Part 9 - Diarrhoea (atisara): its causes

The following are the causes of diarrhoea:—taking of food-stuff which are heavy, too much fatty, too much coarse, much hot, mainly liquid, ill-chewed, or too much cold, incogenial by combination; taking of food before the previous meal is digested, taking of food not well cooked; taking of food at irregular hours and in excessive quantities; excessive or wrong use of oil, etc. for purpose of applying douches purgatives, and vomiting; taking of organic poison, panic, grief, much drinking of impure water, and taking of unaccustomed food, having recourse to new practices, unusual reverse of weather, excessive bath or excess of sports in water, suppressing calls of nature, and activities of worms in the intestines.

The disease is called atisara (diarrhoea) simply because it literally means an excessive discharge. What actually happens in this disease is this; the watery portion of the polluted dhatus (such constituents of the body as chyle) lessens the intensity of the digesting fire (heat in the stomach), is mixed with the stool, and is driven down by vayu in excessive quantities.