Chapter 27b - The group of pulses (Shamidhanya—dicotyledons)

23. Now begins the sections on pulses (dicotyledons—Shamidhanya—śamīdhānya-varga).

The Qualities of Green gram

The green gram is considered the best of pulses. It is astringent-sweet in taste, dry, cooling, pungent on digestion, light, limpid and curative of Kapha and Pitta.

The Qualities of Black gram

24. The black gram is an excellent aphrodisiac, curative of Vata, unctuous, hot, sweet, heavy, strengthening; it increases fecal matter and quickly imparts virility.

The Qualities of the Black eye-pea

25 The black eye pea is laxative, relish-giving, corrective of Kapha, semen and acid-dyspepsia. It is sweet in taste like black gram, Vata-stimulant, dry, astringent in action, limpid and heavy.

The Qualities of the Horse-gram

26. Horse-gram is hot, astringent in taste, acid on digestion and corrective of Kapha, semen and Vata, astringent in action and beneficial in cough, hiccup, dyspepsia and piles.

The Qualities of the Moth-gram

27. The moth-gram is sweet both in taste and on digestion, astringent in action, dry and cooling. It is recommended in hemothermia, in fevers and in similar conditions.

The General Qualities of Chick-pea, Lentil, Vetchling and Common pea

28. Chick-pea, lentils, vetchling and common pea are light, cooling, sweet, astringent in taste and strongly dehydrating.

The special Qualities of Lentil and Chikling vetch

29. They are recommended in Pitta and Kapha conditions and are esteemed as soups and ointmenes [ointments?]. Amongst them the lentil is astringent in action and chickling vetch is a great stimulant of Vata.

The Qualities of Til

30. Til is unctuous, hot, sweet, bitter and astringent. It is a skintonic and hair tonic, strength-giving and curative of Vata and causative of Kapha and Pitta.

The Qualities of the legumes

31. All varieties of legumes are sweet, cooling, heavy, destructive of strength and dehydrating. They should be taken only by strong persons and in conduction with unctuous articles.

32. The Shimbi [śimbi] variety of legume is dry, astringent in taste and provokes Vata in the abdomen and is nonaphrodisiac, not good for the eye and causes slow and irregular digestion.

The qualities of Pigeon pea, Babchi Seeds, Wild Senna and Lablab

33. Pigeon-pea is curative of Kapha and Pitta and stimulative of Vata. Babchi seeds and seeds of wild senna are curative of Kapha and Vata and Pitta.

The qualities Sword bean, Linseed And Cewage

34. Sword bean, linseed and cowage must be considered similar in effect to black gram. Thus is the second group of pulses i.e. dicotyledons (Shamidhanya—śamīdhānya-varga), expounded by the learned sage.