Chapter 27a - The group of awned cereals (Shukadhanya—monocotyledons)

8-(10). The classification of the corn group (monocotyledons—Shukadhanya—śūkadhānya-varga).—

The General Qualities of Rice

The varieties of rice known as the red rice, the big rice the Kalama the Sakunahrita [śakunāhṛta], the Turnaka [tūrṇaka], the Dirghashuka [dīrghaśūka], the Gaura, the Panduka [pāṇḍuka], the Langula [lāṅgula], the Sugandhaka, the Sarivakhya [sārivākhya], the Lohavala [lohavāla], the Sarivakhya [sārivākhya], the Pramodaka, the Patanga [pataṅga], the Tapaniya [tapanīya] and other good varieties of rice are cooling, sweet in taste and post-digestion, slightly Vata-stimulant and form condensed and scanty stools. They are unctuous, roborant, seminiferous and diuretic.

The Special Qualities of red Shali and other kinds of rice

11. The red rice is the best of them. It is adipsous and curative of tri-discordance The next best is the big rice and next to it is the Kalama and so on, in the order they are mentioned.

12. The Yavaka, Hayana [hāyana], the Pamsuvapya [pāṃsuvāpya], (deep-water paddy), Naishadhaka [naiṣadhaka] and other kinds of rice are similar to the above mentioned rices with regard to both their good and bad qualities.

The Quality of Shashtika rice

13.Shashtika [ṣaṣṭika] rice is cooling, unctuous, not heavy, sweet, curative of tridiscordance and stabilising. The white variety is the best of Shashtika rice and the dark-white comes next in order.

The qualities of other kinds of rice

14. Varaka, Uddalaka [uddālaka], china [cīna], Sharada [śārada], Ujjvala, Dardura, the fragrant rice and and Kuruvinda are slightly different iu quality from the Shashtika [ṣaṣṭika] rice

The qualities of Vrihi rice

15. The Vrihi [vrīhi] rice is sweet in taste and acid after digestion, stimulative of Pitta and heavy. The Patala [pāṭala] grain causes excessive urine and feces, heat and also tri-discordance.

The Qualities of Koradua, Syamaka and other grass Grains

16.Sanwa millet along with common millet is astringent and sweet in taste, light, Vata-stimulant, diminishes Kapha and Pitta, is cooling, astringent and desiccant in action.

17. Hasti-shyamaka [hastiśyāmāka], Nivara [nīvāra], Toyaparni [toyaparṇī], job’s tears, Prashantika [praśāntika], Ambhahsyamaka [ambhaḥsyāmāka], Lauhitya, Anu [aṇu], Italian millet.

18. Mukunda, Jhintigarmuti [jhiṇṭigarmūṭī], Varuka, Varaka, Shibira [śibira], Utkta [Utkata—utkaṭa] and great millet resemble Shyamaka [śyāmāka] in their qualities.

The Qualities of Barley

19. The barley is dry, pooling, not heavy, sweet in taste, increases exccessively Vata and feces, stabilises, is astringent in action, promotive of strength and curative of the disordence of Kapha

The qualities of Bamboo barley

20. The bamboo seeds are considered to be dry, astringent in aftertaste, sweet, curative of Kapha and Pitta; they remove fat, worms and effects of poison and are strengthening.

The Qualities of Wheat

21. Wheat is. synthesizing, curative of Vata, sweet, cooling, vitalizing, roborant, aphrodisiac, unctuous, stabilizing and heavy.

The Qualities of Nandimukhi and Madhuli Varieties of grain

22. Nandi Mukhi [nāndīmukhī] and Madhuli [madhūlī] corn are sweet, unctuous and cooling. Thus ends the first section on corns ‘monocotyledons’ (Shukadhanya—śūkadhānya).