Chapter CCXIV - Medical treatment of snake-bite, etc.

Hari said:—Serpents leave the house of him, who takes Punarnava roots pasted with water under the auspices of the asterism Pushya. O thou bull ensigned deity, he, who carries an image of Garuda, made of bear’s teeth, on his person, remains invisible to snakes all through his life. O Rudra, snakes avoid the presence of one, who takes Shalmali roots pasted with water under the auspices of the asterism Pushya. By tying Lajjaluka roots round his hands, or by smearing them with pasted Lajjaluka, a man is enabled to catch hold of Snakes without anywise imperiling his life. Roots of white Arka plants, taken pasted with water, under the auspices of the asterism Pushya, prove antidotal to Danshaka (a large kind of mosquito) poison; Karabira roots similarly taken are found to exercise a similar antitoxic virtue. Plasters of Mahakala roots pasted with Kanjikam tend to neutralise the poison of Dundubha or Bodra (Boa) snakes. Tanduliyaka-roots taken pasted with rice-washings through the medium of clarified butter (honey according to others) prove antidotal to all kinds of poison. Either Nily roots, or Lajjaluka roots taken pasted with rice-washings prove remedial to Danshaka-poison. The expressed juice of a Kushmanda creeper taken with the admixture of treacle, sugar and milk tends to neutralise the poison of a Danshaka. Yashtimadhu taken with its own weight of sugar through the medium of milk proves antidotal to mole-poison. Gargles of cold water arrest salivation due to the irritation of the mucous membrane of the mouth through chewing betel leaves. Clarified butter taken with sugar relieves the intoxication of wine. O thou supreme deity, potions of black Ankata roots boiled with water, or errhines of decoctions of black Ankota roots prove remedial, within three days, to any slow poison retained in the system. Warm clarified butter, taken with the admixture of rock salt, relieves, O thou supreme deity, the pain of a scorpion-bite. O thou blissful one, a compound consisting of Kusumbham, Kumkum, Haritalam, Manah-shila Karanjam, and Arka roots pasted together, and internally administered, proves antidotal to all kinds of poison. Dregs of oils found in burning oil-lamps, as well as the expressed juice of Kharjuraka undoubtedly neutralise the poison, O Shiva, in cases of centipede (scolopendra) bites. O Rudra, a fumigation of the seat of the bite with the vapours of burning bdellium is sure to neutralise the poison in a case of centipede-bite. Fumigations with the vapours of burning Ankota leaves would prove beneficial in cases of bites by rats. Plasters composed of Nageshvaram, Maricham, Shunthi, and Tagarpaduka pasted together with water would prove antidotal to bee-stings, or the seat of the sting should be otherwise plastered with Shatapushpa and rocksalt pasted together with clarified butter. Plasters composed of Shirisha seeds cooked with milk would certainly destroy the poison, O thou supreme deity, in cases of Dundura (poisonous rats) bites. O thou moon-crested one, the expressed juice of Dhusturam administered with the admixture of milk and treacle proves curative in cases of bites by rabid dogs (Hydrophobia). Gargles of a decoction of Vata, Nimva and Shami barks relieve the pain in the mouth due to the effects of a poison. Plasters of Devadaru and Gairikam pasted together with water, or of Nageshvaram, Haridra, Daru-Haridra and Manjishta pasted together with water prove remidial to spider-poisons. Plasters composed of Karanja seeds, Varuna bark, Tilah and Sarshapa pasted together would undoubtedly destroy all kinds of poison (venob).