Ayurveda and interesting study – an article on the net

Quest for good health and long life is probably as old as human existence itself. Human beings have always believed that they are entitled to die of old age rather than disease. Towards this goal they have striven at spiritual as well as material level. Evil spirits were sought to be driven off through charms, incantation and magic , with appeal made to the Creator to be the Saviour and Healer also. At the same time, recourse was taken to medication also. The premise that disease has a cause and efforts need to be made to remove it eventually led to the establishment of a health care system.

The beginnings of medical science in India are contained in the Vedic literature itself. The Rgveda describes the Asvins, Varuna and Rudra as bhisaj, physicians (Macdonell & Keith 1912 II:104) . By bhesaj is meant “remedy”, incorporating charms, magic, incantation, etc.. This concept goes back to the era of Indo-Iranian commonality because equivalent terms occur in the Avestan literature as well: manthra baesaza [mantra bhesaj] and haoma baesazya [soma bhesajya] ( Bloomfield 1899:58). At the same time , the Vedic literature is familiar with osadhi, that is plants with medicinal properties. As time progressed, the domain of osadhi expanded at the expense of bhesaj, and osadhi itself transcended plants. The discipline of Ayurveda was born as an affiliate of the Atharvaveda.

Made up of two Sanskrit words Ayuh (life) and Veda (knowledge), Ayurveda can be defined as an ancient Indian health care system, comprising both practice and theory, and devoted to a systematized quest for a long, healthy, vigorous and happy life. It comprises two distinct traditions: botanical and the metallurgical (“rasa”). The botanical is the older. The metallurgical with emphasis on mercury constitutes the Siddha system.

That these two streams have always been perceived as distinct can be seen from the fact that they are linked to different divinities: the botanical to the Asvins and Indra, and the metallurgical to Rudra/Siva (Ramachandra Rao 1985 I:62,80}. There are eight divisions (anga) in Ayurveda : salya-tantra (surgery); salakya-tantra (diseases of head and neck); kaya-cikitsa (general medicine); bhuta-vidya ( dealing with evil spirits, etc.); kaumara-bhrtya (paediatrics) ; agada-tantra (toxicology) ; rasayana-tantra; and vajikarana-tantra (dealing with aphrodisiacs, etc.)..

There is a vast literature on the subject, spread over a long span of time. To be able to critically examine the issues pertaining to the origins and evolution of Ayurveda, we must first review the nature, content and limitations of the extant source material. Here, our emphasis will be on the botanical Ayurveda

Source material

The Vedic texts because of their sanctity were preserved in their original form. In the case of the Puranas and the epics, additions were made but not deletions. In contrast, scientific texts such as dealing in healthcare and astronomy generally underwent both deletion and addition. All the well known historical limitations of an oral tradition apply to Ayurveda also. Once an influential text appeared on the scene, contributing and lesser texts were forgotten. We learn about their existence from stray references in survived texts. As befit a field science, Ayurvedic classics were often redacted. We know only about the final or the latest recension. There is often confusion about names. It is not always possible to distinguish between persons of the same name but belonging to different eras. Many names remain shadowy, even though in their own time they would have been held in high esteem. Lesser authors are known to name their work after past celebrities so as to enhance their own work.

Chronology remains a serious problem , made worse by non-rigorous research’s passing off wild guesses as firm dates. It should always be borne in mind that in most cases, it is not possible to assign any date to an author or a text. In some cases, because of reference in texts or authors whose dates are independently known, useful time brackets can be assigned. Some times reference in dated literature from outside India gives a firm upper time limit. In short, it is not possible to construct a connected evolutionary history of Ayurveda.

Influential texts

The two basic texts are Caraka-samhita, dealing with inner medicine or therapeutics (kaya-cikitsa) , and Susruta-samhita, dedicated to surgery (salya). We discuss below these and other major Ayurvedic texts. They all essentially deal with botanical Ayurveda. Use of metals as medication along with the philosophy thereof constitutes a special tradition with its own literature.

Caraka-samhita , Susruta-samhita and Vagbhata’s Astanga-samgraha (5^th century AD) have been termed Ayurveda’s great triad ( brihat-trayi) or ancient triad (vrddha-trayi) , while three later texts , Madhava-nidana (7^th / 8^th cent. AD), Sarngadhara- samhita (AD 1226) and Bhava-prakasa (16^th cent. AD) have been called the three minor classics (laghu-trayi) .In the following we review some of the influential Ayurvedic texts

Caraka-samhita (?-? cent. AD) . Atreya ( son or descendent of Atri) is mentioned as a pioneer in medicine, and Dhanvantari in surgery. Assumed historical , both are of great but uncertain antiquity. Six pupils of Atreya are named : Agnivesa, Jatukarna, Bhela (also spelt Bheda), Harita, Ksirapani ( or Ksarapani) and Parasara). All of them are believed to have composed their own texts based on their Guru’s teachings, but only two have reached us. Bhela-samhita became a dead end, but it is historically valuable because it remains in its original form , unlike Agnivesa-tantra which led to greater things, but lost its own identity in the process. It was redacted by Caraka who, on the basis of his widely accepted association with Kanishka can be place in second century AD.

Even Caraka’s work did not survive in its original form. With time , one third of it was lost and the remainder became inadequate. The missing parts were supplied and the whole redacted by Drdhabala, an inhabitant of Panchanada-pura, in Kashmir, at the confluence of Indus and Jhelum, identified with present-day Panjor or Panchpanor ( Ramachandra Rao 1985 I:56). Unfortunately, he cannot be dated with any certainty, except that he cannot be earlier than 4^th century AD ( See Navanitaka, below). It is his edition that we now know as Caraka-samhita.

Susruta-samhita (?-2 cent. AD). The surgery classic Susruta-samhita follows the same broad pattern as the Caraka-samhita , in the sense that it is also three-layered, but less details are known. The original text was codified by Susruta, of great but uncertain antiquity, on the basis of teachings of Dhanvantari. Devoted exclusively to surgery , it carried the name Sausruta-tantra. Later, a supplement was added with the tell tale title Uttar-tantra( later treatise), ” which treated all subjects unnoticed” by the main text, no doubt to make the text self-contained. To give the whole text an appearance of thematic unity, the anonymous author of Uttar-tantra has also been dubbed Susruta ( so that we have Susruta I and Susruta II).The whole text was redacted by Nagarjuna under the present-day title Susruta-samhita. From the extant text it is not possible to isolate the original Sausruta-tantra from the extant Susruta-samhita. It has been suggested [ by Dalhan see below] that Nagarjuna himself is Susruta II. Nagarjuna is very likely the great Mahayana master and alchemist , who is associated with King Kanishka, and therefore placed in first/second century AD ( Ramachandra Rao 1985 I:95). (There are later persons with the same name also.) It has even been suggested that as with Caraka, Susruta ( meaning famous) should be seen as a personification rather than a person. It thus appears that the final version of Susruta-samhita and the Caraka redaction of Caraka-samhita came into being at about the same time , of Kanishka.

Navanitaka, Bower manuscript (4^th cent. AD). Authentic written information on where Indian medicine stood in fourth century AD comes from an unexpected source, a birch-bark manuscript from Kucha ( also called Kuchar) in eastern Turkistan, on an ancient silk route. (Kucha is now the seat of a county in the Aksu prefecture, Xinjiang, China.) Buddhism was introduced in Kucha in first century AD and by the third/fourth century AD it was a major Buddhist centre with numerous monasteries.

An important part of the Bower manuscript , so-called after its purchaser, Lieut. Hamilton Bower, is the digest called Navnitaka ( “cream churned from curd”), which lists useful medical formulae culled from the then available sources. The digest is merely a copy , probably second hand, of a still older original. On paleographical grounds the manuscript has been dated about AD 350. Its contents must be somewhat earlier.

The listed formulae span a wide range: from hair wash and medicated oils to treatment of childless women. Interestingly , no source is cited in many cases: they mostly turn out to be standard treatises which presumably were expected to be well-known. A comparative study reveals that twenty nine formulae are copied from the pre-Drdhabala portion of Caraka-samhita, suggesting that his own redaction was still in the future. Another fifteen come from Bhela-samhita. Three more formulae , dealing with atisara (diarrhea),are taken verbatim from Bhela-samhita. These three figure in Susruta-samhita’ s Uttar-tantra also , but in a different wording. We thus learn that Bhela was a source for Uttar-tantra. The older part of Susruta-samhita lends three formulae.

In case of some of the formulae, however, the authors are named. To the extent they can be identified, they are from the archives (Atreya and his four lesser pupils and others like Jivaka and Dhanvantari) . As befits a scientific work, latest scholarship was considered more important than old masters.

