Chapter CC - Various other medicinal Recipes (continued)

Hari said:—The expressed juice of the leaves of Shobhanjanam mixed with honey, and poured into the eyes, undoubtedly relieves all forms of occular affections. Make a pill with the flowers of black sesame, Jati flowers, Usha, Nimva, Amala, Shunthi, Pippali, and Tanduliyakam pasted together with rice-washings and dried in the shade. Rub this pill with honey and reduce it to a paste, apply this paste to the eyes in the manner of a collyrium. It cures blindness (Timira).

Take black pepper and Nimva leaves, reduce them to a paste with the addition of cow’s urine. It cures Timira, Patalam and night-blindness. Take four parts of powdered conch-shell, two parts of realgar and one part of rock-salt, reduce them to a paste with the addition of cold water, make them into pills and dry them in the shade. A pill, thus prepared, and pasted with water and applied along the eyes in the manner of a collyrium cures loss of sight, Patalam and agglutination of the eyes with slimy mucous (Pichchhitam).

A plaster composed of Trikatu, Triphala, Karanja seeds, the two kinds of Rajani, and rock salt pasted with the expressed juice of Bhringaraja and applied in the manner of a collyrium cures loss of vision, etc. Atarushaka roots pasted with Kanjlkam (Kanjikam?) and thickly plastered over the eyelids relieve aching sensations in the eyes.

Decoctions of Shatadru, and Vadari roots internally administrated relieve pain in the eyes. An Anjanam composed of mustard oil, rock-salt and Apamarga roots pasted together with milk and Kanjikam and prepared in a copper vessel, and applied to the eyes in the manner of a collyrium, removes, O Shankara, the agglutination of the eye-lids with mucous. This Anjanam (eye-salve) applied by reciting the Mantrah, Om, Dadru Sara, Krim, Hrim, Thah, Thah, Dadru Sara, Hrim, Hrim, Om, Um, Um, Sara, Krim, Krim, Thah, Thah, brings the adyas under the control of the applier. The application of an eye-salve composed of Vilvakam, and Nili-roots pasted together with water instantly cures the loss of vision.

A stick made of Pippali, Tagaram, Haridra, amalakam, Vacha and Khadira pasted together with water and applied to the eyes, proves curative in occular affections. Dash cold water over the eyes while holding water in the mouth at morning, each day. This measure cures many an occular affection. Fomentations of the eyes with vapours of warm goat’s milk cooked in combination with the roots and leaves of white Eranda prove curative in the Vataja form of eye-diseases.

A compound of Chandanam, Saindhava, Vriddha, Palasha, Haritaki, Patola flowers, and Chakrika pasted together with water, or Gunja-roots pasted with goat’s urine and applied to the eyes in the manner of a collyrium removes blindness (Timiram). Lubrication of the body of a Chlorosis-patient with clarified butter containing rubbiugs of gold, silver and copper rods tends to bring about a cure. Smelling or eating of Ghoshaphalams proves curative in chlorosis. Errhines composed of a soluble compound of Haritaki, Alaktakam, Durva and Dadima-flowers pasted with their own expressed juice cure nasal polypi and Vataraktam. O Thou blue and red bodied one, O Thou bull-riding deity, errhines composed of Jingini-roots pasted with their own expressed juice lead to the falling off of nasal polypi.

A medicinal oil prepared with the admixture of Siktham saturated with the expressed juice of Dhushturam and Dhanyakam, and mixed with Sarjarasa, Gairikam, rock-salt and Ghritam made out of cow butter proves remedial in ulcers, as well as in sloughing and splintering of the lips. Jatipatram unmixed with Ghritam should be chewed by one, for the alleviation of the diseases of one’s mouth; chewing of Kosha-seeds imparts a firmness even to loose teeth. Chewing of a compound consisting of Mustakam, Kushtham, Ela, Yashthikam, Valakam, Dhanyakam and honey removes fetour in the mouth.

Daily ingestions of bitter, pungent, or astringent Shakas fried with oil remove the bad smell from the mouth and prove beneficial in cases of ulcerated gums. Gargles of Kanjikam mixed with oil, as well as those containing ashes of burnt betel lives prove curative in affections of the mouth. Chewing of Shunthi, as well as eating of a compound of Matu-lunga leaves, Ela, Yasthimadhu, Pippali and Jatipatram pounded together, leads to the secretion of mucous from the mouth. Chewing of the clustered sprouts (Jata) of Shephalika proves curative in Goitre; O Shankara, errhines of the expressed juice of Gihvika arrest hæmorrhage from the nose or the brain.

A medicinal oil cooked with the admixture of the expressed juice of Shiiisha (Shirisha?) seeds, and Haridra, four times as much as that juice, should be employed as errhines for the extinction of diseases of the head and throat. Chewing of Gunja-roots leads to the extinction of worms in the teeth.

