Garuda Mahā Purana - Achara Khaṇḍa
169 - Diseases
Dhanvantari said:
1. In order to distinguish between what is wholesome and what is not, I shall tell you the rules of proper food and drink. The red species of Shali (paddy) dispels the excess of all the three doshas. It removes thirst and fat.
2. Maháshali is a good aphrodisiac. Kalama dispels both Kapha and Pitta. The Gauraşhaşhţika generally dispels the three doșhas and is heavy. It is Shita in potency (cooling).
3. Shyamāka is absorbant, parchifying and productive of Váyu principle. It dispels Kapha and Pitta. Similar properties are observed in Priyangu, Nīvāra and Koradūşha species of food grains.
4. Yava (barley) taken frequently generates Väyu, Shita in potency and dispels Kapha and pitta. Godhūma (wheat) is an aphrodisiac and cooling in potency. It dispels Váyu. It is sweet and heavy.
5. Mudga1 pulse dispels excess of Kapha, Pitta and blood. It is astringent, sweet and light. Maşha2 (Black gram) is strengthening, aphrodisiac and heavy. It dispels Pitta and Kapha.
1. Phaseolus mungo.
2.Phaseolus radiatus.
6. The Rājamáşha3 is not an aphrodisiac. It dispels excess of Kapha and Pitta and removes disorders due to Väyu. Kulattha (Horse gram), dispels Kapha and Väyu and removes the disorders of dyspnea, hiccough and enlarged spleen.
3. Dolichos catjang.
7. Makuşhthaka4 dispels the fever due to Raktapitta, it is cooling in potency and astringent. Chanaka (gram) generates Väyu, dispels Kapha and Pitta, destroys manly virility. It is styptic.
4. Phaseolus Acoritifolius?
8. Masūra5 (lentil) is sweet, Cooling in potency, astringent and it dispels Kapha and Pitta. Kalåya1 too has all these properties. It generates Vāyu excessively.
5. A variety of Lense.
1. Pisum arvense.
9. Adhaki2 dispels Kapha and Pitta and is conducive to the generation of semen. Atasi3 is Pitta Producing and Siddhartha4 dispels Kapha and Vayu.
2. Cajanus indicus.
3. Linum alsitatissimum.
4. Perhaps white veriety of Brassica campestris. (GVDB, pp. 433, 426-7).
10. Tila5 (gingelly seed) is alkaline, sweet, oily, strengthening, heat producing and pitta generating. The different minor seeds destroy strength, parchify and are cooling in potency.
5. Sesamum indicum.
11-12. Chitraka,6 Ingudi7, Nalika8, Pippali9, Madhu10, Shigru11, Chavyå12, Charaña13, Nirgundi14, Tarkåri15, Käśhamardaka16, and Bilva destroy Kapha and Pitta; remove germs and are light and appetising. Varşhabhū17 and Märkara18 destroy Vayu and Kapha and remove all defects and disorders.
6. Plumbago Zeylamica or p. rosea.
7. Terminalia chatappa.
8. Perhaps a species of Ipomoca (GVDB, pp. 223-4).
9. Piper longum.
10. Honey.
11. Moringu Pterygosperma
12. Perhaps Piper chaba (GVDB, p. 155).
13. Identity not clear.
14. Vitex negundo.
15. Sesbania aegyptiaca.
16. Identity not clear.
17. Boerhavia Procumbens.
18. Identity not clear. The name Márkava is used for Bhrungaraja.
13. Eranda19 is bitter in taste. Kakamăci20 destroys excess of the three doshas, Chångeri21 removes Kapha and Våta. Sarshapa22 (mustard) generates all doshas.
19. Ricinus communis.
20. Solanum nigrum (GVDB, p. 86.)
21. Oxalis corniculata.
22. Brassica champestris.
14. Kausumbha23 is similar to Sarshapa; Räjika24 generates Väyu and Pitta. Nådicha1 destroys Kapha and Pitta. Chuchu is sweet and cooling in potency.
23. Identity not clear.
24. Brassica juncea or B. nigra.
1. Identity not clear.
15. Padmapatra (Lotus leaf) destroys doshas. Triputa2 is extremely Váyu-generating. Kakşhåra3 destroys all doshas. Vastuka4 is highly appealing.
2. Perhaps Pisum arvense or Ladhyrus sativus (GVDB p. 194).
3. Identity not clear.
4. Chenopodium alloum.
16. Tanduliya5, Palankya6 and others are anti-toxic. Raw Mülaka7 (radish) generates doshas but cooked in steam dispels Våyu and Kapha.
5. Amaranthus spinosus.
6. Spinacia oleraccha.
7. Raphanus sativus.
17. Karkotaka8, Vårtaka9, Patolaka10, and Karavellaka11 When cooked and eaten destroy all doshas and are good for heart and throat.
8. Momordica dioica.
9. Solanum melongena.
10. Trichosanthes dioica.
11. Momordica charantia.
18. Kuşhmånda12 is diuretic, relishing and destroys all doshas. It is highly efficacious in Kuşhtha, urinary diseases, fever, dyspnea and asthma as well as the disorders due to the derangement of Pitta and Kapha.
