Acidity:

This is another dyspepsia.

Symptoms : Hot stomach due to excessive gas, colic pain two hours after eating, acid eructation and saliva, heartburn, vomiting, constipation or diarrhea, vertigo, thirst, heart throbbing, and flatulence. After vomiting, the other symptoms subside.

Treatment: Mahapittantak Churna or Amlapittantak Ras in the morning with ground coriander seeds (104 grains, Troy weight) and sugar (208 grains, Troy weight). Divide a dose of Dhatri Lauha into three equal parts. Give one portion before lunch, one during lunch, and one after lunch. This medicine should be taken with lime water, green cocoanut water, or emblic myrobalan extract and honey. After supper, Brihat Agnikumar Ras or Bhaskar Lavan should be given with hot water. If, due to gas in the stomach, the patient feels his head to be a vacuum, Madhyam Narayan Taila may be rubbed on the head. For heavy head, Chandandi Taila may be used plus the oral administration of Batchintamani, with cardamon, and sugar candy juice. Many cases of chronic acidity have been cured by these methods. Where there is bad diarrhoea, give Mahasankha Bati or Maharaj Nripaballav; where flatulence, give Suvra Parpati ; where constipation, Abipattikar Churna or Haritakikhanda; where colic pain, Brihat Sulantakjog.

Diet: Barley, gruel, gruel of parched-pressed rice, powder of parched-pressed rice, and puffed rice when the stomach will not tolerate boiled rice. Water and watery things should be minimized, but green cocoanut water, juice of dry embolic myrobalan, trifala juice, and hot water are good for the patient. If rice suits the stomach, it may be given for the noon meal with fresh fish soup; at night gruel of parched pressed rice is good. A bitter soup made of helencha, the stems of the cane plant, and paederis foetida will be found most helpful. Sweetmeats, fried foods, lentils, spinach, chutneys, chillies, cheeses, curd, and pungent dishes are not to be taken. Ripe papia, sweet-cooked gourd, and sweet paste of emblic myrobalan may be given to advantage. Milk, bread, cold water, luchi, etc. are digested by some patients and not by others. As a general principle, feed the patient what his stomach finds agreeable.