A decoction of Kaka-Jangha, Snuhi, and Nili, sweetened with the addition of honey, kills worms that might have originated in, or invaded the teeth. Rubbing of the teeth with a Ghritam cooked in combination with milk and the expressed juice of Karkata-pada prevent their gnashing (destroys the tendency of gnashing the teeth). As an alternative, O Shiva, a paste of Karkatapada alone should be applied to the teeth, or Jotishmati (Jyotishmati?) fruits pasted with water alone should be applied to them for three weeks in succession, or the pith (marrow) of white myrobalans pasted with water should be applied for removing the black or yellow colour (tan or tartar) of the teeth.

A cosmetic composed of Lodhra, Kumkum, Manjistha, Loha, Kaleyakam, barley, rice, and Yasthimadhu pasted together with water should be used by ladies for beautifying their complexion. Cook a Prastha measure of oil with two parts of goat’s milk and a Karsha of each of the following drugs, viz., Rakta-Chandanam, Manjishtha, Laksha, Yashtimadhu, and Kumkum. This Tailam is highly possessed of cosmetic properties; a week’s application will impart a beautiful tint to one’s complexion.

A decoction of Shunthi, powdered Pippali, Guduchi, and Kantakarika, acts as a good digestant and stomachic remedy, and tends to alleviate, O Thou, the lord of benighted spirits, the aching (rheumatic) pain brought about through the agency of the deranged Vayu.

A decoction of Karanja, Karkata, Ushiram, the two kinds of Vrihati, Katu-Rohini, and Gokshuram, internally administered, tends to relieve the sense of exhaustion or fatigue, and proves curative in Pthisis, consumption, Epileptic fits and Pittaja fever with a burning sensation in the body.

Milk cooked with powdered Pippali and taken in combination with honey, sugar and clarified butter cures cough, heart disease, and chronic intermittent fever. A Karsha measure of the combined drugs should be taken in preparing all kinds of drug-decoction; O thou bull-riding one, the dose of such decoctions should be determined in consideration of the age of the patient under treatment. The expressed juice of Kaka-Jangha, as well as the serous fluid extracted from cow-dung, Taken with warm milk, proves curative in chronic, intermittent fever.

Milk cooked with Shunthi acts as a good febrifuge. Errhines composed of Yashthimadhu, Musta, Vrihatiphalam and rock salt pounded together is possessed of highly soporific properties. Similarly, errhines composed of Maricha pasted with honey, O Shiva, are possessed of the virtue of inducing sleep. O Shiva, Kakajangha roots are possessed of good soporific properties, and a medicinal oil cooked in combination with Kanjikam and Sarja-rasa, applied with the admixture of cold water, instantly allays heat and burning sensation, and should be employed in alleviating the burning sensation of the body which characterises fever of contaminated blood (fever induced through blood-poisoning or Septecimia).

A decoction of Shali, Shaivala, Agnimantha, Shunthi, Pashana-Bhedakam, Shobhanjanam, Gokshuram, Shobhanjanam roots, or Varuna and Chhannam, taken with Yavakshara and Hingu, proves antidotal to diseases of the deranged Vayu. O Shiva, a decoction of Pippali, Pippalimulam, and Bhallatakam, internally administered, proves curative in colic and convulsions. External applications of a plaster composed of the earth of an ant hill cooked in combination with Ashvagandha. Mulakam and water alleviate the form of rheumatism known as Urastambha.

Decoctions of Vrihati root internally administered cure Sanghata-Vatam. The expressed juice of the roots, of ardrakam and Tagaram, taken with whey, cures the form of neuresthesnia whose specific trait is a tingling sensation, O Shiva, as the thunder bolt of Indra cleaves a tree. The expressed juice of Asthi-Samharakam taken with a single meal, each day, or with meat soup cures nervous diseases and brings about the setting of broken bones.

Powders of fried barley corn reduced to a paste with the addition of goat’s milk and clarified butter, and applied to the soles of the feet, tend to ally the burning sensation of those localities. Plasters composed of honey, clarified butter, rock salt, treacle, Gairikam, Guggulu and Sarja rasa prove beneficial in cases of cracked soles of women and children. O thou bull-riding deity, clay-eaten soles of feet should be lubricated with mustard oil and heated over a smokeless fire. A medicinal Ghritam cooked with the admixture of Sarjarasa, Siktham, Jivakam and Haritaki, and applied to scalds or burns alleviates the incidental pain. Sesame-oil saturated with the ashes of burnt barely corn proves remedial to belbs, blisters caused by a burn or scald.

