Ayurvedic Treatment of Spiders (Luta) Bite in Ashtan Hridayam

 Ayurvedic Treatment of Spiders (Luta) Bite in Ashtan Hridayam

In Ayurvedic terms, spider bites, or Luta Visha, are treated primarily with Shamana (soothing) and Shodhana (cleansing) therapies, focusing on pacifying the aggravated doshas and eliminating the venom. Treatment often includes specific medications like Dushivishari Agad and external applications of Shatdhaut Ghrita. 

Luta (spider) are more dreadful than kita (insects) and are said to be sixteen kinds; somed others say they are of twenty-eight kinds; some that they are innumerable; yet others say that they are the retinue of the sun and of thousands of kinds; since they produce many diseases (by their venomous bite) they are of one kind only viz poisonuos. 45-46. 

Very Knowing/distinguishing them by their name is difficult since they are heterogeneous, there is no specificity regarding their habitat, hence they are described only on the dosa (predominent following the bite ). 47

Aggravation of each dosa individually is difficult to cure and of all the dosas together is incurable. 48a.

Bite causing aggravation of pitta producing burning sensation, thirst, vescicles, fever, delusion, great heat (at the site) red and yellowish colour, exudation, swelling resembling a grape fruit. 48b-49a.

Bite causing aggravation of slesma (kapha) produces hard pale swelling resembling a fruit of parusaka, more of sleep, rigors and fever, cough and severe itching. 49b-50a.

Bite causing aggravation of vaata is rough, blue accompanied with cutting pain in the joints and fevere. 50b.

By these symptoms the subdivisions of the dosas should be determined. All kinds produce aggravation of all the dosas generally, but disignation is by the predominant dosa. In case of spider bites which are incurable there is delusion, dyspnoea, hiccup, catching pain in the head, appearance of eruptions which are white, yellow, black or red, swelling, shivering, vomiting, burning sensation, thirst, blindness, distortion of the nose, blue colour of the lips, mouth and teeth, bending of the back and neck, blood of the colour of ripe jambu fruit (dark blue) flows from the site of the bite. 51-53. 

It (bite) is of three kinds (1) Tiksna-powerful / strong severe, (2) Madhya-medium/moderate and (3) Avara-poormild/weak; by neglecting (without treating ) these kill person in seven, ten or fifteen days respectively. 54-55a

Feature of spider bite

In the bite of all types of spiders, the site develops swelling like a dadrumandala (circular, raised patch) white, blackish, red, yellow or blue; soft, elevated, black or blue in the centre and sieve like at the edges, swelling spreads sidewards, torments the body greatly, fever, quick suppuration, exudation putrefaction and tissue loss, all develop; ulcers form on that part which comes is contact with the pus.

They (spiders) emit poison through thier breath, teeth, excreta, urine, semen, saliva, nail and menstrual blood; especially by the mouth (bite), 58b-59a.

Spiders bite (man) above the (level of the) umbilicus whereas insects bite both above and below; cloth and others contaminated by its (spiders) poison, produce diseases when these come in contact with the body. 59b-60a.

The leison of spider bite does not manifest till half a day, then on the first day it appears like a mark made by a needle, without any manifest colour, it is very unsteady with mild itching and pain. 60b-61.

On the second day there is elevation atthe edges or gets covered by numerous eruptions, with well manifest colour, depressed in the centre, has itching and appears like a tumour. 62. 

On the third day, there is fever, horripilation, red coloured, saucer shaped rashes with severe pricking pain and bleeding appear at the hair follicles. 63. 

On the fourth day there is profound swelling, great heat, dyspnoea and dizziness; on the fifth day it gives rise to many symptoms of poisoning (enumerated so far) and on the sixth day, it spreads to the vital spots and on the seventh day, if destroys the life; this is mode of action of strong poison, from this the (modes of) moderate and mild poisons should be classified. 64-65. 

Poison (of spider bite) gets mitigated by twentyone days completely. 66a. 

Ttreatment of spider bite

The teeth of the spider should be removed with the help of a knife immediately, the place burnt (cauterised) by heated stone etc; that which is pitta predominant should not be burnt (cauterised) 66b-67a.

The bite site which is very rough, having damaged hairs, located on vital parts, bony joints etc, with copious exudation-should neither be cut nor burnt. 67b-68a.

After cauterisation the place must be applied with a paste of agada (anitpoisonous recipe) added with honey and saindhava; then the part bathed often with the decoction of (bark of) trees of milky sap made very cool. 68b-69.

Blood should be let out by the sucking horn etc. or cutting the vein, then bhathing the part with the decoction of (bark of) bodhi, slesmataka and aksaka often and applying their paste in cold condition. 69b-70a. 

Padmaka agada

Phalini, the two nisa, honey and ghee are made into a paste and rolled into pills, this known as Padmaka agada bestows all the good effects in poisons of spiders and insects of all kinds. 70b-71a. 

Campaka agada

The two haridra, pattanga, manjistha, nata, kesara, honey and ghee converted into pills; this known Campaka agada is more efficacious than the earlier. 71b-72a. 

Similarly the juice of fresh cow-dung mixed with sugar, ghee and honey and consumed. 72b. 

Mandara agada and Gandhamadana agada 

Apamarga, manohva, ala, darvi, dhyamaka, gairika, nata, ela, kustha, marica, yasthyahva, ghee and honey is made into agada known as Mandara agada. Nata, rodhra, vaca, katvi, patha, ela, patra and kumkuma (added with ghee and honey) make Gandhamadana agada. 73-74.

When there is great increase of dosas, then antipoisonous, purificatory therapies should be administered (as described further). 75a.

Kapha should be removed by producing vomiting by making the patient drink the powder of yasthyahva, madana, ankola, jalini and sinduvarika or of the leaves, bark root and fruit of sirisa added with the root of ankola-mixed with ricewash. 75b-76.

Purgation should be done by using triphala, nilini, trivrt etc. 77a. 

After burning sensation and swelling subside, the karnika (ring like muscular growth in the wound) should be made to fall off from the wound; flowers of kusumbha, godanta (cow’s tooth or gypsym), svarnaksiri, kapotavit (excreta of pigeon), trivrta, saindhava and danti-are best for removing the muscular ring, also the root of uttamarani, added with thin fibres of vamsa; similarly saindhava, kustha, danti, katuka, dugdhika and root of rajakosataki or kinva (yeast) produced from butter milk. At the time of removal of the muscular ring the person should be given nourishing food and which are antipoisonous. 77b-80.

During the treament of spider bite poisoning, only ghee should be used for all oleation/lubrication therapies, since oil increases the poison greatly, like a bundle of hay put on fire. 81. 

Hribera, vikankata, gopakanya, musta, sami, candana, tintuka, saivala, nilotpala, vakra, yasthi, tvak, nakuli, padmaka and seeds of ratha; rajani, ghana, sarpalocana, kanasunthi, kanamula, citraka, varuna, aguru, bilva, patola, picumanda, amaya, selu and kesara; bilva, candana, nata, utpala, sunthi, pippali, nicula, vetasa, kustha, sukti, Sakavara, patoli, bhargi, sinduvara, karaghata and varangam—these three efficacious recipes described in the three kinds of poetical metres-used for drinking, collyrium, nasal medication, external application and bathing the part-cures the poison of spiders predominant of vata, pitta and kapha respectively, just as a prosperous person dispels poverty. 82-85. 

Rodhra, sevya, padmaka, padmarenu, kaliyaka, raktacandana, kantapuspa, dugdhanika and mrnala-made into agada (antidote) and used in all therapies destroys the poison of all kinds of spiders. 86.