Part 7 - Fasting in nava-jvara

Persons fit to fast should fast one night, one day and night or three days according to the extent of the excesses of the doshas. After remission of fever, whole some diet should be taken according to appetite. Patients should fast in such a way as not to lose strength, for, recovery depends solely upon this. During fever or after remission, light diet should be given to a patient once in the latter part of the day, when the digestive fire in the stomach grows strong by the pacification of excess of phlegm in the system.

The following persons are unfit to fast.

Persons stricken with diseases due to an excess of wind, thirst, hunger, dryness of mouth and giddiness; pregnant women, boys, old men, the meek, the timid, phthisis patients, persons fatigued with walking and other kinds of labour, angry men, those suffering from cough and asthma, and those attacked with chronic fever and fever due to an excess of vayu. Fasting is, however, to be observed by a patient suffering from an excess of vayu, if there is an excess of mucus in the system, (i.e. in rheumatic fevers). Fasting is for bidden for those who drink water in empty stomach early in the morning a little before sunrise. Fasting is considered desirable in rheumatic fever for the digestion of ama (i.e, the undigested part of the chyle), but it should not be continued after the latter is digested.

In the case of diseases due to an excess of vayu only, the system cannot stand fasting even for a moment, after ama is digested, but this is not the case with diseases due to an excess of kapha (phlegm) and pitta, where fasting may be considered necessary for reducing these two doshas into their normal state, even after the digestion of ama, Both kapha (phlegm) and pitta (excess of animal heat, vitiating blood and being reduced to a liquid form) are in a state of liquid, and can therefore stand fasting.

Ama means that part of the rasa (chyle) which is left undigested on account of shortage of digestive fire in the stomach. Ama gives rise to all sorts of diseases (if accumulated in the system, either in the form of mucus, or in other forms).