Hiccough:

Cause: Bad gas in the stomach.

Symptoms: Heavy throat and chest, astringent saliva, watery eyes, vomiting thirst, and restless mind. In asthma the lungs are affected, or seem to be, but this is not so in hiccough. Five kinds of hiccough are distinguished:- 1) Annaja, due to over-eating, 2) jamala, which is two hiccoughs at a time, 3) khudra, due to bad throat, 4) gambhir, rising from the navel, and 5) maha, just preceding death. Hiccough comes automatically as a side-product of other diseases.

Treatment: Sringadi Churna, Pippala dya Lauha, Chintamani Chaturmukh. One dose of Sringadi Churna with hot water at the time of eating or after over-eating should be enough to cure that hiccough. If there is diarrhoea, Pippaladya Lauha is called for, with the accompanying medicines, ground cucumber seed and honey. If there is retching, use Chandrakanti Ras, also with ground cucumber seed and honey. Swasahara Jog again easily cures hiccough.

Diet: Any food that does not bring indigestion and loss of appetite, milk (goat milk is best), leaf vegetables. Acid foods, curds, boal fish, musuri and maskalai lentils are not allowed.