Astanga-samgraha ( 6^th cent. AD). The two classics, the Caraka and the Susruta, “are to an extent rambling and discursive” (Ramachandra Rao 1985 I:24).Their essential details have been “neatly collected” in the voluminous and comprehensive medical treatise Astanga-samgraha, prepared by Vagbhata, who is probably also the author of Astanga-hrdya- samhita, based on the former. ( Like the astronomer Aryabhata, Vagbhata also has a single `t’ in his name.) Astanga-samgraha is the first medical text to incorporate astrological concepts. It is claimed that diseases which originate during different stellar (naksatra) conjunctions follow different courses. One wonders if Vagbhata’s source on matters astrological was Varahamihira 6^th cent. AD), because Varahamihira quotes a verse on rasayana from Astanga-samhita (Rama Rao 1992:216). This would suggest that Vagbhata was a contemporary of Varahamihira and therefore lived in the sixth century AD. This date would be broadly consistent with the well known fact that the Chinese Buddhist monk I-tsing who was in India during AD 673-685 seems to implicitly refer to Astanga-samgraha.

Madhava-nidana (7^th / 8^th cent. AD). An outstanding work on diagnosis of diseases has been Rog-viniscaya ( or Rug-viniscaya) authored by Madhava-kara , a native of Silahrada in Bengal and placed in the seventh/eighth century AD. The work is better known after him as Madhava-nidana. Madhava draws heavily on Caraka-samhita, Susruta-samhita, Astanga-hrdya- samhita and to a lesser degree on others including Astanga-samgraha. Some parts seem to have been Madhava’s own contribution unless they are borrowed from texts no more extant. All matter has been integrated and arranged in a coherent and systematic manner. No wonder then that Madhava-nidana itself has been the subject of a large number of commentaries (Meulenbeld 1992:243-246) . It has continued to be “an indispensable aid to physicians for over a thousand years”. With Vagbhata and Madhava-kara, “Ayurveda became highly systematized, its pharmacopoeia expanded, and treatment procedures got refined” ( Ramachandra Rao 1985 I:9). Madhava-nidana was translated into Arabic during the 9th century and into Italian in 1913-14.

Ayurveda-dipika (11^th cent. AD ). An influential commentary on Caraka-samhita, “widely relied upon by Indian physicians” is Caraka-tatparya- tika, better known as Ayurveda-dipika, composed by Cakrapani-datta (11^th century AD), a native of Bengal. The Caraka we know is the Caraka constructed by Drdhabala and Cakrapani-datta. The latter also wrote an incomplete commentary on Susruta-samhita, called Bhanumati.

Nibandha-samgraha (12^th cent. AD ) . The most celebrated commentary on Susruta-samhita, called Nibandha-samgraha, was composed by Dalhana ( also spelt Dallana), who lived in 12^th century AD, at a place called Ankola near Mathura. Dalhana was a practising physician, who travelled extensively to acquaint himself with popular knowledge about plants and details of their medicinal use. He incorporated local health care knowledge into formal texts by Sanskritizing many local plant names. In addition, he was a widely-read scholar. His justly famous commentary provides a wealth of other information as well.

Sarngadhara- samhita (AD 1226) . A “short but solid text-book” is Sarngadhara- samhita, composed in AD 1226 by Sarngadhara. Prescriptions are copied from earlier works , but diseases are dealt with more elaborately Pulse examination ( nadi-pariksha) for diagnostic purposes appears here for the first time. ” This is the oldest work in which calcinations and similar metallurgical techniques are dealt with.”

Bhava-prakasa (16^th cent. AD). The most famous of the later texts is Bhava Misra’s Bhava-prakasa, the oldest manuscript of which ( now in Tubingen) is dated AD 1558. The text “repeats earlier accounts and formulae” but also adds new diseases and cures. Small pox (masurika) is described as “possession by the goddess Sitala”, and an invocation to her included among the remedies . Notably, it is the first Indian text to describe syphilis , which is called phiranga (“foreigner” ), and attributed to physical contact with the Portuguese.

Bhava-prakasa has a celebrated pharmacological supplement, called Bhava-prakasa- nighantu. It describes drugs ( herbs, metals, foodstuffs, honey, etc.).It mentions use of Chopa-chini (dvipantara- vacha) to cure syphilis (firanga-roga) .

Materia Medica

While the theoretical framework of Ayurveda has remained more or less the same, the knowledge about drugs has expanded. New things were learnt about old drugs, and incorporated into the texts by coinage of new terms and synonyms. Iksuraka was dubbed Kokilaksaka to denote “the colour and shape of seeds .(Raghunathan & Dube:393). Kunkuma had been called Bahlika after its source of supply. Vagbhata called it Kasmiraja, to convey the important information that it grew in Kashmir also.

It was a common practice to prepare a drug directory-cum- handbook as an aid to the physician. When prepared as a stand-alone, it was called Nighantu, the term being borrowed from the Vedic literature.

The Vedic corpus names about 260 herbs. Kautilya’a Artha-sastra 330.The number increases to 385 in Susruta-samhita and to 500 in Caraka-samhita. The celebrated Bhava-prakasa- nighantu (16^th century, referred to above) provides information on about 500 plant products of which about 400 are of actual drug value. There have been more recent compilations as well. Most of the physicians work with about 600 Ayurvedic drugs. (Ramachandra Rao 1985 :75)

(Paper presented at Seminar on “Science and Technology in India’s Past”, organized by Aligarh Historians Society at Delhi University, during the 68^th Indian History Congress, 29-30 December 2007.)

References

Bloomfield, M.(1899)The Atharvaveda (Strasbourg: Trubner) [Reprint New Delhi : Asian Publication Services,1976]

Chattopadhyaya, D.P. (!977) Science and Society in Ancient India , Reprint 1979.( Calcutta : Research India Publication)

Kutumbiah, P. (1969) Ancient Indian Medicine, 2^nd ed. (Bombay: Orient Longman)

Macdonell, A.A. and Keith, A.B. (1912) Vedic Index of Names and Subjects, 2 vols.( Reprinted , Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1982)

Meulenbeld, G.J.(1992) Madhava’s work on Nidana and Cikitsa. In: Sharma (1992), pp.243-258

Mukhopadhyaya, Girindranath (1922-1929) History of Indian Medicine, three volumes.( Calcutta: Calcutta University) [Reprinted, Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal,2003]

Raghunathan, K. and Dube, S.D. (1992) Dravyaguna (Pharmacology) .In ; Sharma(1992) ,pp. 391-397

Ramachandra Rao, S.K. (1985) Encyclopaedia of Indian Medicine, Vol. I : Historical Perspective. Reprint 1998 (Mumbai: Popular Prakashan)

Rama Rao, B. (1992) Vagbhata. In : Sharma (1992),pp205- 222

Sharma, Priya Vrata (1982) (ed.) Dalhana and His Comments on Drugs (Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal)

Sharma, Priya Vrata (1992) (ed.) History of Medicine in India : From Antiquity to 1000 AD ( New Delhi : Indian National Science Academy)//

Ayurveda and interesting study – an article on the net

Quest for good health and long life is probably as old as human existence itself. Human beings have always believed that they are entitled to die of old age rather than disease. Towards this goal they have striven at spiritual as well as material level. Evil spirits were sought to be driven off through charms, incantation and magic , with appeal made to the Creator to be the Saviour and Healer also. At the same time, recourse was taken to medication also. The premise that disease has a cause and efforts need to be made to remove it eventually led to the establishment of a health care system.

The beginnings of medical science in India are contained in the Vedic literature itself. The Rgveda describes the Asvins, Varuna and Rudra as bhisaj, physicians (Macdonell & Keith 1912 II:104) . By bhesaj is meant “remedy”, incorporating charms, magic, incantation, etc.. This concept goes back to the era of Indo-Iranian commonality because equivalent terms occur in the Avestan literature as well: manthra baesaza [mantra bhesaj] and haoma baesazya [soma bhesajya] ( Bloomfield 1899:58). At the same time , the Vedic literature is familiar with osadhi, that is plants with medicinal properties. As time progressed, the domain of osadhi expanded at the expense of bhesaj, and osadhi itself transcended plants. The discipline of Ayurveda was born as an affiliate of the Atharvaveda.

Made up of two Sanskrit words Ayuh (life) and Veda (knowledge), Ayurveda can be defined as an ancient Indian health care system, comprising both practice and theory, and devoted to a systematized quest for a long, healthy, vigorous and happy life. It comprises two distinct traditions: botanical and the metallurgical (“rasa”). The botanical is the older. The metallurgical with emphasis on mercury constitutes the Siddha system.

