Atharvaveda and Charaka Samhita
by Laxmi Maji | 2021 | 143,541 words
This page relates 鈥楶rameha (urinary tract disease) according to Caraka鈥� found in the study on diseases and remedies found in the Atharvaveda and Charaka-samhita. These texts deal with Ayurveda鈥攖he ancient Indian Science of life鈥攚hich 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.
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Prameha (urinary tract disease) according to Caraka
The etymology of prameha 颈蝉鈥撯赌�pra-miha+驳丑补帽鈥�. The word Prameha means urinary tract disease. Excessive micturition is called Prameha. Mahar峁 Caraka discusses disease of Prameha and treatment of obstinate urinary disorders including diabetes or Pramehacikits膩. The causes of Prameha are sedentary lifestyle, intake of excess curds, milk and fatty substances etc. The main 诲辞峁 involved in Prameha is kapha. Prameha is caused by the three 诲辞峁s i.e., 惫腻测耻, pitta and kapha. And the 诲奴峁补蝉 of Prameha are: Medas, rakta, 艣耻办谤补, ambu, 惫补蝉腻, 濒补蝉颈办腻, 尘补箩箩腻, rasa, ojas, and 尘腻峁僺补. Prameha is of twenty types, namely, ten types of prameha due to kapha, that is curable; six types of prameha due to pitta, that is difficult to cure; four types of prameha due to 惫腻迟补, that is incurable.
The Premonitory symptoms of Prameha are: matting of the hair, sweet taste in the mouth; numbness and burning sensation in hands and feet; dryness in mouth, palate and throat; thirst and laziness, increased amount of excreta from the body; adherence to excreta in the orifices of the body, burning sensation and numbness in various organs of the body, attraction of insects and ants by the body and urine; smell of row flesh in the urine; and excessive sleep and continuous drowsiness[1].
The complications of Prameha are thirst, diarrhoea, fever, burning sensation, weakness, anorexia and indigestion.
Table 2: Twenty types of Prameha[2]
| Predominant 诲辞峁 | Number | Name | Features of urine |
|
Kapha |
10 | 1. Udakameha 2. Ik峁meha 3. S膩ndrameha 4. S膩ndrapras膩dameha 5. 艢uklameha 6. 艢ukrameha 7. 艢墨tameha 8. 艢anairmeha 9. L膩l膩meha 10. Sikat膩meha |
Watery Like sugarcane juice Viscous urine Has a solid precipitate Whitish Mixed with semen Cold urine Weak stream of urine Saliva-like urine Urine contains gravels-like sand |
| Pitta | 6 | 1. K峁Ｄ乺ameha 2. K膩lameha 3. N墨lameha 4. Haridr膩meha 5. Ma帽ji峁ａ弓ameha 6. Raktameha |
Urine like alkali Blackish urine Blueish urine Yellowish urine Light reddish urine Haematuria |
| 痴腻迟补 | 4 | 1. Majj膩meha 2. Ojameha 3. Vas膩meha 4. Lasik膩meha |
With 尘补箩箩腻 With ojas With 惫补蝉腻 Sticky urine |
(Source: Synopsis on Caraka 厂补峁僪颈迟腻)
痴腻迟颈办补 varieties Prameha are characterised by the greyish and reddish colouration of urine, pain and attributes of 尘补箩箩腻 etc. Then it also becomes incurable. The line of treatment for Prameha disease is as follows: if the person is obese and strong, he should be administered evacuation therapy. If the person is weak, he should be advised nourishing therapy. If the person is thin, weak and unfit for evacuation, he should be given decoction, cornflour, Avaleha, and light food preparations etc. A patient suffering from Kaphaja prameha should be administered evacuation, emesis and fasting. The patient suffering from Pittaja prameha should be advised purgation and nourishing food and drinks.
For Prameha disease the following food are used: green gram soup (测奴峁), old rice cooked in bitter vegetables, use of mustard oil in cooking, all the items made of wheat etc. Mentioned below are the general medicines used in Prameha diseases, namely, decoction of 顿腻谤耻丑补谤颈诲谤腻, 迟谤颈辫丑补濒腻, 惭耻蝉迟腻; turmeric powder, gooseberry juice with honey; Phalatrik膩di kv膩tha; Lodhr膩sava; 惭补诲丑惫腻蝉补惫补; Triphal膩 juice, etc.
If a person has red coloured urine without any prodromal symptoms of prameha-then it is a case of rakta pitta, rather than prameha. Prameha due to heredity is incurable. Seven types of boils associated with prameha are to be treated by expert surgeons with the help os surgical operations, cleansing, and healing therapies[3].
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
ja峁璱l墨bh膩va峁� ke艣e峁, 尘腻诲丑耻谤测补尘腻蝉测补蝉测补, karap膩dayo岣� suptat膩d膩hau, 尘耻办丑补迟腻濒耻办补峁囜弓丑补艣辞峁峁�, 辫颈辫腻蝉腻尘, 腻濒补蝉测补峁� 尘补濒补峁� 办腻测别, 办腻测补肠肠丑颈诲谤别峁Ｅ玴补诲别丑补峁�, 辫补谤颈诲腻丑补峁� 蝉耻辫迟补迟腻峁� 肠腻峁単别峁, 峁峁璸adapip墨lik膩bhibhi艣ca 艣ar墨ram奴tr膩bhisara峁嘺峁�, m奴tre ca m奴trado峁Ｄ乶, vistra峁� 艣ar墨ragandha峁�, 苍颈诲谤腻峁�, 迟补苍诲谤腻峁� ca sarvak膩lamiti || (CS. -狈颈诲腻苍补蝉迟丑腻苍补鈥揑V.47); R. K. Sharma & Bhagwan Dash (eds.), Caraka 厂补峁僪颈迟腻鈥揤ol. II, Varanasi, Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office, 2017, p. 51.
[2]:
Rajneesh V. Giri & Smitha Rajneesh, Synopsis on Caraka 厂补峁僪颈迟腻, Varanasi, Chaukhambha Orientalia, 2019, pp. 131-132.
[3]:
C. 颁颈办颈迟蝉腻蝉迟丑腻苍补鈥揤I.4-58; R. K. Sharma & Bhagwan Dash (eds.), Caraka 厂补峁僪颈迟腻鈥揤ol. III, Varanasi, Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office, 2017, pp. 299-316.