This section is from the book "The Sushruta Samhita", by Kaviraj Kunja Lal Bhishagratna. Also available from Amazon: The Sushruta Samhita.
Of the diseases included within the present group, three arc curable, three arc incurable, while the remaining six admit only of palliative treatment. The curative remedies of the disease known as Dhuma-darsi (smoky or dusky vision) has been already described (in connection with the medical treatment of Pittaja Ophthalmia) * All the remedies applicable in cases of deranged Pitta and Kapha as well as application of Nasya (snuff), Seka (sprinkling), Anjana (Collyrium), A'lepa (plaster), Puta-paka and Tarpana (soothing) remedies with the exception of surgical operation should be respectively administered in cases of Pitta-affected (Pitta-vidagdha) and Kapha-affected (Sleshma-vidagdha) vision. Traiphala-Ghrita should be prescribed in a case of Pitta-vidagdha-Drishti and Traivrita-Ghrita in a case of Sleshma-vidagdha-Drishti. Potions of old and matured clarified butter as well as of Tailvaka-Ghrita are equally efficacious in both cases †. Collyriums (Anjanas) should be prepared with Gairika, Saindhava, Pippali, and the charred remains (Masi) of cow's teeth, or with beef, Maricha, S'irisha-seeds and Manah-sila, or with the stalk of a Kapittha fruit together with honey, or with Atmagupta pasted with honey ; these four Anjanas may be used with advantage in both the types under discussion. 2-3.
* See Chapter X (Sariram Which Treats Of The Nursing And Management, Etc., Of Pregnant Women From The Day Of Conception Till Parturition (Garbhini -VyáKarana-Sariram)), 9, Uttara-Tantra.
† Traiphala-Ghrita, Traivrita-Ghrita and Tailvaka-Ghrita should be prepared with both the decoction and Kalka of Triphala, Trivrita and of Tilvaka respectively.
Powders of the flowers of Kubjaka, As'oka, Sala, Amra, Priyangu, Nalini and of Utpala, as well as powdered Renuka, Pippali, Haritaki and Amlaki mixed with honey and clarified butter, should be kept inside a hollow bamboo and applied to the eye in the manner of a collyrium (Anjana) in cases of Pitta-vidagdha and Sleshma-vidagdha eye-diseases. 4.
As an alternative, Renuka pasted with the expressed juice of the flowers of Amra (mangoe) and Jambu (black-berry) and mixed with honey and clarified butter, should be used in both the above cases as an Anjana. Pollens of Nalini (red lotus) and of Utpala (blue lotus) as well as Gairika * pasted together with the Rasa (watery secretions) of cow-dung † and made into large pills (Gudika) may be profitably applied to the eye as an Anjana alike in cases of day-blindness and night-blindness. This Anjana is called the Gudikanjana. 5.
Rasanjana Rasa (Juice)‡ , honey, Talis a-patra and Svarna-gairika should be pasted together with the Rasa of cow-dung and applied (in the manner of an Anjana) in cases of Pitta-affected vision i.e. day-blindness. S'ita (Rasanjana, or according to some Camphor), and Sauvira should be soaked in Rasa (meat-juice) * and then pasted together. It should then be soaked again in the bile of a tortoise or of a Rohita fish and dried and reduced to powder. The present compound is called the Churna-anjana (powdered Collyrium) and may be used beneficially for the pacification of Pitta (in cases of Pitta-vidagdha-Drishti). Kas'mari flowers, YashU-madhu, Darvi, Rodhra and Rasanjana, should be pounded together and mixed with honey. Used as an Anjana it is always efficacious in the affections of the eye. 6-8.
* Chakradatta does not read 'Gairika' in the list.
† In place of
some read
i.e., the liver of a
which may mean a cow or any animal, such as goat, sheep, etc.
‡ According to Dallana, Rasa (lit - Juice) means the juice of A'mallka. According to others, however, it means the juice of the leaves of Jati flower. Chakradatta, however, reads
(clarified butter) in place of
Treatment of nocturnal blindness:
- -The application of a medicinal Varti (stick) composed of Sauviranjana, Saindhava, Pippali and Renukd pasted together with the urine of a she-goat would prove highly beneficial in cases of nocturnal blindness. Similarly the application of a medicinal Varti (stick) composed of Kalanu-Sdrivd, Pippali, S'unthi, Yashti-madhu, Talis'a-patra, the two kinds of Haridra, and Musta, pasted with the Rasa of cow-dung and dried in the shade, proves beneficial in such cases. Manah-s'ila, Haritaki, Trikatu, Bald, Kalanu-sariva and (S'amn-dra-) Phena pasted together with the milk of a she-goat and similarly prepared in the shape of a Varti is also recommended. 9-11.
 
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