Garuda Purana

In the sacred discourse, the revered sages and divine physicians revealed the secrets of healing oils and remedies, cherished by kings and sought by those suffering from ailments of the body and mind. They spoke first of a special oil, renowned for pacifying all disorders of wind and greatly favored by royalty. To prepare it, one must combine a prastha of śatāvarī juice with an equal measure of milk, blending the essence of śatapuṣpa, devadāru, māṃsī, śaileyaka, balā, candana, tagara, kuṣṭha, manaḥśilā, and jyotiṣmatī—each ingredient weighed to a karṣa. With these, a prastha of ghee is cooked, forming a potent medicine for those afflicted: the hunchbacked, dwarfed, lame, deaf, disabled, or those suffering from leprosy. It is also given to those whose limbs are broken by wind, weakened in intercourse, aged and frail, bloated, or plagued by dryness of mouth. This oil, mighty in its power, swiftly destroys all diseases, driving out the winds lodged in the skin, veins, and tendons. This sacred oil of Nārāyaṇa, as spoken by Viṣṇu, dispels disease, and it is advised that oil and ghee be prepared separately with all these medicines, each individually. The application may also be made with śatāvarī, guḍūcī, citraka, and gocanā, or with nirguṇḍī, or kaṇṭakārī and its juices. Alternatively, one may use varṣābhū, ālaya, vāsaka, and the three fruits, or brāhī, igṇḍaka, bhṛṅgarāja, and kuṣṭa. Musali, daśamūla, khadira, banyan, and similar herbs may be used, prepared as tablets, sweet balls, or powders, serving as remedies for all diseases. These medicines may be mixed with ghee, honey, water, sugar, and other substances, and when combined with pungent salts, they act as powerful remedies. Other potent ingredients include citraka, arka, trivṛt, yavanī, hayamāraka, sudhā, bālā, gaṇikā, saptaparṇa, and suvarcikā. The wise gather jyotiṣmatī and cook oil from its extract, applying it vigorously in cases of fistula. This oil is supreme for purification and healing, bestowing every complexion and destroying all diseases, especially when prepared with citraka. Ajamoda, sindūra, haritāla, two kinds of niśā, two kinds of alkali, foam, fresh ginger, and resin from the śava tree are blended for further healing. With indravāruṇī, apāmārga, banana, and their extracts, mustard oil mixed with goat's urine is prepared, gently cooked with cow's milk. The oil made from ajamoda and similar ingredients removes glandular swelling, and when cooked until well done and purified, it promotes healing and softness. Rudra then spoke, recounting how Dhanvantari, Viṣṇu, and Suśruta had revealed these remedies, and how Hari again instructed Hara on many treatments for diseases. Hari said, “For all fevers, O Śaṅkara, the first step is fasting, drinking boiled water, and avoiding wind exposure. Fevers are destroyed by fire-sweating, and the decoction of guḍūcī and mustaka is a remedy for wind-fever.” He continued, “Hear now about ghee, difficult to obtain yet potent in removing fevers of the pitta type, prepared with dried ginger, parpaṭa, musta, bāla, kośīra, and sandalwood. A decoction with ghee, dried ginger, and durālabha is for phlegmatic fever; with bāla, it cures all fevers, especially when combined with dried ginger and parpaṭa. For pitta fever, a remedy is made from kirātatikta, nārī, guḍūcī, dried ginger, and musta; this is an excellent formula.” “For high fever,” he said, “a decoction made with bāla, kośīra, pāṭhā, kaṇṭakārikā, musta, and suradāru is effective. A mixture of dhanyāka, nimb, and musta with honey, or with paṭola leaves, guḍūcī, and triphalā, is beneficial, O Śaṅkara. When drunk, it removes all fevers, stimulates appetite, and alleviates wind disorders; it is made from harītakī, pippalī, āmalakī, and citraka. A powder or decoction for fever is made from dhanyāka, kośīra, parpaṭa, āmalakī, guḍūcī, with honey and sandalwood.” “Hear now of a remedy that removes all fevers and balances the three doṣas: haridrā, nimb, triphalā, musta, and devadāru. A decoction of kaṭurohiṇī with paṭola and its leaves is astringent and, when drunk, removes fevers caused by all three doṣas. By taking a powder of kaṇṭakārikā, dried ginger, guḍūcī, and puṣkara, and consuming nāgabalā powder, one is freed from asthma, cough, and similar ailments.” “In fevers caused by kapha and vāta, give warm water to the thirsty, prepared with viśvaparpaṭa, kośīra, musta, and sandalwood. Or give very cool water to relieve thirst, vomiting, fever, and burning; for vāta-type fever, a decoction of the five roots beginning with bilva is prescribed. Pippalī root, guḍūcī, and viśvabheṣaja are digestive; in vāta fever, this decoction, when given, brings great relief. A decoction of parpaṭa and nimb with honey destroys pitta fever; even when prepared in various ways, it does not lose its efficacy.” “To cleanse fevers, cauterize the feet or forehead with an iron rod; a decoction of bitter pāṭhā, parpaṭa, viśālā, triphalā, trivṛt, and milk is purgative and cleanses all fevers.” The Blessed Lord then spoke of remedies for baldness and hair care. “After seven nights, auspicious hair grows for one who is bald, by applying a paste of burnt elephant ivory with barley juice and collyrium made from milk. Oil prepared with the juice of bhṛṅgarāja in a quarter part, mixed with guñjā powder, promotes the growth of hair. Anointing with a mixture of cardamom, māṃsī, kuṣṭha, and urā, or applying a paste of guñjā fruit, removes moonlight-induced baldness. By applying a paste of mango stone powder, the hair becomes fine; and a paste of karanja, amalaki, aloe, and lac removes redness. By applying a paste of mango stone marrow and amalaki, the hair becomes firmly rooted, thick, long, unctuous, and does not fall out.” Thus, through these divine teachings, the sages and gods bestowed the wisdom of healing oils, remedies for fevers, and the restoration of hair, guiding all who seek health and wholeness along the sacred path of Sanātana Dharma.