That these two streams have always been perceived as distinct can be seen from the fact that they are linked to different divinities: the botanical to the Asvins and Indra, and the metallurgical to Rudra/Siva (Ramachandra Rao 1985 I:62,80}. There are eight divisions (anga) in Ayurveda : salya-tantra (surgery); salakya-tantra (diseases of head and neck); kaya-cikitsa (general medicine); bhuta-vidya ( dealing with evil spirits, etc.); kaumara-bhrtya (paediatrics) ; agada-tantra (toxicology) ; rasayana-tantra; and vajikarana-tantra (dealing with aphrodisiacs, etc.)..

There is a vast literature on the subject, spread over a long span of time. To be able to critically examine the issues pertaining to the origins and evolution of Ayurveda, we must first review the nature, content and limitations of the extant source material. Here, our emphasis will be on the botanical Ayurveda

Source material

The Vedic texts because of their sanctity were preserved in their original form. In the case of the Puranas and the epics, additions were made but not deletions. In contrast, scientific texts such as dealing in healthcare and astronomy generally underwent both deletion and addition. All the well known historical limitations of an oral tradition apply to Ayurveda also. Once an influential text appeared on the scene, contributing and lesser texts were forgotten. We learn about their existence from stray references in survived texts. As befit a field science, Ayurvedic classics were often redacted. We know only about the final or the latest recension. There is often confusion about names. It is not always possible to distinguish between persons of the same name but belonging to different eras. Many names remain shadowy, even though in their own time they would have been held in high esteem. Lesser authors are known to name their work after past celebrities so as to enhance their own work.

Chronology remains a serious problem , made worse by non-rigorous research’s passing off wild guesses as firm dates. It should always be borne in mind that in most cases, it is not possible to assign any date to an author or a text. In some cases, because of reference in texts or authors whose dates are independently known, useful time brackets can be assigned. Some times reference in dated literature from outside India gives a firm upper time limit. In short, it is not possible to construct a connected evolutionary history of Ayurveda.

Influential texts

The two basic texts are Caraka-samhita, dealing with inner medicine or therapeutics (kaya-cikitsa) , and Susruta-samhita, dedicated to surgery (salya). We discuss below these and other major Ayurvedic texts. They all essentially deal with botanical Ayurveda. Use of metals as medication along with the philosophy thereof constitutes a special tradition with its own literature.

Caraka-samhita , Susruta-samhita and Vagbhata’s Astanga-samgraha (5^th century AD) have been termed Ayurveda’s great triad ( brihat-trayi) or ancient triad (vrddha-trayi) , while three later texts , Madhava-nidana (7^th / 8^th cent. AD), Sarngadhara- samhita (AD 1226) and Bhava-prakasa (16^th cent. AD) have been called the three minor classics (laghu-trayi) .In the following we review some of the influential Ayurvedic texts

Caraka-samhita (?-? cent. AD) . Atreya ( son or descendent of Atri) is mentioned as a pioneer in medicine, and Dhanvantari in surgery. Assumed historical , both are of great but uncertain antiquity. Six pupils of Atreya are named : Agnivesa, Jatukarna, Bhela (also spelt Bheda), Harita, Ksirapani ( or Ksarapani) and Parasara). All of them are believed to have composed their own texts based on their Guru’s teachings, but only two have reached us. Bhela-samhita became a dead end, but it is historically valuable because it remains in its original form , unlike Agnivesa-tantra which led to greater things, but lost its own identity in the process. It was redacted by Caraka who, on the basis of his widely accepted association with Kanishka can be place in second century AD.

Even Caraka’s work did not survive in its original form. With time , one third of it was lost and the remainder became inadequate. The missing parts were supplied and the whole redacted by Drdhabala, an inhabitant of Panchanada-pura, in Kashmir, at the confluence of Indus and Jhelum, identified with present-day Panjor or Panchpanor ( Ramachandra Rao 1985 I:56). Unfortunately, he cannot be dated with any certainty, except that he cannot be earlier than 4^th century AD ( See Navanitaka, below). It is his edition that we now know as Caraka-samhita.

Susruta-samhita (?-2 cent. AD). The surgery classic Susruta-samhita follows the same broad pattern as the Caraka-samhita , in the sense that it is also three-layered, but less details are known. The original text was codified by Susruta, of great but uncertain antiquity, on the basis of teachings of Dhanvantari. Devoted exclusively to surgery , it carried the name Sausruta-tantra. Later, a supplement was added with the tell tale title Uttar-tantra( later treatise), ” which treated all subjects unnoticed” by the main text, no doubt to make the text self-contained. To give the whole text an appearance of thematic unity, the anonymous author of Uttar-tantra has also been dubbed Susruta ( so that we have Susruta I and Susruta II).The whole text was redacted by Nagarjuna under the present-day title Susruta-samhita. From the extant text it is not possible to isolate the original Sausruta-tantra from the extant Susruta-samhita. It has been suggested [ by Dalhan see below] that Nagarjuna himself is Susruta II. Nagarjuna is very likely the great Mahayana master and alchemist , who is associated with King Kanishka, and therefore placed in first/second century AD ( Ramachandra Rao 1985 I:95). (There are later persons with the same name also.) It has even been suggested that as with Caraka, Susruta ( meaning famous) should be seen as a personification rather than a person. It thus appears that the final version of Susruta-samhita and the Caraka redaction of Caraka-samhita came into being at about the same time , of Kanishka.

Navanitaka, Bower manuscript (4^th cent. AD). Authentic written information on where Indian medicine stood in fourth century AD comes from an unexpected source, a birch-bark manuscript from Kucha ( also called Kuchar) in eastern Turkistan, on an ancient silk route. (Kucha is now the seat of a county in the Aksu prefecture, Xinjiang, China.) Buddhism was introduced in Kucha in first century AD and by the third/fourth century AD it was a major Buddhist centre with numerous monasteries.

An important part of the Bower manuscript , so-called after its purchaser, Lieut. Hamilton Bower, is the digest called Navnitaka ( “cream churned from curd”), which lists useful medical formulae culled from the then available sources. The digest is merely a copy , probably second hand, of a still older original. On paleographical grounds the manuscript has been dated about AD 350. Its contents must be somewhat earlier.

The listed formulae span a wide range: from hair wash and medicated oils to treatment of childless women. Interestingly , no source is cited in many cases: they mostly turn out to be standard treatises which presumably were expected to be well-known. A comparative study reveals that twenty nine formulae are copied from the pre-Drdhabala portion of Caraka-samhita, suggesting that his own redaction was still in the future. Another fifteen come from Bhela-samhita. Three more formulae , dealing with atisara (diarrhea),are taken verbatim from Bhela-samhita. These three figure in Susruta-samhita’ s Uttar-tantra also , but in a different wording. We thus learn that Bhela was a source for Uttar-tantra. The older part of Susruta-samhita lends three formulae.

In case of some of the formulae, however, the authors are named. To the extent they can be identified, they are from the archives (Atreya and his four lesser pupils and others like Jivaka and Dhanvantari) . As befits a scientific work, latest scholarship was considered more important than old masters.

Astanga-samgraha ( 6^th cent. AD). The two classics, the Caraka and the Susruta, “are to an extent rambling and discursive” (Ramachandra Rao 1985 I:24).Their essential details have been “neatly collected” in the voluminous and comprehensive medical treatise Astanga-samgraha, prepared by Vagbhata, who is probably also the author of Astanga-hrdya- samhita, based on the former. ( Like the astronomer Aryabhata, Vagbhata also has a single `t’ in his name.) Astanga-samgraha is the first medical text to incorporate astrological concepts. It is claimed that diseases which originate during different stellar (naksatra) conjunctions follow different courses. One wonders if Vagbhata’s source on matters astrological was Varahamihira 6^th cent. AD), because Varahamihira quotes a verse on rasayana from Astanga-samhita (Rama Rao 1992:216). This would suggest that Vagbhata was a contemporary of Varahamihira and therefore lived in the sixth century AD. This date would be broadly consistent with the well known fact that the Chinese Buddhist monk I-tsing who was in India during AD 673-685 seems to implicitly refer to Astanga-samgraha.

Madhava-nidana (7^th / 8^th cent. AD). An outstanding work on diagnosis of diseases has been Rog-viniscaya ( or Rug-viniscaya) authored by Madhava-kara , a native of Silahrada in Bengal and placed in the seventh/eighth century AD. The work is better known after him as Madhava-nidana. Madhava draws heavily on Caraka-samhita, Susruta-samhita, Astanga-hrdya- samhita and to a lesser degree on others including Astanga-samgraha. Some parts seem to have been Madhava’s own contribution unless they are borrowed from texts no more extant. All matter has been integrated and arranged in a coherent and systematic manner. No wonder then that Madhava-nidana itself has been the subject of a large number of commentaries (Meulenbeld 1992:243-246) . It has continued to be “an indispensable aid to physicians for over a thousand years”. With Vagbhata and Madhava-kara, “Ayurveda became highly systematized, its pharmacopoeia expanded, and treatment procedures got refined” ( Ramachandra Rao 1985 I:9). Madhava-nidana was translated into Arabic during the 9th century and into Italian in 1913-14.

