Ayurvedic Treatment of Tumours etc. in Ashtang Hridayam

  Ayurvedic Treatment of Tumours etc. in Ashtang Hridayam

We shall now expound the Granthi-arbuda-slipada apaci nadi pratisedha adhyaya (treatment of granthi-arbuda, slipada apaci and nadi); thus said Atreya and other great sages. 

Treatment of benign tumour

For granthi (benign tumours) which is unripe, the treat ment is like that of any sopha (swelling). The patient requiring purificatory therapies should be given oleation therapy first with ghee prepared with brhati; citraka, vyaghri and kana; after he gets purified, application of paste of drugs of penetrating action should be done (on the tumour); the tumour should be given fomentation many times and squeezed (by the hands) again and again. this is the method of treatment especially for tumour of vata origin. For those arising from pitta and asrk (blood) application of leeches (to suck blood) and all cold therapies are beneficial; for that of kapha origin, the treatment prescribed for that of vata origin itself is suitable. 1-3.

That which has not become ripe, inspite of all these should be cut (excised) and when bleeding stops it should be burnt by fire (thermal cautery) leaving no residue/remnant, because such a residue/remnant is sure to develop again into a tumour. 4. 

Both mamsa granthi (tumour of muscle tissue) and vrana granthi (tumour sequel to an ulcer) should also be treated in the same (above) way. 5a.

Even in medoja granthi (tumour of fat tissue) that same treatment; it shoold be given a coating of the paste of tila, covered with two layers of cloth and then touched with heated metal plates etc; or it be cut (excised) completely and burnt by fire (thermal cautery). 5b-6.

In siragranthi (tumour of veins) which is new, sahacara taila should be given to drink; upanaha (warm poultice) with drugs which mitigate vata; basti (enema therapy) and siravyadha (venesection) should be done. 7. 

Treatment of malignant tumour

For arbuda (malignant tumours) also the same treatment advocated for granthi (benign tumour) are beneficial. (Excreta of a goat, root of sigru, laksa, surasa, lavana and ksara are cooked in formented gruel tied in a cloth and applied warm over the tumour, covered with thick leaves of upodaka and then bandaged. By this, arbuda of recent onset subside. In case of chronic tumours; covering it with leaves of arka, sudha, samudra ( lavana ), guda and kanijika, pracchana (letting out the blood by making incisions on the skin) after tieing at the calves make for dissolving/ disappearance of tumours). 1-3. 

Treatment of filariasis

In slipada caused by vata after administering oleation (anointing) sudation (fomentation ) and poulticing, the vein situated two angula above the heel should be cut (and blood let out); the patient should be asked to drink eranda taila along with cow’s urine for one month after it is well digested, he should eat old rice boiled well along with decoction of sunthi and milk, or drink the decoction of trivrit along with milk. If by these methods the disease does not subside, then it should be burnt by fire (thermal cautery). 8-10.

In slipada of pitta origin, venesection below the heel and all other pitta mitigating treatments should be done. 11.

In slipada of kapha origin, the vein near the big toe should be cut, use yava ( barley) (as food) decoction of drugs of astringent taste mixed with honey; use abhaya in daily increasing doses, apply the paste of sarsapa and vartakimula or of dhanva to the leg. 11b-12. 

Treatment of scrofula

In Apaci purification of the body both in its upper and lower routes; drinking of ghee prepared with danti, dravanti, trivrt, jalini and devadali; inhalation of smoke, holding liquids in the mouth and nasal medication which mitigate kapha and medas (fat), blood letting from the vein, and drink tarksyaja (rasanjana) mixed with cow’s urine. 13-14.

(Drinking the fresh juice of bark of kancanara in doses of one pala, half pala or karsa every day along with warm water, the person gets cured of gandamala.). 1. 

Tumours (of gandamala) which are unripe should be smeared with the paste of nakuli, patu and nagara, fomented with salt poultice and then the hard tumours massaged softly. 15. 

Seeds of sami, mulaka and sigru, mixed with yava and sarsapa macerated with sour buttermilk and this paste applied over the tumour makes that liquified. 16.

(Leaves of nimba and of bhallataka cut to bits, burnt to ashes within sealed earthen saucers and mixed with half its quantity of siddharthaka, macerated with goat’s urine and applied to gandamala (is beneficial)). 1.

Those which are undergoing ripening (suppuration) should be treated with blood letting and therapies which mitigate pittaaslesma (kapha) or the unripe ones should be removed and treated by the use of ksara and agni (alkaline and thermal cauterisation). 17. 

