Part 5 - Two kinds of ksharas (liquid and solid)

Ksharas are of two Muds, viz. solid and liquid. Solid ksharas are meant for external application and for use as ingredients of medicines, whereas liquid ones are for drinking in several diseases with kanji, wine, curd, milk, butter milk, or decoction of kulattha.

Liquid kshara is obtained by heating distilled solution of ashes mixed with water up to the time when the solution grows red, clear, acrid, and sticky. Further heating of this liquid kshara results in the solidification of the solution into hard kshara.

Diseases in which solid kshara is to he applied.

Hard kshara may be applied in the following diseases;—leprosy in general, kitima (keloid), dadru (ring-worm), kilasa (leucoderma), mandala (lepra), bhagandara (fistula in ano), arbuda (a kind of tumour), dusta-brana (unhealthy ulcers), nali-brana (sinus), charma-kila (condyloma), tila-kalaka (mobs), nyachha (chloasma), byanga (black spots on the face), mashaka (warts), bahya-bidradhi (external tumours), krimi (worms), bisha (poison), piles, upajihva (ranula), adhijihva (tumour on the tongue), upakusa (inflammation of the gum), danta-vaidarbha (inflammation of the gum from injury), and three sorts of rohini (diptheria).^[1]

Use of liquid Kshara.

The liquid kshara is used in toxin, gulma, udara, indigestion, colic, loss of appetite, intestinal obstruction, diabetes, stone disease, internal tumour, worms, and piles.

It is injurious in hemorrhage, fever, biliousness, diseases of children, old men, and weak men, giddiness, after-effects of drinking wine, loss of eye-sight, etc.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Allopathic classification of diseases is so vague and general that it is impossible to find a corresponding allopathic name for every name Of diseases mentioned in the Hindu science of medicine.