Dhanvantari, the divine physician, addressed Sushruta with compassion and clarity, saying, “Now I will describe for you the substances, beginning with those that are sweet, which pacify passion and restore balance to the body and mind. Among these, shali rice, shashtika rice, godhuma wheat, milk, ghee, nourishing juices, and honey hold a place of honor. To this group belong marrow, shringataka, barley, yava, urugi, kshura, gambhari, pushkara seeds, grapes, dates, and the strengthening herb bala. The coconut, ikshvaku, atmanupta, vidari, priyala, licorice, palm fruit, and ash gourd are also counted among the chief sweet substances. These foods are cooling and gentle; they relieve fainting and burning sensations, purify the senses, and bring clarity. Yet, if taken in excess, they tend to produce worms and an increase of kapha, and so may cause harm. For those suffering from asthma, cough, diabetes, hoarseness, tumors, swelling of the throat, or elephantiasis, a paste made from jaggery and similar sweet substances can be applied to bring relief. Turning to the sour tastes, Dhanvantari listed pomegranate, amalaki, mango, kapittha, karamada, matulunga, amrataka, badara, and tamarind fruit. Curd, buttermilk, fermented gruel, lakuca fruit, and other sour foods are also included. When sour taste is combined with salt and ginger, it acts as a digestive, stoking the fire of digestion. Sour taste has its own nature: it moistens, increases the wind within, is sharp, and causes a burning sensation, promoting downward movement in the body. If consumed in excess, it may cause tingling in the teeth. Too much sourness can loosen the body, make the voice hoarse, and disturb the throat, mouth, and heart. It can ripen wounds and ulcers, but also produce a burning sensation. Dhanvantari then spoke of the salty taste, found in common salt, yavakṣāra, sarjikā, and other salts. Salty taste is purifying, aids digestion, moistens, and causes separation and spreading within the body’s channels. Yet, taken in isolation, salt may obstruct the channels and soften the tissues, leading to itching of the limbs, abdominal swelling, discoloration, and disorders of the blood, wind, and bile. It can even cause impotence and diseases of the senses. He continued, naming long pepper, horse-radish root, devadāru, kuṣṭha, garlic, valgujī fruit, mustā, guggulu, and lāṅgalī as sources of the pungent taste. Pungency is kindling, purifying, and destroys skin diseases, itching, and phlegm. It removes obesity, laziness, and worms, and opposes the accumulation of semen and fat. However, if used too much, it may bring dizziness, burning, and other discomforts. Among the bitter substances, Dhanvantari listed kṛtamāla, kīrāṇi, turmeric, barley, sweet thorn, vetra, bṛhatī, and śaṅkhinī, as well as guḍūcī, dravantī, trivṛt, maṇḍūkaparṇī, kāravella, brinjal, karavīra, and vāsaka. Rohiṇī, conch powder, karkoṭa, jayantikā, jātī, vāruṇaka, nimbu, jyotiṣmatī, and punarnavā also belong to this group. Bitterness is cutting, cleansing, and kindling; it purifies, relieves fever and thirst, and conquers fainting and throat pain. But if consumed in excess, it dries the feces and urine, causes stiffness of the jaw, convulsions, pain, headache, and wounds. He then spoke of the astringent taste, found in triphala, sallakī, jambu, āmrātaka, vacā, tinduka, vakula, śāla, pālaṅkī, mudga, and cillaka. Astringency binds and absorbs, heals and dries moisture. Yet, if taken alone and in excess, it can cause pain in the heart, dryness of the mouth, fever, abdominal distension, and stiffness. Dhanvantari also described the medicinal properties of various substances. Turmeric, kuṣṭha, rock salt, meṣaśṛṅgi, both kinds of balā, kacchurā, sallakī, pāṭhā, punarnavā, and śatāvarī, as well as agnimantha, brahmadaṇḍī, śvadaṃṣṭra, eraṇḍa, barley, kola, kulattha, karṣāśī, and daśamūla—these, whether used individually or together, remove wind disorders and many disorders of the bile. Śatāvarī, vidārī, bālaka, śīra, sandalwood, dūrvā, vaṭa, pippalī, badarī, and sallakī were named, along with banana, lotus, red lotus, udumbara, paṭola, and a group that removes phlegm: turmeric, jaggery, and kuṣṭha. Among unctuous substances, śatapuṣpī, jātī, vyoṣa, aragvadha, lāṅgalī, clarified butter, oil, animal fat, and marrow are considered the best. Ghee, in particular, is recommended for those who desire intelligence, memory, sharp intellect, and a strong digestive fire. For those with excess bile, only ghee should be given; for those with excess wind, ghee mixed with salt is beneficial. For those with much phlegm, ghee combined with vyoṣa and alkaline substances should be administered. This is also the remedy for disorders of the glands, channels, worms, phlegm, fat, and wind. Oil is prescribed for those who need lightness and firmness, especially when the bowels are hard, or when the body is depleted by wind, sun, water, burdens, women, or excessive exercise. In cases of dryness, suffering, wasting, excessive digestive fire, and wind obstructing the channels, after cauterizing the network of veins, treatment is given for the womb or for head pain. For unctuous decoctions and medicines, the best type requires a dose of one pala; the middle, three akṣas; and the lowest, half a pala. Warm water should be taken with ghee, but with oil, it should be taken separately. In unctuous treatment for bile and thirst, a man should always drink warm water. Those with unctuousness, proper downward movement of wind, strong digestive fire, and a good complexion are considered to be in proper condition. For those who are dry, unctuousness should be applied, and for those already unctuous, dryness should be induced. For fomentation in wind and phlegm disorders, śyāmāka, kodrava, doṣa, natakra, piṇyāka, and sakubhi are used, but this should not be done for those who are excessively obese, dry, weak, or faint. With gentle wisdom, Dhanvantari continued, “Now I will describe the preparation of ghee, oil, and similar substances. Listen, O Sushruta, destroyer of disease. Take śaṅkhapuṣpī, vacā, somā, brāhmī, and brahmasuvarcalā, along with abhayā, guḍūcī, aṭarūpa, and kavāgujī, in equal parts, and cook them into a prastha of ghee. By adding kaṇṭakāri juice and an equal measure of milk, you create brāhmī ghee, which is supreme for enhancing hearing and intellect. For another healing preparation, use triphalā, citraka, balā, nirgundī, nimbavāsaka, punarnavā, guḍūcī, bṛhatī, and śatāvarī, preparing ghee as available. This ghee destroys all diseases. In a decoction of a hundred balā roots, cook half an āḍhaka of oil, together with pastes of madhūka, mañjiṣṭhā, candana, utpala, and padmaka. Add fine powders of ilā, pippalī, kuṣṭha, tvak, elā, aguru, and kesara, as well as other fragrant and life-giving herbs, all combined with an āḍhaka of milk. Cook this gently over a fire and keep it in a pure silver vessel. This preparation alleviates all wind disorders and those affecting every tissue of the body.” Thus, with reverence and clarity, Dhanvantari revealed the essence of these substances and their wise use, guiding all who seek balance, healing, and well-being.