12. Cucurbita pepo.
19. Kalinga13 and Alábu14 destroy Pitta and produce Váyu. Trapusha15 and Irvåruka16 generate Våta and Kapha and ward off Pitta.
13. Flolarrhena antidysenterica (GVDB, p. 84).
14. Lagenaria siceraria.
15. Cucumis sativus.
16. Identity not clear. The name Urva ruka is used for cucumis melo.
20. Vrukşhamla17 destroys Kapha and Vayu; Jambira destroys Kapha and Vayu, Dadima18 (Pomegranate) is astringent and destroys Váyu. Nägarangaphala19 (orange) is heavy.
17. Garchinia indica.
18. Punica granatum.
19. Citrus reticulata.
21. Kesara and Matulunga1 are appetising and destroy Kapha and Väyu. Maşha removes Váyu and Pitta and destroys the glossiness of the skin, heat and disorders of Vayu.
1. Citrus medica.
22. All varieties of Amalaka are sweet, relishing and aphrodisia but produce Amla type of indigestion. Haritaki induces taste for food, is holy and nectarlike.
23. Lakucha2 is sweet and generates all Doshas; Vakula3 destroys Kapha and Väyu; Bijapūraka4 is effichachious in enlarged spleen, dyspnea and asthma and removes the disorders due to Váyu and Kapha.
2. Artocarpus lakoocha.
3. Identity not clear.
4. See fn, 1.
24. Haritaki is a laxative; destroys Kapha and Vayu as well as three doshas. The fruit of Tintidi5 is laxative, acid, and removes Váyu and Kapha.
5. Rhus parviflora.
25. Kapittha (horse apple) is astringent and dispels doshas; when ripe it is heavy and antitoxic; when unripe it produces Kapha and Pitta but ripe it increases Pitta.
26. Ripe Amra (mango) generates Vayu and produces flesh, semen and strength and heightens colour (of the skin). Jambū fruit destroys Våyu, Kapha and Pitta and produces Vişhtambha form of indigestion as it is astringent.
27. Tinduka6 fruit destroys Kapha and Vayu; Badara destroys Väyu and Pitta. Bilva generates Väyu and causes Vişhtambha. Priyala7 dispels Váyu.
6. Dispyros tomentosa.
7. Buchanania lanzan.
28. Räjādana8 fruit, banana, jack fruit and coconut generate semen and flesh. They are sweet, emolient and heavy.
8. Perhaps Mimusopa bexandra (GVDB, p. 336).
29. Dräkşhă (grapes) Madhuka and Kharjūra (dates) and Kumkuma9 dispel disorders in blood and Vayu. The ripe Mågadhi10 is sweet and destroys Pitta and disorders due to dyspnea.
9. Crocus sativus
10. A synonym of pippali, GVDB, p. 305.
30-32. Ardraka1 is relishing, appetising aphrodisiac and Kapha-Váyu-destroying. So also, Shunthi, Marica, and Pippali. Physicians say that pepper is non aphrodisiac. Hinga (Asafoetida) dispels enlarged spleen, pain and constipation and disorders of Vayu and Kapha. Yavåni2, Coriander and Cummin seeds destroy Váyu and Kapha. Rock salt improves eyesight and destroys all doshas. It is an aphrodisiac.
1. Ginger.
2. The same as yavani=Trachyspermum ammi. GVDB, p. 328.
33. Sauvarchala (Sechal) salt is purgative, heating in potency and it dispels acute pain in the cardiac region. The Vida Salt is heating in potency, removes pain, dispels Väyu and is sharp.
34. Romaka salt generates Vayu, is sweet, heavy, liquefacient and relishing. Yavakshara (Nitrate of potash) is an appetiser and is efficacious in all disorders of the heart, throat and jaundice.
35. Sarjikşhåra (Barilla) is caustic, appetiser, sharp and tearing (used to make abscess burst). Nábhasa (Rainwater) dispels all doshas and poison. It is light and relishing.
36. Nädeya (River water) is parchifying and generates Väyu; The Sårasa water (of the lake) is sweet and light; the water of Vapi (natural tank) dispels Vayu and Kapha and that of Tadäga (artificial tank) generates Vayu.
37. The Nairjhara (fountain) water is relishing, sharp, light and dispels Kapha. It induces digestion. The well water is appetising and generates Pitta. The Audbhida (Artesian well) water dispels Pitta.
38. The water where sun's rays fall during the day and the moon's beams at night is free from all defects and is equal to rainwater (sky-water).
39. Hot water dispels fever, bronchitis, corpulence, Váyu and Kapha. Boiled and cooled water dispels three doşhas but kept overnight increases doşhas.
40. Cow's milk dispels Váyu and Pitta and is emulsive, heavy and rejuvinating. Buffalo's milk is heavier than cow's milk, emulsive and impairs digestive fire.