Ayurveda-dipika (11^th cent. AD ). An influential commentary on Caraka-samhita, “widely relied upon by Indian physicians” is Caraka-tatparya- tika, better known as Ayurveda-dipika, composed by Cakrapani-datta (11^th century AD), a native of Bengal. The Caraka we know is the Caraka constructed by Drdhabala and Cakrapani-datta. The latter also wrote an incomplete commentary on Susruta-samhita, called Bhanumati.

Nibandha-samgraha (12^th cent. AD ) . The most celebrated commentary on Susruta-samhita, called Nibandha-samgraha, was composed by Dalhana ( also spelt Dallana), who lived in 12^th century AD, at a place called Ankola near Mathura. Dalhana was a practising physician, who travelled extensively to acquaint himself with popular knowledge about plants and details of their medicinal use. He incorporated local health care knowledge into formal texts by Sanskritizing many local plant names. In addition, he was a widely-read scholar. His justly famous commentary provides a wealth of other information as well.

Sarngadhara- samhita (AD 1226) . A “short but solid text-book” is Sarngadhara- samhita, composed in AD 1226 by Sarngadhara. Prescriptions are copied from earlier works , but diseases are dealt with more elaborately Pulse examination ( nadi-pariksha) for diagnostic purposes appears here for the first time. ” This is the oldest work in which calcinations and similar metallurgical techniques are dealt with.”

Bhava-prakasa (16^th cent. AD). The most famous of the later texts is Bhava Misra’s Bhava-prakasa, the oldest manuscript of which ( now in Tubingen) is dated AD 1558. The text “repeats earlier accounts and formulae” but also adds new diseases and cures. Small pox (masurika) is described as “possession by the goddess Sitala”, and an invocation to her included among the remedies . Notably, it is the first Indian text to describe syphilis , which is called phiranga (“foreigner” ), and attributed to physical contact with the Portuguese.

Bhava-prakasa has a celebrated pharmacological supplement, called Bhava-prakasa- nighantu. It describes drugs ( herbs, metals, foodstuffs, honey, etc.).It mentions use of Chopa-chini (dvipantara- vacha) to cure syphilis (firanga-roga) .

Materia Medica

While the theoretical framework of Ayurveda has remained more or less the same, the knowledge about drugs has expanded. New things were learnt about old drugs, and incorporated into the texts by coinage of new terms and synonyms. Iksuraka was dubbed Kokilaksaka to denote “the colour and shape of seeds .(Raghunathan & Dube:393). Kunkuma had been called Bahlika after its source of supply. Vagbhata called it Kasmiraja, to convey the important information that it grew in Kashmir also.

It was a common practice to prepare a drug directory-cum- handbook as an aid to the physician. When prepared as a stand-alone, it was called Nighantu, the term being borrowed from the Vedic literature.

The Vedic corpus names about 260 herbs. Kautilya’a Artha-sastra 330.The number increases to 385 in Susruta-samhita and to 500 in Caraka-samhita. The celebrated Bhava-prakasa- nighantu (16^th century, referred to above) provides information on about 500 plant products of which about 400 are of actual drug value. There have been more recent compilations as well. Most of the physicians work with about 600 Ayurvedic drugs. (Ramachandra Rao 1985 :75)

(Paper presented at Seminar on “Science and Technology in India’s Past”, organized by Aligarh Historians Society at Delhi University, during the 68^th Indian History Congress, 29-30 December 2007.)

References

Bloomfield, M.(1899)The Atharvaveda (Strasbourg: Trubner) [Reprint New Delhi : Asian Publication Services,1976]

Chattopadhyaya, D.P. (!977) Science and Society in Ancient India , Reprint 1979.( Calcutta : Research India Publication)

Kutumbiah, P. (1969) Ancient Indian Medicine, 2^nd ed. (Bombay: Orient Longman)

Macdonell, A.A. and Keith, A.B. (1912) Vedic Index of Names and Subjects, 2 vols.( Reprinted , Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1982)

Meulenbeld, G.J.(1992) Madhava’s work on Nidana and Cikitsa. In: Sharma (1992), pp.243-258

Mukhopadhyaya, Girindranath (1922-1929) History of Indian Medicine, three volumes.( Calcutta: Calcutta University) [Reprinted, Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal,2003]

Raghunathan, K. and Dube, S.D. (1992) Dravyaguna (Pharmacology) .In ; Sharma(1992) ,pp. 391-397

Ramachandra Rao, S.K. (1985) Encyclopaedia of Indian Medicine, Vol. I : Historical Perspective. Reprint 1998 (Mumbai: Popular Prakashan)

Rama Rao, B. (1992) Vagbhata. In : Sharma (1992),pp205- 222

Sharma, Priya Vrata (1982) (ed.) Dalhana and His Comments on Drugs (Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal)

Sharma, Priya Vrata (1992) (ed.) History of Medicine in India : From Antiquity to 1000 AD ( New Delhi : Indian National Science Academy)//

NUTRITION

NUTRITION UPDATES

TO PREVENT STROKE DRINK TEA! Prevent buildup of fatty deposits on artery walls with regular doses of tea. (actually, tea suppresses my appetite and keeps the pounds from invading…. Green tea is great for our immune system)!

INSOMNIA (CAN’T SLEEP?) HONEY! Use honey as a tranquilizer and sedative.

ASTHMA? EAT ONIONS!!!! Eating onions helps ease constriction of bronchial tubes. (when I was young, my mother would make onion packs to place on our chest, helped the respiratory ailments and actually made us breathe better).
ARTHRITIS? EAT FISH, TOO!!Salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines actually prevent arthritis. (fish has omega oils, good for our immune system)

UPSET STOMACH? BANANAS – GINGER!!!!! Bananas will settle an upset stomach. Ginger will cure morning sickness and nausea.

BLADDER INFECTION? DRINK CRANBERRY JUICE!!!! High-acid cranberry juice controls harmful bacteria.

BONE PROBLEMS? EAT PINEAPPLE!!! Bone fractures and osteoporosis can be prevented by the manganese in pineapple.

PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME? EAT CORNFLAKES!! !! Women can ward off the effects of PMS with cornflakes, which help reduce depression, anxiety and fatigue.

MEMORY PROBLEMS? EAT OYSTERS! Oysters help improve your mental functioning by supplying much-needed zinc.

COLDS? EAT GARLIC! Clear up that stuffy head with garlic. (remember, garlic lowers cholesterol, too.)

COUGHING? USE RED PEPPERS!! A substance similar to that found in the cough syrups is found in hot red pepper. Use red (cayenne) pepper with caution-it can irritate your tummy.

BREAST CANCER? EAT Wheat, bran and cabbage Helps to maintain estrogen at healthy levels.

LUNG CANCER? EAT DARK GREEN AND ORANGE AND VEGGIES!!! A good antidote is beta carotene, a form of Vitamin A found in dark green and orange vegetables.

ULCERS? EAT CABBAGE ALSO!!! Cabbage contains chemicals that help heal both gastric and duodenal ulcers.

DIARRHEA? EAT APPLES! Grate an apple with its skin, let it turn brown and eat it to cure this condition. (Bananas are good for this ailment)

CLOGGED ARTERIES? EAT AVOCADO! Mono unsaturated fat in avocados lowers cholesterol.

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE? EAT CELERY AND OLIVE OIL!!! Olive oil has been shown to lower blood pressure. Celery contains a chemical that lowers pressure too.

BLOOD SUGAR IMBALANCE? EAT BROCCOLI AND PEANUTS!!! The chromium in broccoli and peanuts helps regulate insulin and blood sugar.

HEADACHE? EAT FISH! Eat plenty of fish — fish oil helps prevent headaches. So does ginger, which reduces inflammation and pain.

HAY FEVER? EAT YOGURT! Eat lots of yogurt before pollen season. Also-eat honey from your area (local region) daily.

Kiwi: Tiny but mighty. This is a good source of potassium, magnesium, Vitamin E &fiber. It’s Vitamin C content is twice that of an orange.
Apple: An apple a day keeps the doctor away? Although an apple has a low Vitamin C content, it has antioxidants &flavonoids which enhances the activity of Vitamin C thereby helping to lower the risks of colon cancer, heart attack & stroke.
Strawberry: Protective fruit. Strawberries have the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits &protects the body from cancer causing, blood vessels clogging free radicals. (Actually, any berry is good for you..they’re high in anti-oxidants and they actually keep us young……. ..blueberries are the best and very versatile in the health field……. .they get rid of all the free-radicals that invade our bodies)
Orange : Sweetest medicine. Taking 2 – 4 oranges a day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent & dissolve kidney stones as well as lessen the risk of colon cancer.

