In ancient times, the wise sages gathered to learn the secrets of health and longevity, as taught by Dhanvantari, the divine physician. He spoke with clarity and compassion, imparting knowledge to heal and preserve the body. For those suffering from colic and abdominal tumors, when urine and stool are obstructed, the remedy is to apply warm fomentation and drink saline water to restore balance. If heaviness, sourness, or obstruction arises due to phlegm, bile, or wind, the learned should anoint the abdomen with a mixture of asafoetida, black salt, and long pepper, soothing the discomfort. To destroy indigestion, daytime sleep is recommended, yet one must avoid unwholesome food, for it breeds countless ailments. After meals, sipping warm water and honey aids digestion, but caution is advised: milk does not harmonize with radish, curd, or fish. Five great roots—bilva, śoṇā, gambhārī, pāṭalā, and gaṇikārikā—kindle the digestive fire and dispel phlegm and wind. Alongside them, five lesser roots—śālaparṇa, pṛśniparṇa, the two types of bṛhatī, and gokṣura—remove wind and bile, invigorating the body. Both types of daśasūla are potent for alleviating fevers caused by converging diseases, and are recommended for cough, breathlessness, lethargy, and pain in the sides. With medicinal oils, one should perform fomentation and apply ointments to combat alopecia, using decoction water four times the quantity for both general and foot applications. When preparing medicine, equal parts of oil and milk are blended, with paste added as a quarter of the oil. This mixture is cooked with the prescribed herbs: for enema and oral use, the preparation is equal; for massage, it is made rough; for nasal application, gentle; always adjusted to suit the purpose. One should recognize those with robust bodies and senses, whose natural constitution is established—they are healthy and worthy of care, as they possess longevity. Conversely, those who perceive the world with distorted senses, who are hostile to physicians, friends, and teachers, or who are excessively attached to loved ones or enemies, are in peril. If a person’s ankle, knee, forehead, jaw, or cheek is dislocated or displaced, their life is soon to end. Should the left eye be sunken, the tongue dark, the nose deformed, the lips black and displaced, and the mouth blackened, hope for recovery must be abandoned. Dhanvantari then began to explain the discernment of what is beneficial and harmful, and the proper rules for anupāna, the after-drink. He taught that red rice destroys the three doṣas, quenches thirst, and prevents fat accumulation. Mahāśāli rice is highly invigorating, while kalama rice alleviates phlegm and bile, being cooling and heavy. The white ṣaṣṭika rice also pacifies the three doṣas. Śyāmāka is drying, rough, promotes wind, and alleviates phlegm and bile, as do priyangu, nivāra, and koradūṣa. Barley, used often and cold, removes phlegm and bile, invigorates, cools, is heavy and sweet; wheat destroys wind. Mudga is astringent, sweet, light, and removes phlegm and bile; māṣa is highly strengthening, invigorating, heavy, and alleviates bile and phlegm. Rājamāṣa, though not invigorating, alleviates phlegm and bile, and relieves wind disorders. Kulattha is effective for breathlessness, hiccups, heart disease, phlegm, abdominal tumors, and wind. Makuṣṭhaka is cooling, binding, and alleviates bleeding disorders, fever, and insanity. Caṇaka promotes wind and removes disorders of semen, blood, phlegm, and bile. Masūra is sweet, cooling, binding, and alleviates phlegm and bile; kalāya possesses all qualities and is highly wind-promoting. Āgkī alleviates phlegm and bile, and increases semen; atasī promotes bile, while siddhārtha conquers phlegm and wind. Sesame is salty, sweet, unctuous, strengthening, hot, and increases bile; other grains, rough and cooling, reduce strength. Among vegetables, citraka, engudi, nālīkā, pippalī, madhuśigru, cavyā, caraṇa, nirguṇḍī, tarkārī, and kāśamardaka are mentioned. Bilva and similar fruits counteract phlegm and bile, destroy worms, are light, and stimulate digestion. In rainy regions and under the sun, they dispel wind and phlegm, removing all disorders. Castor, black nightshade, and kākamācī are bitter and remove all three doshas. Cāṅgerī counters phlegm and wind, and mustard eliminates all disorders. Kausmasumbha and rājikā alleviate wind and bile; nāḍīcaḥ counters phlegm and bile, while cucumber is sweet and cooling. Padma leaf and tripuṭa remove disorders, with tripuṭa especially increasing wind. Vāstuka, containing salt, destroys all disorders and is highly stimulating. Taṇḍukī and vipahara, as well as pālaṅkyā and other root vegetables, cause disorders and are emaciating; when cooked, they aggravate wind and phlegm. Among all, adya is best for removing disorders and soothing the throat when cooked. Karkoṭaka, vārtāka, padola, and kāravellaka are also included. Kūṣmāṇḍa removes skin diseases, urinary disorders, fever, breathlessness, cough, bile, and phlegm; it is wholesome, removes all disorders, and cleanses the bladder. Kaliṅga and ālabunī destroy bile and provoke wind; trapuṣa and urvāruka counteract wind and phlegm, and restrain bile. Vṛkṣāmla dispels phlegm and wind; jambīra reduces phlegm and wind; dāḍima counters wind and is binding, while nāgaraṅga fruit is heavy. Keśara and mātuluṅga stimulate digestion and reduce phlegm and wind; māṣa removes wind and bile, is oily, warm, and alleviates wind. Saramāmalaka is aphrodisiac, sweet, wholesome, and produces sourness; harītaki, praised as virtuous and comparable to nectar, enhances appetite after eating. Straṃsanī counters phlegm and wind; akṣa conquers all three doshas; tintiḍī fruit is sour, removes wind and phlegm, and acts as a laxative. Lakuca is disorder-causing and sweet; bakula counters phlegm and wind; bījapūraka destroys abdominal swelling, wind, phlegm, breathlessness, and cough. Kapittha is binding, removes disorders; when ripe it is heavy and antidotal, but unripe increases phlegm and bile, and fully matured augments bile. Ripe mango increases wind, flesh, semen, color, and strength; jāmbava counters wind, phlegm, and bile, is binding and causes constipation. Tinduka dispels phlegm and wind; badara removes wind and bile; bilva is constipating and windy; priyāla alleviates wind. Thus, Dhanvantari revealed the nature of foods and medicines, guiding the sages to discern what brings health and what causes harm, so that all may walk the path of well-being and longevity.