Part 1 - Causes, symptoms, and indications of indigestion

The digesting heat in the stomach may be of four different kinds, according to the different state of the doshas (or abnormal excess of vayu, pitta, and kapha). In other words an abnormal excess of kapha (phlegm) gives rise to mandagni or weakness of the digesting heat; an abnormal excess of pitta (animal heat) gives rise, to tiksnagni or intenseness of the digesting heat; abnormal excess of vayu (wind) gives rise to bisamagni or want of uniformity in the digesting heat, and an equilibrium in the condition of the three doshas gives rise to samagni or normality of the digesting heat. The first kind gives rise to diseases due to an abnormal excess of kapha; the second to diseases due to an abnormal excess of pitta, and the third gives rise to diseases due to an abnormal excess of vayu. Of all these four kinds of digesting heat, the samagni is the best. Tikshagni. in its excessiveness, is called bhusumakagni.

Causes of indigestion.

The following are the causes of indigestion, which is due to weakness of the digesting heat:—Drinking of excessive quantity of water (i.e., water drunk in excess of the quantity required to satisfy thirst), taking of food at irregular hours and in irregular quantities (see page 10), suppressing calls of nature, and sleeping in day time

Indigestion is of four kinds, viz., amajirna or indigestion due to ama (undigested part of the chyle giving rise to mucus), vidagdhajirna or jaratpitta (in which food in the stomach is putrefied before digestion, causing the putrefaction of the bile, and forming toximia), bistambhajirna (i.e, indigestion attended with flatulence), and rasa-seshajirna (explained below).

Symptoms of amjirna.—

Heaviness of the body, nausea, swelling of the cheeks and pupils of the eyes, belching of wind having the same taste as the food taken, which remains in the stomach, long undigested.

Symptoms of bidagdhajirna:—

giddiness, thirst, loss of consciousness various ailments due to pitta, belching smoke-like vapour with sour taste, perspiration, and sensation of heat.

Symptoms of bistambhajirna:—

colic, flatulence, all sorts of pain in the stomach, due to the derangement of vayu, constipation, and non-discharge of wind from the stomach, loss of consciousness, and pain in the limbs.

Symptoms of rasa-sehajirna:—

The essence of food eaten is called the “rasa” (chyle). The digested part of this chyle is transformed into blood, and the part undigested is called “rasa-shesa”. So long as this undigested part of the chyle is not digested the patient feels aversion to food, uneasiness in the heart, and heaviness of the limbs.

Symptoms of cholera, etc.

The three kinds of indigestion, referred to above, viz. ama, vistabdha, and bidagdha, give rise to visuchi, alasaka, and vilambika respectively.

Visuchi (cholera):—

In this disease, vayu (wind), vehementhy in excess, due to indigestion, gives rise to pricking sensation all over the body. Those who are acquainted with the principles of hygiene and medicine and follow them strictly are rarely attacked with this disease (except by infection). The victims of this disease are generally those persons who cannot control their desire and are greedy.

Symptoms of visuchi:—loss of consciousness, severe movement of the bowels, vomiting, thirst, pain resembling colic in the abdomen, giddiness, cramps in the hands and the feet, yawning, sensation of heat, discolouration, shivering, and pain in the breast and the head.

Alasaka.

This disease is accompanied with painful flatulence, making the patient groan and loose his senses. Wind in the abdomen, failing, to make its way downwards, force itself up and affect the heart, throat, and head, etc., giving rise some-tines to rattling sound in the abdomen. Discharge of stool and urine in this disease is completely stopped, followed by intense thirst and belching. The food taken fails to force its way, up or down, and remains undigested and unchanged in the upper region of the stomach.

Vilambika.

In this disease, food, polluted by phlegm and vayu, cannot go up or down, but remains absolutely idle and confined in the upper part of the stomach. This is more serious than alasaka.