonous animals living on air (pavanāśin), because there is no better antidote than (another) poison (48.5); the dose of root poison to be administered is, dependent on the circumstances, four, six or eight barleycorns (yava) (48.6); a lesion by a kīṭa, however, always requires two yava, that by a scorpion one grain of sesamum (tila); no poisonous substance may be prescribed when the poison has affected the blood (48.7a-c); a lūtā lesion should not be treated by giving the patient a medicated drink, but by applying a plaster, after scarification;