Therapeutic Guide to Ayurvedic Medicine

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On the eve of the scientific progress when medical world is trying to find out a common line of treatment which can be called a national medical treatment of this country, Ayurveda the ancient science of health and healing cannot be an exception to be tested on this touchstone. In view of the fact that several laboratories under so many experts are busy to explore the medical truth for the benefit of the suffering humanity, Ayurveda or the savants of Ayurveda cannot sit silent. As a result many books have already been written in past and are being written today to fulfill this demand. We often come across many such scientific papers published by scholars. Even then, the basis of these books and papers does not give a clear concept of the Ayurvedic therapy. The subject-matter represented there are vague from Ayurvedic point of view.

The interpretations made of the basic terminologies of Ayurveda are sometimes most misleading. The Tridosha theory of Ayurveda-the triad principles-translated as wind, bile and phlegm has created a great confusion in the minds of readers and students. It is gratifying to note that the author of this book has successfully tried to remove this confusion by explaining the Tridosha theory in a very lucid language intelligible to all medical practitioners interested in this great science of Ayurveda. The author of this book is a well-known scholar in Ayurvedic world and has contributed sufficiently to enrich the literary treasure of Ayurveda. I have been in personal contact with him for many years as a colleague in the Institute of Ayurvedic Studies and Research at Jamnagar where he was Director for several years.

Other authors have, no doubt, taken great pains to produce their works in this field, but being a modern doctor could not give an insight into the concept of Ayurvedic Therapy. However their contributions are appreciable. Shri R. R. Pathak, being a crudite scholar of Ayurveda has an opportunity to hold the topmost position in many premier Institutions such as Principal of Ayurvedic Colleges in U.P. and Bihar and Director of Central Research Institute in Indigenous Medicine, Institute for Ayurvedic Studies and Research, Jamnagar, Bandaranaike Memorial Ayurvedic Research Institute, Navinna, Ceylon and Advisor on Ayurveda, Govt. of Ceylon, is a competent authority to express and clarify the ideas pertaining to the theory and practice of Ayurveda. He has taken great pains to explain the concept of the basic principles and their applied aspect alongwith the principles and applied aspect of the Ayurvedic Therapy in the introductory chapter of the book, which will enable the readers to grasp the subject easily.

In this book the physician will get clear descriptions of all diseases, which are most common and a physician is very often encountered with them alongwith their treatment. In the end, the author has nicely given four appendices dealing with the definitions of technical terms, dictionary of technical terms, glossary of medicinal herbs and Ayurvedic preparations alongwith their doses, indications and references. This treatise, though concise gives a complete picture of Ayurvedic therapy and offers a good working knowledge to the practitioners. The prescriptions are well tried and authentic.

I am confident that this will be very popular among those practitioners of medicine who are not well conversant with the Hindi and Sanskrit languages. Ayurvedic practitioners will also like it and will find it very useful in their daily practices. I thank Shri R. R. Pathak the author of this book for rendering an opportunity to the physicians to use his valuable and experienced prescriptions contained in this treatise.

I am really glad to bring forward this treatise on Ayurvedic therapy under the caption “Therapeutic Guide to Ayurvedic Medicine" before all the readers interested in the great ancient Indian science of healing (Ayurveda), which has served the suffering humanity since time immemorial and is rendering services even today throughout India and many other countries of south-east Asia.

Late Shri Jawahar Lal Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India had rightly stated about a few decades ago "Learn all you can from ancient Indian Medicine and Surgery". As a result of this, many useful projects of study are going on throughout the country for exploring the treasures of our ancient medical wisdom (Ayurveda), and many modern doctors have created considerable interest in the study of this great ancient science of life and living (Ayurveda) during last decades. There has been a great demand for such a treatise which can give a good insight into the therapy of Ayurveda in a language easily intelligible to them.

Late Vaidyanatha Capt. G. Shrinivas Murti, B.A., B.L. and M.B. & C.M. an outstanding scholar of both the sciences (Ayurveda and modern medicine) had many times expressed his views-"to make the teachings of Ayurveda widely known and become readily available for proper appraisement and appreciation by savants of Western medicine for the general advancement of science of medicine and the alleviation of human sufferings in their own countries; the best way of implementing our wishes, in this regard, is by presenting our ancient teachings through the medium of English and also through the language of modern medicine as far as possible."

