O gentle listener, hear now the sacred teachings on the destruction of poisons and the preparation of potent medicines, as revealed in the ancient scripture. It is said that the very root of mahākāla, when ground and mixed with sour gruel and applied as a paste, has the power to draw out the venom of voḍrā and ḍuṇḍubha, saving the afflicted from their deadly bite. Likewise, the root of taṇḍulīyaka, when pounded with rice water and taken together with ghee, dispels all manner of poison from the body. If one grinds the roots of nīlī and lajjāluka with rice water and drinks this preparation, even the most grievous poison from bites is destroyed in a single dose. Furthermore, the fresh juice of kūṣmāṇḍa, when blended with jaggery and sugar and drunk with milk, becomes a nectar that annihilates the venom from bites. The root of kodrava, too, when combined with yaṣṭīmadhū and sugar and consumed, dispels delusion from poison. Drunk with milk for three nights, this remedy removes the poison of mice, or, alternatively, by drinking three measures of cold water, the same effect is achieved. When the mouth is burnt by betel and the flow of saliva ceases, or when intoxication from alcohol threatens, the drinking of ghee mixed with sugar brings relief and prevents drunkenness. If kṛṣṇāṅkola root is boiled well in water and this decoction is drunk, the poison of garas is destroyed within three nights, O Maheśvara. When pain arises from the sting of a scorpion, warm cow’s ghee mixed with saindhava salt, applied to the wound, brings swift relief, O Mahādeva. There are other potent remedies as well: kusubha, saffron, haritāla, mica, karañja, and the ground root of arka, O Śaṅkara—when consumed, these destroy the poison in men. If lamp oil is applied to the site of an insect bite, the venom is drawn out, and even the poison of kharjūra is vanquished, without doubt. For the sting of a scorpion, a paste of ginger and tagara applied to the affected spot neutralizes the venom of bees. Application of a paste made from śatapuṣpā, saindhava, and ghee, or the seed of śirīṣa prepared with milk and rubbed, destroys the poison of dog bites, O Mahādeva. If water heated by fire is sprinkled, the poison from frogs is also removed. Should poison from a wound be mingled with datura and black mustard, drinking milk or jaggery, O moon-crested one, will destroy the toxin. Water boiled with the bark of banyan, neem, and shami trees, when used to rinse the mouth, removes the pain caused by poison in the mouth and teeth. For poison of worms, a paste of deodar or red ochre, or a mixture of nagakesara, daridra, and manjistha, O Hara, when applied, brings healing, O Umāpati. The seeds of karanja and the bark of varuna, with sesame and mustard, are sure destroyers of poison—this is certain. For horses suffering from itching caused by bites, ghee mixed with aloe leaf and salt, given to them, brings relief. Now, hear the words of Hari regarding the preparation of a powerful confection: Take eight parts of chitraka, sixteen of shurana, four of dry ginger, and two of black pepper. Add three parts of long pepper root, four of vidanga, eight of musali, and four of triphala; all these are to be combined with twice their weight in jaggery and prepared into confections. By consuming this, one is relieved of indigestion, anemia, jaundice, diarrhea, weak digestion, and disorders of the spleen. For a potent medicinal oil, gather bilva, agnimantha, shyonaka, patala, paribhadra, prasarani, ashwagandha, brihati, and kantakari, along with bala, atibala, rasna, shvadanstra, punarnava, eranda, shariva, parna, guduchi, and kapikacchu. Take ten palas of each, boil them in pure water, and when only a quarter remains, cook it further in an oil vessel. Into this, add four times as much goat’s or cow’s milk, and equal portions of shatavari and rock salt. Further, pound together shatapushpa, deodar, bala, parna, vacha, and aguru. Add kushta, mansi, rock salt, and punarnava, one pala each. This oil, when used for drinking, nasal therapy, and massage, destroys heart pain, side pain, glandular swellings, epilepsy, gout, and imparts great strength. It is said that if this oil can cause a she-mule to conceive, what need is there to speak of its benefit for women, O Hara? For horses with wind disorders, for elephants, and for humans, this oil is a supreme remedy for all ailments caused by wind. For severe ear pain, oil prepared with hing, tumba, and dry ginger, especially when mustard oil is used, is the best ancient remedy. To prepare another healing oil, cook alkali of dried radish and dry ginger, hing, cinnabar, and ginger with four times as much buttermilk. This oil, when applied, destroys deafness, ear pain, discharge of pus from the ears, and worms. Another potent oil is made from dried radish, dried ginger, alkali, cinnabar, long pepper, dill, sweet flag, costus, Himalayan cedar, and the juice of antimony. Add black salt, barley alkali, rock salt, saindhava salt, granthika, vidanga, nut grass, honey, and four times as much sour gruel. The juice of citron and banana too should be included. Cooking oil with these ingredients yields a supreme remedy for ear pain. Application of this oil removes deafness, ringing in the ears, severe discharge of pus, and worms in the ears, O wearer of the crescent moon. This alkali oil is excellent and cleanses impurities from the mouth and teeth. For the mouth, a mixture of sandalwood, saffron, spikenard, camphor, nutmeg leaves, nutmeg, kankola, areca nut, clove fruits, agarwood, musk, costus, tagara, gorocana, priyangu, bala, and nakhi is to be used. Thus, O blessed one, are the secrets of healing and poison-destroying remedies revealed, preserving the lives of beings and upholding the wisdom of the ancients.