A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c48.s3.18

v3.c48.s3.18

The ten poisons, derived from bulbous or tuberous plants (kandabhava), which may be used in medicine (saumya), are: saktuka, mustaka, kaurma, dārvīka, sārṣapa, saikata, vatsanābha and śvetaśṛṅgī (6.11); the ten ugra poisons to be avoided in medicine are: kālakūṭa, ṛṣaśṛṅgī, darduraka, hālāhala, karkoṭī, granthi, hāridra, raktaśṛṅgī, kesara, and yamadaṃṣṭrā (6.20–21). The nine vegetable poisons distinguished by other authorities are: vatsanābha, hāridra, saktuka, pradīpana, śṛṅgika, kālakūṭa, saurāṣṭrika, and hālāhala; they are said to be found in mountainous regions, in haridrā regions,⁶¹ in the mountains, in flat regions, in Surāṣṭra, in the vicinity of kapilā riverbanks, in Ahicchatra, on the mountain Kiṣkindha, and on the mountain called Brahma respectively (6.40).⁶² The minor poisons of vegetable origin (upaviṣa) are seven in number: arka, sehuṇḍa, dhattūra, lāṅgalī, karavīra, guñjā, and ahiphena (6.108); their number is nine according to other authorities: arka, snuh (= sehuṇḍa), lāṅgalī, guñjā, mayāri (= karavīra), viṣamuṣṭi, āphena (= ahiphena), unmatta (= dhattūra), and jepāla (6.111). An added item is bhaṅgā.