Watermelon: Coolest Thirst Quencher. Composed of 92% water, it is also packed with a giant dose of glutathione which helps boost our immune system. They are also a key source of lycopene – the cancer fighting oxidant. Other nutrients found in watermelon are Vitamin C &Potassium. (watermelon also has natural substances [natural SPF sources] that keep our skin healthy, protecting our skin from those darn suv rays)

Guava &Papaya: Top awards for Vitamin C. They are the clear winners for their high Vitamin C content. Guava is also rich in fiber which helps prevent constipation.
Papaya is rich in carotene, this is good for your eyes. (also good for gas and indigestion)
Tomatoes are very good as a preventative measure for men, keeps those prostrate problems from invading their bodies.

NUTRITION

NUTRITION UPDATES

TO PREVENT STROKE DRINK TEA! Prevent buildup of fatty deposits on artery walls with regular doses of tea. (actually, tea suppresses my appetite and keeps the pounds from invading…. Green tea is great for our immune system)!

INSOMNIA (CAN’T SLEEP?) HONEY! Use honey as a tranquilizer and sedative.

ASTHMA? EAT ONIONS!!!! Eating onions helps ease constriction of bronchial tubes. (when I was young, my mother would make onion packs to place on our chest, helped the respiratory ailments and actually made us breathe better).
ARTHRITIS? EAT FISH, TOO!!Salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines actually prevent arthritis. (fish has omega oils, good for our immune system)

UPSET STOMACH? BANANAS – GINGER!!!!! Bananas will settle an upset stomach. Ginger will cure morning sickness and nausea.

BLADDER INFECTION? DRINK CRANBERRY JUICE!!!! High-acid cranberry juice controls harmful bacteria.

BONE PROBLEMS? EAT PINEAPPLE!!! Bone fractures and osteoporosis can be prevented by the manganese in pineapple.

PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME? EAT CORNFLAKES!! !! Women can ward off the effects of PMS with cornflakes, which help reduce depression, anxiety and fatigue.

MEMORY PROBLEMS? EAT OYSTERS! Oysters help improve your mental functioning by supplying much-needed zinc.

COLDS? EAT GARLIC! Clear up that stuffy head with garlic. (remember, garlic lowers cholesterol, too.)

COUGHING? USE RED PEPPERS!! A substance similar to that found in the cough syrups is found in hot red pepper. Use red (cayenne) pepper with caution-it can irritate your tummy.

BREAST CANCER? EAT Wheat, bran and cabbage Helps to maintain estrogen at healthy levels.

LUNG CANCER? EAT DARK GREEN AND ORANGE AND VEGGIES!!! A good antidote is beta carotene, a form of Vitamin A found in dark green and orange vegetables.

ULCERS? EAT CABBAGE ALSO!!! Cabbage contains chemicals that help heal both gastric and duodenal ulcers.

DIARRHEA? EAT APPLES! Grate an apple with its skin, let it turn brown and eat it to cure this condition. (Bananas are good for this ailment)

CLOGGED ARTERIES? EAT AVOCADO! Mono unsaturated fat in avocados lowers cholesterol.

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE? EAT CELERY AND OLIVE OIL!!! Olive oil has been shown to lower blood pressure. Celery contains a chemical that lowers pressure too.

BLOOD SUGAR IMBALANCE? EAT BROCCOLI AND PEANUTS!!! The chromium in broccoli and peanuts helps regulate insulin and blood sugar.

HEADACHE? EAT FISH! Eat plenty of fish — fish oil helps prevent headaches. So does ginger, which reduces inflammation and pain.

HAY FEVER? EAT YOGURT! Eat lots of yogurt before pollen season. Also-eat honey from your area (local region) daily.

Kiwi: Tiny but mighty. This is a good source of potassium, magnesium, Vitamin E &fiber. It’s Vitamin C content is twice that of an orange.
Apple: An apple a day keeps the doctor away? Although an apple has a low Vitamin C content, it has antioxidants &flavonoids which enhances the activity of Vitamin C thereby helping to lower the risks of colon cancer, heart attack & stroke.
Strawberry: Protective fruit. Strawberries have the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits &protects the body from cancer causing, blood vessels clogging free radicals. (Actually, any berry is good for you..they’re high in anti-oxidants and they actually keep us young……. ..blueberries are the best and very versatile in the health field……. .they get rid of all the free-radicals that invade our bodies)
Orange : Sweetest medicine. Taking 2 – 4 oranges a day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent & dissolve kidney stones as well as lessen the risk of colon cancer.

Watermelon: Coolest Thirst Quencher. Composed of 92% water, it is also packed with a giant dose of glutathione which helps boost our immune system. They are also a key source of lycopene – the cancer fighting oxidant. Other nutrients found in watermelon are Vitamin C &Potassium. (watermelon also has natural substances [natural SPF sources] that keep our skin healthy, protecting our skin from those darn suv rays)

Guava &Papaya: Top awards for Vitamin C. They are the clear winners for their high Vitamin C content. Guava is also rich in fiber which helps prevent constipation.
Papaya is rich in carotene, this is good for your eyes. (also good for gas and indigestion)
Tomatoes are very good as a preventative measure for men, keeps those prostrate problems from invading their bodies.

NUTRITION

NUTRITION UPDATES

TO PREVENT STROKE DRINK TEA! Prevent buildup of fatty deposits on artery walls with regular doses of tea. (actually, tea suppresses my appetite and keeps the pounds from invading…. Green tea is great for our immune system)!

INSOMNIA (CAN’T SLEEP?) HONEY! Use honey as a tranquilizer and sedative.

ASTHMA? EAT ONIONS!!!! Eating onions helps ease constriction of bronchial tubes. (when I was young, my mother would make onion packs to place on our chest, helped the respiratory ailments and actually made us breathe better).
ARTHRITIS? EAT FISH, TOO!!Salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines actually prevent arthritis. (fish has omega oils, good for our immune system)

UPSET STOMACH? BANANAS – GINGER!!!!! Bananas will settle an upset stomach. Ginger will cure morning sickness and nausea.

BLADDER INFECTION? DRINK CRANBERRY JUICE!!!! High-acid cranberry juice controls harmful bacteria.

BONE PROBLEMS? EAT PINEAPPLE!!! Bone fractures and osteoporosis can be prevented by the manganese in pineapple.

PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME? EAT CORNFLAKES!! !! Women can ward off the effects of PMS with cornflakes, which help reduce depression, anxiety and fatigue.

MEMORY PROBLEMS? EAT OYSTERS! Oysters help improve your mental functioning by supplying much-needed zinc.

COLDS? EAT GARLIC! Clear up that stuffy head with garlic. (remember, garlic lowers cholesterol, too.)

COUGHING? USE RED PEPPERS!! A substance similar to that found in the cough syrups is found in hot red pepper. Use red (cayenne) pepper with caution-it can irritate your tummy.

BREAST CANCER? EAT Wheat, bran and cabbage Helps to maintain estrogen at healthy levels.

LUNG CANCER? EAT DARK GREEN AND ORANGE AND VEGGIES!!! A good antidote is beta carotene, a form of Vitamin A found in dark green and orange vegetables.

ULCERS? EAT CABBAGE ALSO!!! Cabbage contains chemicals that help heal both gastric and duodenal ulcers.

DIARRHEA? EAT APPLES! Grate an apple with its skin, let it turn brown and eat it to cure this condition. (Bananas are good for this ailment)

CLOGGED ARTERIES? EAT AVOCADO! Mono unsaturated fat in avocados lowers cholesterol.

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE? EAT CELERY AND OLIVE OIL!!! Olive oil has been shown to lower blood pressure. Celery contains a chemical that lowers pressure too.

BLOOD SUGAR IMBALANCE? EAT BROCCOLI AND PEANUTS!!! The chromium in broccoli and peanuts helps regulate insulin and blood sugar.

HEADACHE? EAT FISH! Eat plenty of fish — fish oil helps prevent headaches. So does ginger, which reduces inflammation and pain.

HAY FEVER? EAT YOGURT! Eat lots of yogurt before pollen season. Also-eat honey from your area (local region) daily.

Kiwi: Tiny but mighty. This is a good source of potassium, magnesium, Vitamin E &fiber. It’s Vitamin C content is twice that of an orange.
Apple: An apple a day keeps the doctor away? Although an apple has a low Vitamin C content, it has antioxidants &flavonoids which enhances the activity of Vitamin C thereby helping to lower the risks of colon cancer, heart attack & stroke.
Strawberry: Protective fruit. Strawberries have the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits &protects the body from cancer causing, blood vessels clogging free radicals. (Actually, any berry is good for you..they’re high in anti-oxidants and they actually keep us young……. ..blueberries are the best and very versatile in the health field……. .they get rid of all the free-radicals that invade our bodies)
Orange : Sweetest medicine. Taking 2 – 4 oranges a day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent & dissolve kidney stones as well as lessen the risk of colon cancer.

