Sálasárádi Avaleha

A decoction of (one hundred Pala weight of) the drugs of the S'ála-sárádi group should be made by boiling it (in sixteen times the weight of water) down to a quarter part (of the water) and then duly filtered (through a piece of linen). It should be cooked again very carefully, so that it may not be burnt; powders of Amalaka* Rodhra, Priyamgu, Danti, black-iron and copper should then be added to it just before the completion of the cooking, so that it may be reduced to the consistency of an Avaleha (lambative). It should then be removed from the fire and kept in a closed earthen pitcher. The patient should take an adequate dose of this medicine as it is a sovereign remedy for all types of Prameha. 9.

Naváyasa-Churna

Equal parts of the powders of the following nine drugs, viz., Triphalá, Chitraka, Trikatu, Vidanga and Musta, and nine parts of powdered black-iron* should be mixed together and taken in adequate doses with honey and clarified butter. This is called the Navayasa Churna, which proves curative in abdominal obesity, improves the impaired digestion and acts as a prophylactic against haemorrhoids, swelling, jaundice, Kushtha, indigestion, cough, asthma and Prameha, etc. 10.

* Chakradatta reads "S'ivá " in place of "Amalaka" and does not include " Priyamgu " in the list. According to some commentators the total weight of the after-throw (Prakshepa) would be a quarter part of the total weight of the drugs boiled; whereas, according to others, the different drugs for Prakshepa would weigh one Pala each.

Lohárishta

A decoction of the drugs of the S'alá-sárádi group should be made by boiling it down to a quarter part (of the original quantity of water). Then it should be duly filtered; when cooled, a quantity (i.e., fifty Pala weight) of Mákshika-honey † should be added to it. A quantity of purified treacle ‡ reduced to the consistency of Phánita as well as fine powders of the drugs of the Pippalyádi group should be mixed with it. A strong and well cleansed (earthen) pitcher saturated with clarified butter should be purified (in the usual way) and its interior plastered with coating of honey and powdered Pippali made into a thin paste. The medicinal compound prepared as above should be kept in the pitcher. After that, thin foils of steel made red-hot in a fire of Khadira wood should be immersed into the compound prepared before. Then the pitcher with the steel-foils immersed into its contents should be kept buried in a heap of barley for three or four months or until the steel-foils are entirely eaten away by the medicine and the characteristic flavour is produced. It should be used in proper doses every morning and a suitable diet should be given to the patient after its use. It reduces fat, improves the impaired digestion and proves efficacious in cases of swellings, internal tumours, Kushtha,Meha,jaundice, dropsy of the spleen (Plihodara), chronic fever, and excessive urination (dribbling of urine). This preparation is called Lohárishta * and it is a highly efficacious remedy, 11.

* Charaka and Chakrapáni Datta insert this medicine among the curatives of "Pa'ndu-roga". S'ivadása (the commentator) advises to take " Mandura-iron" instead of "black-iron". In the practical field also we derive great and good effects in cases of spleen and liver diseases and specially in cases of infantile liver and heart diseases. - Ed.

† Dallana says that fifty Pala weight of each of the two substances - Madhva'sava and Pha'nita, and twenty-five Pala weight of each of the following substances., viz., the powders of the drugs of the Pippalyádi group and steel-foils, should be taken in preparing it. But Gayadása explains that such a quantity of old and matured honey should be mixed with the decoction as will sweeten it; the same quantity of old and matured Phánita treacle should be taken; the powders of Pippalyádi group should be added to it till it gets a slight astringent (Katuka) taste.

Some commentators, however, hold that the honey, the powders of the drugs of the Pippalyádi group and of the steel-foils should be each a quarter part of the decoction in weight.

Dallana explains the term "Madhu" as the A'sava prepared of honey. Gayadása, however, explains it simply as honey.

‡ The Phánita should be refined by dissolving it in the decoction of the drugs of the S'ála-sáradi group and then filtere . - Dalian,