Plasters of Tilam, and Bhallatam pasted with milk and mixed with buffalo butter, prove beneficial in ulcer cases; applied over the chest, or employed as errhines they alleviate angina pectoris and cardiac colic. O Shankara, bruises caused by blows of one’s enemies are remedied by bandaging the spots with strips of clean linen saturated with cow-butter and powdered camphor. Sword cuts and arrow wounds, filled with the expressed juice of Amra-roots, are adhesioned and united by the first instance without producing any pain, pus, or inflammation. Similarly, sprays of clarified butter poured into freshly made sword-cuts or wounds bring about their adhesion and, asepsision. Cuts and wounds are healed by applying plasters of Sharapunkha, Lajjaluka, Patha, Chasa (the Bengal, edition reads Vasa) and Mulakam pasted with water. The expressed juice of Kakajangha, poured four three nights in succession in a granulating ulcer, brings about it asepsision and alleviates the inflammation, and prevents the production of of Pus in its cavity.

Rubbing of the body, with water and the expressed juice of Apamarga instantly alleviates the bruised pain caused by thrashing. O Shankara, a compound of Abhaya, Shunthi, and rock salt pasted with water and internally administered cures all forms of indigestion. Nimva roots tied round the waist relieves an aching pain in the eyes; dry Haridra, white Sarshapa, Mulakam and Matulunga seeds, pounded together, should be used in cleansing the skin of all its impurities, a week’s use of this compound imparts a brighter hue to the colour of the skin. Errhines composed of the expressed juice, white Aparajita leaves and Nimva leaves should be employed for the purpose of delivering patients from the influences Dakinis, Matrikas and other malignant spirit. O thou bull-ensigned deity, errhines of Madhuka piths are possessed of the same efficacy. Cull the roots of white Jayanti, or white Aparajita, Arka, Chitrakam or Mulakam under the influence of the asterism Pushya, reduce them to a paste with the addition of water and divide the mass into pills, A pill thus prepared and applied as a Tilaka mark on the forehead of a man has the magical virtue of enthralling the hearts of young maidens. Learn, O Rudra, that powders of killed iron, Pippali, Shunthi, amalakam, rocksalt, sugar and honey, taken in equal parts, pasted together, and made into pills, to the seize of an Audumvara, should be taken for seven days in succession by a man, desiring a healthful life of a hundred years.

The Mantra, Om, Tha, Tha, Tha, should be employed in connection with all acts of charming. Collect the nest of a crow from a tree, burn that nest in the fire of a blazing funeral pile. The ashes of this; burnt crow’s nest cast on the head of a person makes him distracted and compels him to abandon his hearth and home. O Shankara, hear me enumerate such other measures of black magic. Let a man cast the excreta of his enemy on the skin of a wild rat and tie that skin round his waist, thereby he will be able to cause a suppression of his stool. A man or woman whose name is written on a mango-leaf with the blood of a raven and is cast amidst heaps of filthy substances is sure to be devoured by crows. O Hara, a compound consisting of goat’s milk, Tilam, Gokshuram sugar and honey, taken in equal parts and internally administered, proves curative in cases of loss of manhood and virile impotency. A hundred Vilva twigs soaked with the blood of a raven and an owl and cast in the fire by uttering the names of two different persons are sure to create a bitter animosity between them. A medicinal oil cooked with the addition of the flesh of a Jhasa and Rohita, treated with the milk of a she-bear in the manner of a Bhavana, may be prescribed for anointing the body of the patient in any kind of disease.

Solutions of Chandanam, employed as errhines, facilitate the re-appearance of hairs. He, who holds a Langalika bulb in his hand, or smears his body with a paste of that plant, is sure to break the arrogance of the strong-bodied ones, even in his old age. O Thou blissful one, peacock’s blood is fatal even to snakes residing in their holes. Burn down to ashes the dead body of an Ajagar (Boa constrictor) in the fire of a cremation ground. By casting these ashes before one’s enemies one is sure to confound them, almost instantaneously. The Mantra, which should be recited on the occasion, runs as Om, Tha, Tha, Tha, Chahi, Chahi, Svaha, Om, Udaram, Pahihi, Pahihi, Svaha.

Sudarshana roots culled under the influence of the asterism Pushya and kept in a chamber drive the serpents from its inside and bar their re-occupation of the same site. Torches made of linen soaked with the expressed juice of Arkaplants and lighted to illumine a road way serve to drive away all snakes from that roadside. Smear the body of a rat with Haritalam soaked in the serum of a cat’s excreta and pasted with goat’s urine. The sight of such a rat is sure to scare away all its kindreds from that house. For the extinction of mosquitos in a chamber, fumigate it with the vapours of a compound consisting of Triphala, Arjuna, Bhallatakam, Shirisham, Vidanga, shellac, resin, and bdellium pounded together and cast in a smokeless fire.