41. The milk of a goat dispels blood dysentery, asthma, dyspnea and Kapha. Women's (breast) milk improves eyesight, cures Rakta Pitta and is saline.
42. Curd generates Pitta and Kapha and dispels Váyu and is an aphrodisiac. Churned sour cream dispels all doshas and cleanses all vessels of the system.
43. Fresh butter dispels diarrhoea, piles, etc; Products of milk turned sour like Kilata (the solid residue of sour milk) are heavy and cause Kuşhtha.
44. Butter milk, according to the former writers, dispels the three doşhas and is very efficacious in diarrhoea, tumour, piles, jaundice, dysentery and enlarged spleen.
45. Ghi is an aphrodisiac and sweet. It dispels Vāyu, Pitta and Kapha. Cow's ghi improves intellect, eyesight and after medication and purification dispels doshas. (Väyu, Pitta and Kapha).
46. Medicated and purified ghi dispels loss of memory, epileptic fits, insanity, fainting and other disorders. The ghee prepared from the milk of goat and other animals has the same good properties as cow's milk. Goat's urine dispels Kapha and Váyu, germs and poison.
47. Gingelly oil is extremely efficacious in jaundice, dropsy, cutaneous afflictions, piles, tumour, enlarged spleen and diabetes. It destroys Väyu and Kapha and is conducive to the growth of hair and strengthening of the body.
48. Mustard oil dispels worms and jaundice, Vayu and Kapha and disorders due to corpulence. The linseed oil affects the eyes but dispels Pitta and Våyu.
49. The oil extracted from Akşha (the seed of the bead of rosaries) dispels Kapha and Pitta. It is conducive to the growth of hair. It soothes the skin and blood vessels. Honey is exalted as the remover of the excess of the three doşhas as well as generator of Väyu.
50. (Honey) dispels hiccough, dyspnea, worms, vomiting urinary disorders, poison and thirst. Sugarcane dispels Rakta pitta. It is conducive to strength, growth of Kapha and is an aphrodisiac.
51. Molasses produce Pitta and are sharp. The spirituous extract of jaggery and unrefined sugar is light. Candy is an aphrodisiac, emolient, sweet and is efficacious in disorders of blood, Pitta and Väyu.
52. Jaggery dispels Váyu and Pitta and produces Kapha. Old treacle is very wholesome and is a purifier of blood.
53. Treacle sugar along with ghee is an aphrodisiac and dispels Rakta Pitta. All kinds of wine produce Pitta due to their acidity and dispel Kapha and Vảyu.
54. Sauviraja wine is sharp and gencratcs Rakta Pitta. Manda (gruel) made of fried rice is appetising and digestive. It is wholesome.
55-56. Peya (gruel with plenty of water) is light diuretic and restores deranged Väyu. Peyä with butter milk, pomegranate, Vyoșhå, jaggery, honey and Pippali dispels cough, bronchitis and diarrhoea. Pāyasa (Milk pudding) produces Kapha and is conducive to strength. Kriśhara (rice, gingelly seeds and black gram cooked together) destroys Våyu.
57-58. A soup of watery nature is an emolient. Taken lukewarm it is relishing and light. Soup with bulbous roots, radish and fruits well cooked with ghi or oil is heavy and rejuvinating. In lukewarm state it is light, Vegetables cooked in steam and well seasoned after squeezing out water are wholesome.
59. A Yūşha (soup without salt) made of Dadima and Amalaka generates gastric fire and dispels Väyu and Pitta. A yūṣha prepared with redish dispels cough, breathing disorders, cold and Kapha.
60. A Yūsha made with Yava, Kola and Kulattha dispels Váyu and is beneficial to the voice. That prepared with Mudga and Amalaka is astringent and des roys Kapha and Pitta.
61. Curd with jaggery dispels Váyu. Saktu (flour of fried grain) is sharp and generates Vāyu. Shaşhkuli (Coiled fried Jalebi) fried in ghi is an aphrodisiac and generates gastric fire.
62. Foodstuffs with cooked meat are rejuvinating; cakes are heavy; things fried in oil impair eyesight; those cooked in water or steam are difficult to be digested.
63. Hot mandakas (gruel) are wholesome, cooling in potency and heavy. After food, water is to be taken. It is destructive of thirst and exhaustion.
64-65. A person careful about Anupäna shall be free from poison and illness. Poison resembling the neck of a peacock brings about discoloration. Even the smell, touch or taste of poison brings great anguish to those who swallow it. If it is smelt an ailment of the eyes which cannot be cured even by great physicians’ results. The characteristic symptoms of poisoning are shivering, yawning, etc.
Summary of chapter 169 of the Garuda Mahā Purana - Achara Khaṇḍa is as follows:
Bhagavān Vishṇu describes comprehensive treatments for skin diseases and severe dermatological afflictions, Kushta. As it happens, the text details Neem, Khadira, Tuvaraka oil, and blood purification therapies to cleanse deep tissue impurities and restore healthy skin.