Watermelon: Coolest Thirst Quencher. Composed of 92% water, it is also packed with a giant dose of glutathione which helps boost our immune system. They are also a key source of lycopene – the cancer fighting oxidant. Other nutrients found in watermelon are Vitamin C &Potassium. (watermelon also has natural substances [natural SPF sources] that keep our skin healthy, protecting our skin from those darn suv rays)

Guava &Papaya: Top awards for Vitamin C. They are the clear winners for their high Vitamin C content. Guava is also rich in fiber which helps prevent constipation.
Papaya is rich in carotene, this is good for your eyes. (also good for gas and indigestion)
Tomatoes are very good as a preventative measure for men, keeps those prostrate problems from invading their bodies.

Home Remedies for SINUSITIS

Home Remedies for SINUSITIS

Sinusitis refers to an inflammation of the mucous membrane lining the paranasal sinuses. It often follows a common cold, influenza, and other general infections. Infecting germs sometimes find their way into sinuses or chambers on either side of the nasal passage, leading to sinus trouble.
Sinusitis symptoms
Constant sneezing, headaches and low grade fever
The symptoms of sinusitis are excessive or constant sneezing ; a running nose; blockage of one or both nostrils; headaches and pressure around the head, eyes, and face. Sinus headaches are usually felt in the forehead and in the face just below the eyes.The patient may suffer from low grade fever, lack of appetite, and difficulty in breathing
Sinusitis causes
Inflammation of the sinus passages
Sinusitis results from the inflammation of the sinus passages and oversecretion of mucus by the membranes lining the nose and throat
Home Remedies for Sinusitis
Sinusitis treatment using Mango
The liberal use of mangoes during the season is considered an effective remedy for prevention and treatment of sinusitis. Mangoes contribute towards formation of healthy epithelium, thereby preventing frequent attacks of common infections like sinusitis. This is attributable to a high concentration of vitamin A in the fruit
Sinusitis treatment using Garlic and Onion
The use of pungent foods like garlic and onion is one of the most effective remedies for sinus problems. One should begin with small mild doses and increase them gradually. Beneficial results can also be achieved by adding these herbs in moderate amounts to regular meals
Sinusitis treatment using Fenugreek
The seeds of fenugreek are another effective remedy for sinusitis. A tea prepared by boiling one teaspoon of seeds in 250 ml of water till it is reduced to half, will help the body to produce perspiration, dispel toxicity, and shorten the period of fever in the acute stage of the disease. Upto four cups should be taken daily. The quantity should be reduced as the condition improves
Sinusitis treatment using Cumin Seeds
A teaspoon of black cumin seeds tied in a thin cotton cloth can provide relief when inhaled. The condition can also be relieved by taking a mixture of 100 gm of roasted and ground cumin seeds and 200 gm of pure honey
Sinusitis treatment using Vegetable Juices
Carrot juice, taken separately or in combination with juices of beet and cucumber, or with spinach juice, has been found beneficial in the treatment of sinus trouble. In the case of combined juices, 100 ml each of beet and cucumber juices, or 200 ml of spinach juice, should be mixed with 300ml of carrot juice to make 500 ml or half a litre of the mixed juice
Sinusitis treatment using Vitamins A and C
A diet rich in vitamin A is the best insurance against cold and sinus trouble. Vitamin A is the ‘membrane conditioner’ and it helps build healthy mucous membranes in the nose and throat. Some of the valuable sources of this vitamin are whole milk, curds, egg yolk, pumpkin, carrots, leafy vegetables, tomatoes, mangoes, and papaya. When the sinus trouble has already developed, relief can be obtained by taking vitamin A in large therapeutic doses of 25,000 IU per day. Vitamin C has also proved beneficial in the treatment of sinusitis and the patient should take one gram of this vitamin per day in two therapeutic doses of 500 mg each
Diet for Sinusitis
Fresh fruit and vegetable juices with water
In the acute stage of the disease, when fever is present, the patient should abstain from all solid foods and drink only fresh fruit and vegetable juices diluted with warm water on a 50:50 basis
Well-balanced diet
After the fever subsides, he may adopt a low-calorie, raw fruit and vegetable diet with plenty of raw juices. Once the acute symptoms are over, the patient may gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet, with emphasis on seeds, nuts, grains, vegetables, and fruits. In persistent chronic conditions, repeated short juice fasts may be undertaken for a week or so at intervals of two months
Avoid fried and starchy food
The patient should avoid fried and starchy foods, white sugar, white floor, rice, macaroni products, pies, cakes, and candies
Other Sinusitis treatments
Hot and cold water application
A cold application over the sinus will give great relief, while alternate hot and cold applications also prove beneficial. Take pans of hot and cold water, bathe the whole face with hot water as hot as you can bear-and then apply cold water for a short duration
Inhalation of steam, proper sleep and adequate rest
Nasal inhalation of steam for five minutes every hour will also give relief. Plenty of sleep, adequate rest, and fresh air are essential in the treatment of sinus trouble
Avoid perfumes and scented hair oil.

Home Remedies for SINUSITIS

Home Remedies for SINUSITIS

Sinusitis refers to an inflammation of the mucous membrane lining the paranasal sinuses. It often follows a common cold, influenza, and other general infections. Infecting germs sometimes find their way into sinuses or chambers on either side of the nasal passage, leading to sinus trouble.
Sinusitis symptoms
Constant sneezing, headaches and low grade fever
The symptoms of sinusitis are excessive or constant sneezing ; a running nose; blockage of one or both nostrils; headaches and pressure around the head, eyes, and face. Sinus headaches are usually felt in the forehead and in the face just below the eyes.The patient may suffer from low grade fever, lack of appetite, and difficulty in breathing
Sinusitis causes
Inflammation of the sinus passages
Sinusitis results from the inflammation of the sinus passages and oversecretion of mucus by the membranes lining the nose and throat
Home Remedies for Sinusitis
Sinusitis treatment using Mango
The liberal use of mangoes during the season is considered an effective remedy for prevention and treatment of sinusitis. Mangoes contribute towards formation of healthy epithelium, thereby preventing frequent attacks of common infections like sinusitis. This is attributable to a high concentration of vitamin A in the fruit
Sinusitis treatment using Garlic and Onion
The use of pungent foods like garlic and onion is one of the most effective remedies for sinus problems. One should begin with small mild doses and increase them gradually. Beneficial results can also be achieved by adding these herbs in moderate amounts to regular meals
Sinusitis treatment using Fenugreek
The seeds of fenugreek are another effective remedy for sinusitis. A tea prepared by boiling one teaspoon of seeds in 250 ml of water till it is reduced to half, will help the body to produce perspiration, dispel toxicity, and shorten the period of fever in the acute stage of the disease. Upto four cups should be taken daily. The quantity should be reduced as the condition improves
Sinusitis treatment using Cumin Seeds
A teaspoon of black cumin seeds tied in a thin cotton cloth can provide relief when inhaled. The condition can also be relieved by taking a mixture of 100 gm of roasted and ground cumin seeds and 200 gm of pure honey
Sinusitis treatment using Vegetable Juices
Carrot juice, taken separately or in combination with juices of beet and cucumber, or with spinach juice, has been found beneficial in the treatment of sinus trouble. In the case of combined juices, 100 ml each of beet and cucumber juices, or 200 ml of spinach juice, should be mixed with 300ml of carrot juice to make 500 ml or half a litre of the mixed juice
Sinusitis treatment using Vitamins A and C
A diet rich in vitamin A is the best insurance against cold and sinus trouble. Vitamin A is the ‘membrane conditioner’ and it helps build healthy mucous membranes in the nose and throat. Some of the valuable sources of this vitamin are whole milk, curds, egg yolk, pumpkin, carrots, leafy vegetables, tomatoes, mangoes, and papaya. When the sinus trouble has already developed, relief can be obtained by taking vitamin A in large therapeutic doses of 25,000 IU per day. Vitamin C has also proved beneficial in the treatment of sinusitis and the patient should take one gram of this vitamin per day in two therapeutic doses of 500 mg each
Diet for Sinusitis
Fresh fruit and vegetable juices with water
In the acute stage of the disease, when fever is present, the patient should abstain from all solid foods and drink only fresh fruit and vegetable juices diluted with warm water on a 50:50 basis
Well-balanced diet
After the fever subsides, he may adopt a low-calorie, raw fruit and vegetable diet with plenty of raw juices. Once the acute symptoms are over, the patient may gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet, with emphasis on seeds, nuts, grains, vegetables, and fruits. In persistent chronic conditions, repeated short juice fasts may be undertaken for a week or so at intervals of two months
Avoid fried and starchy food
The patient should avoid fried and starchy foods, white sugar, white floor, rice, macaroni products, pies, cakes, and candies
Other Sinusitis treatments
Hot and cold water application
A cold application over the sinus will give great relief, while alternate hot and cold applications also prove beneficial. Take pans of hot and cold water, bathe the whole face with hot water as hot as you can bear-and then apply cold water for a short duration
Inhalation of steam, proper sleep and adequate rest
Nasal inhalation of steam for five minutes every hour will also give relief. Plenty of sleep, adequate rest, and fresh air are essential in the treatment of sinus trouble
Avoid perfumes and scented hair oil.

