Chapter 27j - The class of Sugarcane (Ikshu)

237. Now begins the class of sugarcane and its products (Ikshu—ikṣu-varga):—

The Product of Sugarcane

The juice of the sugar-cane obtained by chewing, and sucking is aphrodisiac, cooling, laxative, unctuous, roborant, sweet and increases Kapha. The machine-pressed juice is irritating. The Vamshaka [vaṃśaka] variety is inferior to the white variety in the matter of coolness.

The qualities of Various kinds of Gur

238-239. Gur is a great increaser of worms, marrow, blood, fat and flesh. The juice of the sugar-cane boiled down to one fourth, one third or one half its original quantity is said to be coarse gur or immature gur. It is heavier in the reverse order of statement; i.e. the greater the condensation, the heavier the gur; the purified gur is that wherein there is very little impurity.

The qualities of Treacle and of Sugar candy

240. If still further purified, it turns into crude sugar; sugar-candy and crystal-sugar are extremely pure. According to its degree of purity its cooling quality is increased.

The qualities of Gur-sugar and camelthorn-Sugar

241. The sugar from gur is aphrodisiac, slightly unctuous and beneficial to those who are emaciated and suffering from pectoral lesions. The sugar prepared from Yasa or alhazi maurorum or camel thorn is astringent, sweet, cooling and slightly bitter. The qualities of Honey-sugar and of all kinds of Sugar

242. The honey-sugar is dry, curative of vomiting and diarrhea and depletive. All sugars are beneficial in thirst, hemothermia and burning.

The varieties of Honey

243. Honey is of four kinds, viz., bee honey, wasp-honey, insect-honey and large-bee-honey. Bee honey is the best of them and wasp-honey is specially heavy.

244. Bee-honey is of the color of oil and large-bee honey is said to be of the color of ghee Insect-honey is tawny and wasp-honey is stated to be white.

The General qualities of Honey

245. Honey is provocative of Vata, heavy, cooling, curative of hemothermia and Kapha disorders and is synthesizing, dry, astringent and sweet.

Its incompatibility with heat

246.Warmed honey causes death; unwarmed also, it kills patients suffering from thermal affections as it is admixed with poisonous matter during the process of accumulation. Being heavy, dry, astringent and cooling, it is wholesome in small doses.

The formidable nature of Chyme disorder due to Honey

247. There is no disease more difficult of treatment than the condition caused by the chyme-disorder induced by honey. Due to antagonism of treatment involved it kills a patient as instantly as poison.

243. In chyme-disorders, hot treatment is indicated; but hot things are contra-indicated in the chymedisorder induced by honey. Hence the chyme disorder of honey is a serious condition causing death as immediately as poison.

Honey as a Vehicle

249. As honey is composed of various substances, it is the best of vehicles. Thus ends this tenth section mainly dealing with sugar-cane products (Ikshu—ikṣu-varga).