Page:Sushruta Samhita Vol 1.djvu/657

Chap.XLVI.] the Manduka-parni, etc. Wines of acid fruit should be taken after the pith or marrow of such trees as the Date-palm, Tala, etc. The wine known as the Surasava, or fermented rice gruel should he taken after an excess of Saindhava salt, etc. Water may be taken in absence of the proper after-drink in all cases.

Authoritative verses on the subject:—Atmospheric or rain water is the best of all drinks and cordials. That kind of water is whole- some to a person to which he is habituated from his birth. Hot water is beneficial in derangements of the Vayu and Kapham, and cold water is good in diseases which have their origin in the vitiated blood, or in the deranged Pittam. An excessively heavy meal, as well as the one which usually tends to derange the fundamental humours of the body, may be easily and speedily digested with the help of a suitable after-drink. A proper after-potion taken after a meal brings on a fresh relish for food, increases the bulk of the body, acts as a spermatopoietic beverage, disintegrates the combination or accumulation of the deranged bodily humours, soothes the organism, increases the softness of the body, removes the sense of fatigue and exhaustion, brings on pleasurable sensations in its train, stimulates the appetite, subdues or pacifies the deranged bodily humours, allays the thirst, improves the complexion, and imparts tone and vigour to the system.