Home Remedies for SINUSITIS

Home Remedies for SINUSITIS

Sinusitis refers to an inflammation of the mucous membrane lining the paranasal sinuses. It often follows a common cold, influenza, and other general infections. Infecting germs sometimes find their way into sinuses or chambers on either side of the nasal passage, leading to sinus trouble.
Sinusitis symptoms
Constant sneezing, headaches and low grade fever
The symptoms of sinusitis are excessive or constant sneezing ; a running nose; blockage of one or both nostrils; headaches and pressure around the head, eyes, and face. Sinus headaches are usually felt in the forehead and in the face just below the eyes.The patient may suffer from low grade fever, lack of appetite, and difficulty in breathing
Sinusitis causes
Inflammation of the sinus passages
Sinusitis results from the inflammation of the sinus passages and oversecretion of mucus by the membranes lining the nose and throat
Home Remedies for Sinusitis
Sinusitis treatment using Mango
The liberal use of mangoes during the season is considered an effective remedy for prevention and treatment of sinusitis. Mangoes contribute towards formation of healthy epithelium, thereby preventing frequent attacks of common infections like sinusitis. This is attributable to a high concentration of vitamin A in the fruit
Sinusitis treatment using Garlic and Onion
The use of pungent foods like garlic and onion is one of the most effective remedies for sinus problems. One should begin with small mild doses and increase them gradually. Beneficial results can also be achieved by adding these herbs in moderate amounts to regular meals
Sinusitis treatment using Fenugreek
The seeds of fenugreek are another effective remedy for sinusitis. A tea prepared by boiling one teaspoon of seeds in 250 ml of water till it is reduced to half, will help the body to produce perspiration, dispel toxicity, and shorten the period of fever in the acute stage of the disease. Upto four cups should be taken daily. The quantity should be reduced as the condition improves
Sinusitis treatment using Cumin Seeds
A teaspoon of black cumin seeds tied in a thin cotton cloth can provide relief when inhaled. The condition can also be relieved by taking a mixture of 100 gm of roasted and ground cumin seeds and 200 gm of pure honey
Sinusitis treatment using Vegetable Juices
Carrot juice, taken separately or in combination with juices of beet and cucumber, or with spinach juice, has been found beneficial in the treatment of sinus trouble. In the case of combined juices, 100 ml each of beet and cucumber juices, or 200 ml of spinach juice, should be mixed with 300ml of carrot juice to make 500 ml or half a litre of the mixed juice
Sinusitis treatment using Vitamins A and C
A diet rich in vitamin A is the best insurance against cold and sinus trouble. Vitamin A is the ‘membrane conditioner’ and it helps build healthy mucous membranes in the nose and throat. Some of the valuable sources of this vitamin are whole milk, curds, egg yolk, pumpkin, carrots, leafy vegetables, tomatoes, mangoes, and papaya. When the sinus trouble has already developed, relief can be obtained by taking vitamin A in large therapeutic doses of 25,000 IU per day. Vitamin C has also proved beneficial in the treatment of sinusitis and the patient should take one gram of this vitamin per day in two therapeutic doses of 500 mg each
Diet for Sinusitis
Fresh fruit and vegetable juices with water
In the acute stage of the disease, when fever is present, the patient should abstain from all solid foods and drink only fresh fruit and vegetable juices diluted with warm water on a 50:50 basis
Well-balanced diet
After the fever subsides, he may adopt a low-calorie, raw fruit and vegetable diet with plenty of raw juices. Once the acute symptoms are over, the patient may gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet, with emphasis on seeds, nuts, grains, vegetables, and fruits. In persistent chronic conditions, repeated short juice fasts may be undertaken for a week or so at intervals of two months
Avoid fried and starchy food
The patient should avoid fried and starchy foods, white sugar, white floor, rice, macaroni products, pies, cakes, and candies
Other Sinusitis treatments
Hot and cold water application
A cold application over the sinus will give great relief, while alternate hot and cold applications also prove beneficial. Take pans of hot and cold water, bathe the whole face with hot water as hot as you can bear-and then apply cold water for a short duration
Inhalation of steam, proper sleep and adequate rest
Nasal inhalation of steam for five minutes every hour will also give relief. Plenty of sleep, adequate rest, and fresh air are essential in the treatment of sinus trouble
Avoid perfumes and scented hair oil.

Home Remedies for COMMON COLD —RUNNING NOSE

Home Remedies for COMMON COLD —RUNNING NOSE
COMMON COLD / RUNNING NOSE

A common cold, also known as acute coryza, is an inflammation of the upper respiratory tract caused by infection with common cold viruses. A common cold occurs more often than any other disease – hence, its name. A person may suffer from a common fold several times in a year. A cold usually lasts from three to ten days. The patient feels miserable for the first three days or so.

Common Cold Symptoms
Soreness of throat, congestion of nasal passages
The initial signs of a cold are a feeling of soreness of the throat and congestion of the nasal passages. Although the disease normally begins in the nose and throat, it affects all parts of the body.
Running nose, Sneezing, headache, chill
Its usual symptoms are a running nose, sneezing, a rise in temperature, headache, sore throat, chill, aches and pains in the body, and loss of appetite. The skin around the nostrils may become sore.
Causes of Common Cold
Exposure to the virus
A common cold results from exposure to the virus. Its intensity, however, depends upon the state of health of the person and environmental factors.
Exposure to cold, low vitality, dust, changes in temperature
Low vitality, exposure to cold, lack of sleep, mental depression, fatigue, and factors such as sudden changes in temperature, dust, and other irritating inhalations are important contributory causes.

Common Cold Home Remedies
Common Cold treatment using Lemon
Lemon is the most important among the many home remedies for common cold. It is beneficial in all types of cold with fever. Vitamin C-rich lemon juice increases body resistance, decreases toxicity and reduces the duration of the illness. One lemon should be diluted in a glass of warm water, and a teaspoon of honey should be added to it. This should be taken once or twice daily.
Common Cold treatment using Garlic
Garlic soup is an old remedy to reduce the severity of a cold, and should be taken once daily. The soup can be prepared by boiling three or four cloves of chopped garlic in a cup of water. Garlic contains antiseptic and antispasmodic properties, besides several other medicinal virtues. The oil contained in this vegetable helps to open up the respiratory passages. In soup form, it flushes out all toxins from the system and thus helps bring down fever. Five drops of garlic oil combined with a teaspoon of onion juice, and diluted in a cup of water, should be drunk two to three times a day. This has also been found to be very effective in the treatment of common cold.
Common Cold treatment using Ginger
Ginger is another excellent remedy for colds and coughs. About ten grams of ginger should be cut into small pieces and boiled in a cup of water. It should then be strained and half a teaspoon of sugar added to it. This decoction should be drunk when hot. Ginger tea, prepared by adding a few pieces of ginger into boiled water before adding the tea leaves, is also an effective remedy for colds and for fevers resulting from cold. It may be taken twice daily.
Common Cold treatment using Lady’s Fingers
Lady’s fingers are highly valuable in treating irritation of the throat and a persistent dry cough. This vegetable is rich in mucilage and acts as a drug to allay irritation, swelling, and pain. About 100 gm of lady’s fingers should be cut into pieces, and boiled down in half a litre of water to make a decoction. The steam issuing from this decoction may also be inhaled once or twice a day to relieve throat irritation and a dry cough.
Common Cold treatment using Bitter Gourd Roots
The roots of the bitter gourd plant are used in folk medicine to cure a cold. A teaspoon of the root paste, mixed with an equal quantity of honey or tulsi leaf juice, given once every night for a month, acts as an excellent medicine for colds.
Common Cold treatment using Turmeric
Turmeric is an effective remedy for colds and throat irritations. Half a teaspoon of fresh turmeric powder mixed in 30 ml of warm milk, and taken once or twice daily, is a useful prescription for these conditions. Turmeric powder should be put into a hot ladle. Milk should then be poured in it and boiled over a slow fire. This mixture should then be drunk by the patient. In case of a running cold, smoke from the burning turmeric should be inhaled. It will increase the discharge from the nose and provide quick relief.
Common Cold treatment using Tamarind and Pepper
Tamarind-pepper rasam is also considered an effective home remedy for a cold in South India. Dilute 50 mg tamarind in 250 ml of water. Boil the diluted tamarind water for a few minutes with a teaspoon of hot ghee and half a teaspoon of black pepper powder. This steaming hot rasam has a flushing effect, and should be taken three times a day. As one takes it, the nose and eyes water and the nasal blockage is cleared.
Common Cold treatment using Vitamin C
Regular intake of vitamin C-75 mg for adults and 35 mg for children-will prevent the common cold. If, however, a cold has already appeared, large doses of this vitamin will relieve the symptoms and shorten its duration. He estimates that one to two grams (1000 mg to 2000 mg) per day is approximately the optimum amount of this vitamin for this purpose. His advice is to swallow one or two 500mg tablets of vitamin C at the appearance of the first sign of the cold and continue the treatment by taking one to two 500 mg tablets daily.
Home Remedies for Stuffy Nose
Inhale turmeric fumes, for this tie some turmeric in a clean cloth and light it. Boil some water and allow it to cool, now add ¼ teaspoon table salt to it. Put 2 to 3 drops of this solution in your both the nostrils before meals and going to bed. Mix natural apple cider vinegar and water in equal parts. Boil this solution in a pan, when the fumes rises lean over the pan and inhale the fumes. Prepare a solution using 4 drops of Lavender Essential Oil and Pine Essential Oil, 3 drops of Peppermint Essential Oil and 7 drops of Eucalyptus Essential Oil. Inhale vapors of this solution by putting it on a cotton ball or an aromatherapy diffuser.

