Part 2 - Treatment of irregularity of the digesting heat

Bhasmakagni or abnormal intensity of hunger is appeased by taking bark of udumbara, pestled with human milk. Rice and bark of udumbara, boiled with human milk and sugar, serve the same purpose. The following are also beneficial to those suffering from bhasmakagni:—such food and herbs as baffalos’ milk which is heavy and nutritious, but giving rise to phlegm; and sleeping in day time.

A patient suffering from bhasmakagni should be allowed to take food> even before the previous meal is completely digested; otherwise, the digesting fire in the stomach may dry up the dhatus or constituent ingredients of the body, in the absence of a sufficient quantity of food to consume, leading even to the death of the patient.

It is desirable to vomit in amajirna, to fast in vidagdha-jirna, to foment the abdomen in vistabdhajirna, and to fast and sleep in day time in rasashesa-jirna.

Food putrefied by pitta, before the former is digested, may quickly be digested by coming in contact with cold water, which, by its coolness, does away with pitta which then turns into a sort of dirt, capable of moving downwards. (It is therefore desirable, in vidagdhajirna, to drink cold water only, without eating anything else.)

In vistabdhajirna, it is desirable to foment the abdomen and to drink saline water. In rasa-shesa-jirna, the following are beneficial:—sleeping in day time, fasting, and staying at a place protected from draughts of air.