Atharvaveda and Charaka Samhita
by Laxmi Maji | 2021 | 143,541 words
This page relates ‘Shvayathu (oedema) according to Caraka’ found in the study on diseases and remedies found in the Atharvaveda and Charaka-samhita. These texts deal with Ayurveda—the ancient Indian Science of life—which lays down the principles for keeping a sound health involving the use of herbs, roots and leaves. The Atharvaveda refers to one of the four Vedas (ancient Sanskrit texts encompassing all kinds of knowledge and science) containing many details on Ayurveda, which is here taken up for study.
Śvayathu (oedema) according to Caraka
Maharṣi Caraka discusses disease of Śvayathu and treatment of Oedema or Śvayathu-cikitsā. Śvayathu means swelling or Oedema. The premonitory signs and symptoms of Śotha disease are hyper pyrexia, burning sensation in eyes, etc., and dilatation of the vessels of the locality. The general symptoms of Śvayathu disease are: heaviness, variability, swelling, rise in temperature, thinning of vessels, horripilation and discoloration of the skin over the limbs.
There are four types of Śvayathu i.e.,
- exogenous,
- endogenous,
- ekāṅgaja and
- sarvaja.
The characteristics features of Vātika type of oedema are as follows. It restores after pressure, gets subsided without any appreciable reason, and gets aggravated during day time, etc. The characteristics features of Paittika type of oedema are: burning sensation, eyes of the patient become red, and excess of burning sensation and suppuration in the affected part etc. The characteristics features of Khapaja type of oedema are as follows. It does not restore after pressure, takes a longs time to appear and its cure also takes a long time, gets aggravated at night etc.
The general treatment of this disease is contradictory measures in respect to etiology, doṣa, and season. Oedema is caused by āma. The patient should be given fasting therapy, Pācana and elimination therapies. If Oedema is located in the head, then Śirovirecana therapies should be applied. If it is located in lower part of the body, then purgation therapy should be used. And if it is located in the upper part of the body then emetic therapy should be applied. The patient suffering from oedema should avoid the following rules, which are as follows: meat, dried vegetables, newly cereals and pulses; preparations of jaggery, pastries; unwholesome food mixed together; sleep during day time; and sexual intercourse etc.
In all the three types of oedema, the patient should be given the paste of Harītakī, Nagara, Devadāru and Punarṇavā along with cow’s urine. After taking these recipes, the patient should take bath, and after the recipe is digested, he should take food along with milk. The treatment of oedema includes: Aṣṭaśatāriṣṭa, Punarṇavādyariṣṭa, Triphalādyariṣṭa, Kṛṣṇādya Cūrṇa and, ginger juice, Śilājatu and Paṭolamūlādi Kaṣāya etc. In swelling due to the poison, he should be administered anti poison measures. To be cured of swelling the following treatment are applied–fasting, bloodletting, ununctuous ointment, excision, puncturing, cauterisation etc.[1]
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
C. Cikitsāsthāna–XII.5-102; R. K. Sharma & Bhagwan Dash (eds.), Caraka Saṃhitā–Vol. III, Varanasi, Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office, 2017, pp. 483-517.