A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c42.s15.86

v3.c42.s15.86

Chapter twenty-six is the second chapter of the Cikitsitasthāna on gulma, a disease also discussed in chapter four. Five doṣic varieties are described, caused by vāta, pitta and kapha singly, pitta and kapha together, and samnipāta (26.1–8).³³¹ A type caused by blood and occurring exclusively in women, described by Caraka, Suśruta and Vāgbhaṭa, is referred to in a prescription (26.71–72) that does not make clear whether it was thought to be a gynaecological disorder. A type due to blood is moreover mentioned, together with a gulma of traumatic origin (kṣataja), in some stanzas on wholesome foods and drinks (pathya) in cases of gulma. Verses on the treatment of śopha are included in this chapter (26.62–70).