The great sage Dhanvantari, master of medicine, spoke of the various forms and causes of fever and related ailments, describing their signs with clarity and reverence. He explained that a mild fever, dominated by dryness, often passes with difficulty during cold weather. The limbs become stiff, phlegm predominates, and the body feels weak and heavy. Sometimes, in those suffering from diabetes, the fever takes on a yellow hue, coating the body with a turmeric-like color and texture; this dangerous condition is known as haridraka and is considered fatal. When both phlegm and wind are present in the body, and bile is deficient, the fever behaves differently: it may be sharp during the day or mild, but it tends to arise at night. Moreover, when the body’s strength is depleted by the heat of the sun and physical exertion, fever due to wind emerges in the early hours of the night. Dhanvantari further described the internal dynamics of the body: when the self resides in the stomach and both phlegm and bile settle below, the body is divided—one half cold, the other hot. If bile is situated within the body but phlegm rests in the extremities, the core becomes hot while hands and feet remain cold. The sage noted that when fever afflicts the body’s fluids, blood, flesh, fat, bone, or marrow, the body loses its natural luster. In such states, the afflicted person may become unconscious, distressed by the urge to evacuate, and appear angry, constantly passing foul, hot stools with force. Yet, when the body is light, free from fatigue, delusion, and heat; when digestion is active in the mouth, the senses function well, there is no pain, and signs such as sweating, sneezing, a mind at ease, desire for food, and itching of the head are present—these are the marks of health and the absence of fever. Turning to disorders of blood and bile, Dhanvantari explained their causes: consuming excessively hot, bitter, pungent, sour, salty, or burning substances, as well as certain grains like kodrava and uddālaka, or any foods repeatedly known to provoke bile, leads to the aggravation of bile and disturbance of blood. When these two, bile and blood, combine and become similar in nature, they spread throughout the body. The disorder can arise even from a bite. Such disturbed blood takes on the smell and color of bile, appearing at its sources—the spleen and liver. The afflicted person experiences heaviness of the head, loss of taste, a longing for cold things, smoky or sour belching, vomiting, aversion to food, cough, shortness of breath, dizziness, and fatigue. The blood is unhealthy; the mouth smells like fish. Even without fever, the eyes and other organs may appear red, yellowish, or greenish. The person loses the ability to distinguish between blue, red, and yellow, and in dreams, madness and unrighteousness manifest. When the disorder is severe, the blood may emerge from the nose, eyes, ears, and mouth, or downward from the genitals and anus, and even from the hair follicles—these are the outlets of aggravated blood. For treatment, Dhanvantari advised that when phlegm is present, purgation is the best remedy, though many medicines are prescribed for bile. For phlegmatic disorders, astringent and sweet substances are suitable for purification. Those substances that are naturally pungent, bitter, or astringent, and remove phlegm, are appropriate for cases where the disorder moves downward or is chronic, and are treated by emesis. However, if bile is weak, emesis is not advised; only when strength is present and bile is pacified is this treatment appropriate. In such cases, astringent and sweet substances are beneficial. When phlegm and wind are involved, the condition is considered incurable and is named accordingly. If the disorder is intolerable, moves contrary to the natural course, and does not respond to medicine, no purification is possible. Still, purification in the contrary direction is prescribed for blood-bile disorders, and both pacification and purification are to be sought. When multiple faults are mixed, expulsion in every way is beneficial, for any remaining fault is as dangerous as a missile of Shiva. Complications distort the body, and their effects are firmly established. Dhanvantari then turned to the matter of cough, saying that it acts quickly and must be understood. There are five types of cough: those arising from wind, bile, phlegm, injury, and wasting. Coughs associated with wasting, when neglected, grow stronger, first appearing as itching and loss of taste in the throat. Dryness of the ears, mouth, and throat follows, caused by downward-moving wind; when this wind moves upward, it accumulates in the throat, filling the veins and channels, lifting the limbs, and causing pain in the eyes, a strained voice, and pressure on the side. The cough sounds crooked, like broken bronze, and brings pain to the heart, side, and head, along with confusion, agitation, and loss of voice. It is dry, painful, and harsh, with horripilation; dry phlegm is expelled with difficulty, and then the cough diminishes. When bile is the cause, the eyes turn yellow, the mouth tastes bitter, fever and dizziness arise, and there may be vomiting of bile and blood, thirst, hoarseness, a smoky sensation, and intoxication. Persistent cough can make vision appear as if seeing lights. A cough from phlegm brings little pain in the head but makes the heart feel heavy and dull. There is coating in the throat, loss of appetite, nasal discharge, vomiting, and lack of taste, with horripilation and thick, oily phlegm that increases. If a person exerts themselves beyond their strength, such as in battle, the wind is disturbed and joined by bile, becoming powerful. This causes a cough with phlegm mixed with blood—yellow, dark, dry, clotted, abundant, and aggravated. The sufferer spits painfully, the chest feels split, as if pierced by needles or struck by a spear. There is piercing pain, splitting and oppressive suffering, breaking of the joints, fever, shortness of breath, thirst, hoarseness, and trembling. The afflicted person may coo like a pigeon, feel pain in the side, and, due to phlegm and other causes, vomit, losing strength, complexion, and digestive power. Thus spoke Dhanvantari, illuminating the nature of fever, blood-bile disorders, and cough, and the ways in which they manifest and may be treated.