Medicated oil is prepared with the decoction of kakadani, langalika, nahika, uttandikiphala, seeds of jimuta, karkoti, visala krtavedhan and patha each half pala; visa one karsa; karanja taila one prastha and fresh juice of nirgundi one adhaka. By the use of this oil for drinking, anointing on the tumour and nasal medication, gandamala which (scrofula) which are chronic, which exdue pus, present incurable features-all become cured.

Medicated oil prepared with decoction of langalika, paste of the same in one-fourth part along with four parts of fresh juice of nirgundi used as nasal drops etc. cures apaci. 21. 

Medicated oil prepared with the paste of one pala each of bhadrasri, daru, marica, the two haridra, trivrt, ghana, manassila, ala, nalada, visala and karavira made with cow’s urine; bisa half-pala, juice of brahmi, arka ksira ( milky sap of arka), juice of fresh cow dung and one prastha of sarsapa taila. This used for drinking etc. (anointing, nasal medication) habitually cures leprosy. foul ulcers, sinus ulcers and apaci (small tumours). 22-24. 

Medicated oil prepared with vaca, haritaki, laksa, katurohini, and candana consumed daily destroys apaci from its root even. 25. 

Root of sarapunkha mecerated with rice wash and used for nasal medication and external application cures bad ulcers, apaci and poisonous worms. 26.

Medicated oil prepared with the roots of uttamarani, piluparni and sahacara, added with rodhra, abhaya, yasthyahva, satahva, dvipi and daru and equal quantity of milk is best for use for nasal drops and anointing. 27-28a.

Ash of hoof of cow, goat or horse mixed with katu taila should be applied externally or the ash of a black snake or crow which has died of its own accord mixed with ingudi taila may be applied. 28b-29a. 

Leaving away twelve angula (fingers breadth) from the heel and going upward, to the place of indrabasti and avoiding it, the calf muscle should be torn (cut) open, the small tumour resembling eggs of the fish removed out from the net work of muscles-this is the saying of Susruta. 29b-31.

Dividing the total length of man from his heel to the ear and keeping one eighth part of it (at the bottom and discarding the major part at the top) or measuring from the tip of the nose to the indrabasti and taking one eighth part of it (is the site for conducting the operation) say some others. 32.

Notes : The “indrabasti” is the name of marma (vital spot), belonging to mamsa marma, kalantara pranahara kind present in the middle of the foreleg. Ancient physicians held the view that small tumors will be developing simultaneously with the development of glands in the neck (apaci / gandamala) and as a part of treatment, surgical removal of glands in the calf muscles has been decribed in the above verses. 

Treatment of sinus ulcer

If the disease does not subside by these treatments then the medas (fat) present in the calf muscle of the leg opposite to the side of the disease (apaci) should be taken out and the site burnt by fire. 33. 

The patient is made to stand extending his leg measuring the distance from the heel (up to the middle of the calf muscles), the granthi ( tumour) present there should be removed-thus said the worshipful Nimi. Nadi vrana (sinus ulcer) caused by anila (vata) should be fomented with warm poultice, cut open and applied with the paste of fruits of pratyak puspi, tila and saindhava; that caused by pitta with the paste of manjistha, nagadanti and the two nisa; that caused by slesma ( kapha) with the paste of tila, saurastri, nikumbha, arista and saindhava. 33-34.

That due to foreign body should be cut open, cleaned and applied with the paste of tila, honey and ghee. 35a. 

That which cannot be cut by the knife should be split with the help of a probe, the passage cleared and a thread soaked in solution of alkali inserted into it, many times making the channel clear and wide. 35b-36a. 

The treatment advocated for ulcers which have bad (exudation) and small mouth and are deep seated, the same treatments, the same medicinal wicks and oils are also beneficial even in sinus ulcers. 36b-37a.

Paste of cancuphala is best for application for cure of sinus ulcer. 37b.

Bark of ghontaphala, lavana, laksa, leaves of buka, woman’s milk, sap of snuk and of arka made into a paste and then into a wick and used, cures sinus ulcer very soon. 38. 

Samudra, sauvarcala, sindhujanma (saindhava), bark of well ripe fruit of ghonta, vesma dhuma (agara dhuma), amrata, tender leaves of gayatri, katankateri (haridra) and cetaki (kanguni)-these together made use of in the form of paste for bathing, powder, medicinal wick, etc. make for disappearance of the sinus ulcers just like wealth in a man of unstedy nature. 39-40.