INTRODUCTION. 5 



is owing 1 to its special action, the nature or ultimate cause of which 

 is beyond the comprehension of the Gods themselves. 



The various actions of medicines on the human system are 

 described in considerable detail. All diseases being supposed to 

 be caused by derangement of the humours, namely, wind, bile, 

 phlegm, blood, etc., all medicines are likewise supposed to have 

 some influence upon one or other of these humours. Susruta 

 divides medicines into two classes, with reference to their action 

 on the humours, namely, Sansamana and Sansodkana. Sansair<ana 

 are medicines which reotify the deranged state of the humours 

 and c&lm their excited action, without promoting the excretiors. 

 Sansodhana are medicines which remove collections of bad 

 humours and discharge them by the excretions. The first is 

 subdivided into three orderg, namely, medicines influencing wind, 

 bile, and phlegm, respectively. The second includes emetics, 

 purgatives, errhines and other depuratories. Sarangadhara and 

 other writers describe the actions of medicines in further detail 

 and mentian the following classes r 



^txpf Dipana are medicines which promote appetite, but do 

 not aid in digesting undigested food. 



TTT^*T Pd^hana are medicines which assist in digesting undi- 

 gested food, but do not increase the appetite. Some medicines 

 have both these properties, that is, they are appetizers as well as- 

 digestives. 



^3^+H Anulomana are medicines which digest the humours 

 and set them free, that is, promote excretions and favour their 

 discharge. 



fa^^f Virechaka or purgatives are described under three- 

 heads, namely, ^j^ff Sransana, ^«T Bhedana, and T^3f Rechaha.. 

 Those medicines which hurry the chyle or materials for digestion,, 

 without allowing them to be properly digested, are called Sransana, 

 as for example the pulp of Cassia fistula. Those medicines which 

 set free soybala and other contents of the intestines, and discharge 

 th^m from the bowels, without producing watery stools, are called 

 Bhedana, as for example KatuTci ( Prt'corrhiza Kurroa.) Those 

 medicines which cause the discharge of the digested or undigested 



contents of the intestines in a liquid form, are called Hcrhaho, as 

 for example, Trivrit (Ipom&a Titrpethum. ) These last again are 



