Hindu Medicine c8.96

c8.96

'Phlegm (śleṣman, kapha, balāsa), according to Suśruta (I, 21), has its origin and principal abode in the stomach. It is mild and cool, white and heavy, sticky and slippery. It imparts moisture. Its taste is sweet, when not burnt by the internal heat of the digestive fire; when subjected to excessive heat, it turns salty. It is of watery consistency and the food in the stomach is thoroughly moistened by its action, split up into particles, and prepared for the cooking-process of digestion in the upper intestines.¹