Listen, O wise one, to the teachings of Dhanvantari, as he reveals the subtle workings of the humors within the body and the many afflictions they bring. Just as the mind loses all taste in moments of deep grief or anger, so too does the body become disturbed when the humors—wind, bile, and phlegm—are corrupted and thrown into turmoil. From such disturbances, a fifth type of disorder arises, manifesting in the body with distressing symptoms. When the upward-moving air within is afflicted by all the humors, it forcefully expels all that should be digested. This brings about a swift onset of discomfort: the body loses its luster, salivation becomes excessive, and appetite fades away. Pain quickly arises in the navel and back, and food is expelled sideways from the digestive tract. Vomiting follows, coming in fits and starts, bringing up astringent, frothy matter. Noisy belching erupts, difficult and forceful, while the wind within causes cough, dryness of mouth, and affliction of the voice. When bile is the source, the vomit resembles saline water—smoky, greenish-yellow, and sometimes tinged with blood. It is sour, sharp, and bitter, with a grassy smell, causing burning sensations and the ripening of inner afflictions. If phlegm is at fault, the expelled matter is unctuous, thick, and yellow, sometimes like honey—sweet, salty, and abundant, causing horripilation. When these symptoms are joined by swelling, sweetness, drowsiness, nausea, exhilaration, and cough, and all appear together, the matter must be discarded at once. Sometimes, all aspects of a person become repulsive to the senses—sight, hearing, and more—because of the disturbance of wind and other humors, or from food corrupted by worms. The disease then appears with pain, trembling, and exhilaration, especially in those cases brought on by worms. Now hear further, as Dhanvantari speaks of the causes of heart disease and related conditions, including those induced by worms. Five types of heart disease are recognized, each with its own signs and seat in the heart. When wind is the cause, there is excessive emptiness within; the afflicted one eats and cries out, feeling the heart broken, dried, stiff, and hollow, with dizziness overtaking the mind. Sudden dejection, sorrow, fear, intolerance of sound, trembling, shivering, confusion, difficulty breathing, and little sleep all arise. When bile is the source, thirst, fatigue, burning, and sweating occur, along with a succession of sour and phlegmatic symptoms. Vomiting marks the sour-bile condition, and fever comes with a smoky sensation. When phlegm is disturbed, the heart feels stiff and heavy, as if weighed down by stone. There is cough, weakness in the bones, spitting, drowsiness, laziness, loss of appetite, and fever. In heart disease caused by all three humors and by worms, the eyes darken, the world seems to plunge into shadow, and there is exhilaration, swelling, itching, and discharge of phlegm. The heart feels as if it is constantly torn by a saw—this terrible condition demands swift and decisive treatment. From wind, bile, and phlegm together arises thirst; when all three are combined, strength is lost. A sixth type of heart disease arises from complications, with wind and bile as the cause. When these humors are aggravated, they dry up all the body’s tissues, causing confusion throughout, trembling, heat, burning in the heart, and loss of consciousness. When the veins that bring fluids to the root of the tongue, throat, palate, and uvula are dried, thirst arises—this is a common sign. There follows dryness of the mouth, satisfaction only from water, aversion to food, loss of voice, burning in the throat, lips, and palate, and fatigue when the tongue is extended. Delirium and confusion of mind appear, with frequent belching. When wind is involved, there is emaciation, dejection, pain in the temples, and dizziness. Loss of smell, tastelessness in the mouth, loss of hearing, sleep, and strength are seen. Cold, sour, and frothy saliva increases from bile, fainting occurs, and bitterness fills the mouth. The eyes are constantly red, dry, burning, and smoky; phlegm is disturbed by the tastes, and wind afflicts the channels that carry fluids. When phlegm obstructs the flow, the body is like a calf stuck in mud; the throat becomes blocked as if filled with husks, and sleep brings a sweet but distorted state. Swelling of the head, dullness, sluggishness, vomiting, loss of appetite, laziness, and poor digestion—one who experiences all these is said to have every symptom. When fragrance arises and blood flow is blocked, a condition of wind and bile results. If one drinks cold water suddenly after heat, thirst emerges. When heat rises in the abdomen, it produces bile; and when it arises from excessive drinking, sharp foods, or those cooked in oil, the condition is similar. Thirst resulting from oily, bitter, sour, and salty foods is caused by phlegm; with loss of taste and thirst, it becomes wasting in nature. Intense thirst from dryness, confusion, fever, and complications of chronic disease is marked by these symptoms. Now, Dhanvantari explains the cause of intoxication as spoken by the sages. Wine possesses qualities that are sharp, sour, rough, subtle, active, and light. It is expansive and clear, but contrary in nature to fat. Its sharp effects are described as divine, yet its qualities disturb the mind. In the highest degree, wine acts as a poison, diminishing the body’s strength and qualities. With ten qualities, it contracts and leads the mind into inactivity. In the first and second stages of intoxication, confusion takes hold. The bewildered person, struck by indecision, mistakes what is pleasant for true happiness. When intoxication reaches the threshold between moderate and highest, it rules as king over the mind. Like a wild beast without a goad, the intoxicated person acts without restraint; the earth becomes the abode of those with unspeakable conduct and poor character. This is the chief sign of the difficult path, filled with many ways. When all motion ceases and speech is lost, intoxication has entered its third and most perilous stage. Worse than death, the sinful soul falls into a state even more sinful; he no longer knows righteousness or unrighteousness, happiness or sorrow, honor or dishonor, benefit or harm. Afflicted by delusion and confusion, joined with dryness and other symptoms, he falls into madness, delirium, fainting, and even epilepsy. The strong, those who have eaten, and the gluttonous do not become excessively intoxicated; but the disease of intoxication arises from wind, bile, and phlegm together. Their common signs are confusion, pain in the heart, splitting headache, intense thirst, mild fatigue, fever, and loss of appetite. There is obstruction in the chest, darkness, cough, breathlessness, sleeplessness, excessive sweating, bloating, swelling, and disturbance of the mind. Thus, O learned one, are the intricate ways by which the humors disturb the body and mind, leading to suffering and disease. Let these teachings be remembered, for they reveal the subtle interplay of forces within, and the path to understanding and healing.