Dietaries for Common Cold
Abstain solid foods, drink fruit and vegetable juices
During the acute stage of the cold, when fever is present, the patient should abstain from all solid foods and only drink fruit and vegetable juices, diluted with water.
Well-balanced diet of seeds, nuts
After the acute symptoms are over, the patient can gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet, consisting of seeds, nuts, grains, vegetables, and fruits.
Avoid meat, fish, eggs and starchy foods
It is advisable to avoid meat, fish, eggs, cheese, and starchy foods.

Other Common Cold treatments
Mild sunbath, fresh air, deep breathing, sound sleep etc
Other useful measures in the treatment of a common cold are a mild sunbath, fresh air and deep breathing, brisk walks, sound sleep, and adjustment of one’s clothes and habits to the requirements of the season so as to nullify the effect of weather fluctuations.

Home Remedies for COMMON COLD —RUNNING NOSE

Home Remedies for COMMON COLD —RUNNING NOSE
COMMON COLD / RUNNING NOSE

A common cold, also known as acute coryza, is an inflammation of the upper respiratory tract caused by infection with common cold viruses. A common cold occurs more often than any other disease – hence, its name. A person may suffer from a common fold several times in a year. A cold usually lasts from three to ten days. The patient feels miserable for the first three days or so.

Common Cold Symptoms
Soreness of throat, congestion of nasal passages
The initial signs of a cold are a feeling of soreness of the throat and congestion of the nasal passages. Although the disease normally begins in the nose and throat, it affects all parts of the body.
Running nose, Sneezing, headache, chill
Its usual symptoms are a running nose, sneezing, a rise in temperature, headache, sore throat, chill, aches and pains in the body, and loss of appetite. The skin around the nostrils may become sore.
Causes of Common Cold
Exposure to the virus
A common cold results from exposure to the virus. Its intensity, however, depends upon the state of health of the person and environmental factors.
Exposure to cold, low vitality, dust, changes in temperature
Low vitality, exposure to cold, lack of sleep, mental depression, fatigue, and factors such as sudden changes in temperature, dust, and other irritating inhalations are important contributory causes.

Common Cold Home Remedies
Common Cold treatment using Lemon
Lemon is the most important among the many home remedies for common cold. It is beneficial in all types of cold with fever. Vitamin C-rich lemon juice increases body resistance, decreases toxicity and reduces the duration of the illness. One lemon should be diluted in a glass of warm water, and a teaspoon of honey should be added to it. This should be taken once or twice daily.
Common Cold treatment using Garlic
Garlic soup is an old remedy to reduce the severity of a cold, and should be taken once daily. The soup can be prepared by boiling three or four cloves of chopped garlic in a cup of water. Garlic contains antiseptic and antispasmodic properties, besides several other medicinal virtues. The oil contained in this vegetable helps to open up the respiratory passages. In soup form, it flushes out all toxins from the system and thus helps bring down fever. Five drops of garlic oil combined with a teaspoon of onion juice, and diluted in a cup of water, should be drunk two to three times a day. This has also been found to be very effective in the treatment of common cold.
Common Cold treatment using Ginger
Ginger is another excellent remedy for colds and coughs. About ten grams of ginger should be cut into small pieces and boiled in a cup of water. It should then be strained and half a teaspoon of sugar added to it. This decoction should be drunk when hot. Ginger tea, prepared by adding a few pieces of ginger into boiled water before adding the tea leaves, is also an effective remedy for colds and for fevers resulting from cold. It may be taken twice daily.
Common Cold treatment using Lady’s Fingers
Lady’s fingers are highly valuable in treating irritation of the throat and a persistent dry cough. This vegetable is rich in mucilage and acts as a drug to allay irritation, swelling, and pain. About 100 gm of lady’s fingers should be cut into pieces, and boiled down in half a litre of water to make a decoction. The steam issuing from this decoction may also be inhaled once or twice a day to relieve throat irritation and a dry cough.
Common Cold treatment using Bitter Gourd Roots
The roots of the bitter gourd plant are used in folk medicine to cure a cold. A teaspoon of the root paste, mixed with an equal quantity of honey or tulsi leaf juice, given once every night for a month, acts as an excellent medicine for colds.
Common Cold treatment using Turmeric
Turmeric is an effective remedy for colds and throat irritations. Half a teaspoon of fresh turmeric powder mixed in 30 ml of warm milk, and taken once or twice daily, is a useful prescription for these conditions. Turmeric powder should be put into a hot ladle. Milk should then be poured in it and boiled over a slow fire. This mixture should then be drunk by the patient. In case of a running cold, smoke from the burning turmeric should be inhaled. It will increase the discharge from the nose and provide quick relief.
Common Cold treatment using Tamarind and Pepper
Tamarind-pepper rasam is also considered an effective home remedy for a cold in South India. Dilute 50 mg tamarind in 250 ml of water. Boil the diluted tamarind water for a few minutes with a teaspoon of hot ghee and half a teaspoon of black pepper powder. This steaming hot rasam has a flushing effect, and should be taken three times a day. As one takes it, the nose and eyes water and the nasal blockage is cleared.
Common Cold treatment using Vitamin C
Regular intake of vitamin C-75 mg for adults and 35 mg for children-will prevent the common cold. If, however, a cold has already appeared, large doses of this vitamin will relieve the symptoms and shorten its duration. He estimates that one to two grams (1000 mg to 2000 mg) per day is approximately the optimum amount of this vitamin for this purpose. His advice is to swallow one or two 500mg tablets of vitamin C at the appearance of the first sign of the cold and continue the treatment by taking one to two 500 mg tablets daily.
Home Remedies for Stuffy Nose
Inhale turmeric fumes, for this tie some turmeric in a clean cloth and light it. Boil some water and allow it to cool, now add ¼ teaspoon table salt to it. Put 2 to 3 drops of this solution in your both the nostrils before meals and going to bed. Mix natural apple cider vinegar and water in equal parts. Boil this solution in a pan, when the fumes rises lean over the pan and inhale the fumes. Prepare a solution using 4 drops of Lavender Essential Oil and Pine Essential Oil, 3 drops of Peppermint Essential Oil and 7 drops of Eucalyptus Essential Oil. Inhale vapors of this solution by putting it on a cotton ball or an aromatherapy diffuser.

Dietaries for Common Cold
Abstain solid foods, drink fruit and vegetable juices
During the acute stage of the cold, when fever is present, the patient should abstain from all solid foods and only drink fruit and vegetable juices, diluted with water.
Well-balanced diet of seeds, nuts
After the acute symptoms are over, the patient can gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet, consisting of seeds, nuts, grains, vegetables, and fruits.
Avoid meat, fish, eggs and starchy foods
It is advisable to avoid meat, fish, eggs, cheese, and starchy foods.

Other Common Cold treatments
Mild sunbath, fresh air, deep breathing, sound sleep etc
Other useful measures in the treatment of a common cold are a mild sunbath, fresh air and deep breathing, brisk walks, sound sleep, and adjustment of one’s clothes and habits to the requirements of the season so as to nullify the effect of weather fluctuations.