After my return from Colombo (Ceylon) in April 1969, I was requested by the Director of Shree Baidyanath Ayurved Bhawan Private Ltd. Patna alongwith other friends, the dignatories of the State of Bihar to undertake the responsibilities of organising the "Shri Ram Dayal Joshi Momorial Ayurvedic Research Institute" an Institute after the name of the late lamented father of the Director of Shree Baidyanath Ayurved Bhawan Pvt. Ltd., and the founder of Shree Baidyanath Ayurved Bhawan Private Ltd., as an honorary Director. I had to concede to the request of my most beloved disciple Ayurveda Shiromani Shri D. P. Sharma, Pranacharya, the Director of Shree Baidyanath Ayurved Bhawan Pvt., Ltd., Patna.

After a formal discussion regarding the organisation of the said Ayurvedic Research Institute, it was decided to undertake the following aspect of literary research to begin with :-

(a) In view of the necessity of presenting a concise literature to readers in general and to physicians in particular, on the therapy according to Ayurvedic system of medicine, a book be written on Ayurvedic therapy in English to enable those physicians who are not conversant with either Hindi or Sanskrit, to have a good grasp and working knowledge in the treatment of various maladies according to Ayurvedic system of medicine.

(b) To write an authentic book on history of Ayurvedic medicine with a comparative idea of the medical development in other parts of the world.

(c) To undertake the 'publication of old and/or new manuscripts available and/or written by eminent scholars on the various subjects of Ayurveda after a due scrutiny by an expert committee and necessary editing.

(d) To undertake some original literary research on varied subjects of Ayurveda in order of priority to meet the demand of the Ayurvedic world in general and Ayurvedic education in particular.

(e) To publish scientific papers on the basis of the investigation done by the scholars of Ayurveda.

This (the present treatise) is the first effort started and completed during this year and is being placed before the readers as a first token in the series of publication of this Institute. This small treatise consists of ten chapters alongiwth four appendices. The first is the introductory chapter which deals with the fundamental principles of Ayurvedic therapy and their applied aspects. The treatment of various types of fever (Jwara) alongwith a brief not on their signs and symptoms has been described in the second chapter.

A comparative idea of various types of modern fevers such as Typhoid, Pneumonia, malaria, rheumatic fever, filarial fever etc., have also been included in this chapter giving the traces regarding their description in Ayurvedic texts. Third chapter deals with the treatment of diseases of the digestive system alongwith the diseases of the organs of abdominal cavity. Similarly treatment of diseases of the organs of chest cavity has been described in the fourth chapter. The fifth and the sixth chapters deal with the treatment of diseases of urinary tract and of the diseases of the skin respectively. The treatment of diseases of the head, neck, eyes, ears, nose, throat and other parts of the buccal cavity (tooth, gum, palate and tongue etc.) have been described in the seventh chapter. Gynaec troubles alongwith their treatment and antenatal and post-natal managements have been dealt with in the eighth chapter. The treatment of the diseases of neverous systems, fractures, dislocation, obesity, sunstroke, sinuses, fistulas and various kinds of, ulcers and abscesses etc. have been allotted to the ninth chapter. The tenth chapter deals with the antidotes i.e. the treatment of various kinds of poison and poisoning (Sthavara and Jangama vishas). The four appendices render information’s pertaining to the definitions of technical terms, dictionary of technical terms, glossary of medicinal herbs and glossary of medicinal preparations used in the text respectively.

Thus, the book gives an adequate information regarding the treatment of various ailments according to Ayurvedic system of medicine alongwith the working knowledge to a physician interested in Ayurvedic therapy.

The entire credit for the compilation of this book goes to Ayurveda Shiromani Shri D. P. Sharma, Pranacharya, who not only initiated to get this treatise written but also has taken all troubles to publish it and has made it available to readers in general and medical practitioners in particular. All pains have been taken to make the language of this book lucid as far as possible.

Dr. J. F. Dastur and other workers in this field deserve thanks for pioneering the efforts in this direction. I am really indebted to all those authors who have made their contribution in the field of Ayurvedic medicine and from whom I have received help in the compilation of this book. I am very grateful to Pandit Vishwanath Dwivedi, Ayurvedacharya, Principal, Ayurvedic College, Varanaseya Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, who has so kindly consented to write Foreword to this treatise. I cannot keep silent without offering my thanks to Shri Pt. Ram Dayal Pandeya who has been constantly very helpful to me by his expert advice in the matter of printing and publication and to my very dear disciple. Dr. Jyotir Mitra who helped me a lot by going through the proofs of this book.

I conclude this preface with a request to the readers that it was not possible to include all details of the various diseases described in this treatise, as will be revealed from the study of the text where I have so often referred to the original text for detailed study of the subject. It was beyond the capacity of this small treatise to include those details here.

I shall be really satisfied and happy if this book becomes handy to the medical practitioners.