Colic (Shúla)
Causes:
Váyu: Excessive exercise, travel, or sexual
intercourse; not sleeping at night, drinking very cold
water, eating very dry foods (i.e., dry, astringent, and
bitter items), overeating, injury, sprouted grains,
incompatible foods (e.g., hot and cold items at the
same meal), stale foods, suppression of natural urges,
fasting, excessive laughing, or talking.
Pitta: Excessive intake of hot, pungent, sour,
irritating, and fermented foods and liquids; anger,
overheating, fatigue, overexposure to the sun, and
sexual intercourse.
Kapha: Excessive intake of animal products, fatty
substances, diary, sugar, nuts, and other Kaphaincreasing
items and habits.
Tridoßha: Indulging in habits of each of the
three doßhas causes tridoßhic colic.
Symptoms:
Váyu: Pain in the heart, ribs, back, waist, and
urinary bladder. The pain (pricking and tearing)
becomes worse during or after digestion, in the
evenings, in cloudy or cold weather. Other symptoms
include gas, distention, insomnia, variable appetite,
nervousness, and palpitations.
Pitta: Thirst, delusion, burning sensation near the
navel, hyperacidity, heartburn, diarrhea, perspiration,
irritability, fainting, and giddiness. Colic becomes
more painful around noon and midnight during
digestion and in rainy weather. Colic is relieved during
cold weather and by eating and drinking sweet and
cold items.
Kapha: Nausea, cough, debility, anorexia, salivation,
stomach pain, white or clear phlegm, congestion,
vomiting, feeling full after eating. These symptoms
are worse at sunrise and in the spring and fall seasons.
Tridoßha: Severe symptoms of all three doßhas
appear throughout the day and are difficult to heal.
Practitioners do not attempt to heal incurrable cases.
Therapies:
General: Since Váyu is the underlying cause of
colic, air-reducing therapies are advised: fomentation
(moist heat application), oil abhyañga, and ghee.
Herbs include cardamom, ginger, and fennel for
abdominal pain, dispelling gas, and digesting food
and áma. Hi´g, nutmeg, chamomile, and jaóámáò¤hí
relieve colic pain. Light, simple meals are advised.
Váyu: Herbs include rock salt, viæa´ga, chitrak,
pippalí, hi´g, lavaò bháskar chúròa, and drákßhá
(medicated grape wine). Small, light, and warm Váyureducing
foods and liquids are taken. An anti-áma
diet is also useful for a few days.
Pitta: First, one drinks cold water and induces
vomiting. Thereafter, cool foods, liquids, and lifestyles
are advised (i.e., Pitta-reducing). Bitter herbs
such as chiráyatá and kaóuká are suggested.
Carminative herbs like fennel, mint, coriander, cumin,
and saffron are also helpful. Avipattikar chúròa with
a little dry ginger is another useful mixture.
Kapha: This condition requires drinking an
emetic decoction followed by vomiting. Dry
fomentation (heat application) and heating herbs (e.g.,
pippalí, dry ginger, vachá, t^ikatu, chitrak) are used,
as well as the Váyu-reducing therapies discussed
above.
Tridoßha: The above therapies used depend
upon the predominant symptomsPárßhva-¤húla
Causes, Development and Symptoms:
Excess Kapha in the sides of the body blocks Váyu,
causing abdominal distention and intestinal rumbling.
Persons experience pricking pain in the ribs, heart,
and bladder; insomnia, no appetite, difficult and
painful breathing. This condition is caused by excess
Váyu and Kapha.
Therapies:
Hi´g, rock salt, and tumburu are taken in a barley
decoction. Castor oil and drákßhá (medicated grape
wine) are also effective.
Kukßhi-¤húla
Causes, Development, and Symptoms:
Excess Váyu affects digestion, and when located
in the hips and abdomen, interferes with previously
eaten meals. Thus, all foods remain undigested.
Symptoms include heavy breathing due to
accumulated feces. This causes the person to toss in
agony, and to find no relief in any position or posture.
This condition is caused by excess Váyu.
Therapies:
Vomiting and fasting are advised if persons are
strong. Acidic and appetizing herbs are taken to reduce
Váyu and áma. Dry ginger, hi´g, b^ihatí, kaòókárí,
vachá, ku¤hóá, ativißhá, and kuóaj are recommended.
Purgatives, non-oily and oily enemas can reduce
accumulated excesses. Oil abhyañga and sweating
(hot poultices) are useful, as are fermented rice
washes.
Cardiac Colic (Hirchula)
Causes, Development, and Symptoms:
Weakened plasma (rasa) causes excess Váyu
(which acts with Pitta and Kapha) in the heart area.
This results in colic pain in the heart region.
Symptoms include difficult breathing. The condition
is caused by excess rasa and Váyu.
Therapies:
Heart disease therapies are used as well as those mentioned above for Váyu.
Bladder Colic (Básti-¤húla)
Váyu becomes excessed in the bladder because
of suppression of urine and feces, causing pain in the
bladder, groin, and navel. This causes further
suppression of urine, stool, and gas. It is caused by
excess Váyu. Váyu-reducing therapies mentioned
above are used.
Urinary Colic (Mutra-¤húla)
Excess Váyu causes piercing pain in the genitals,
intestines, hips, lower abdomen, and navel areas. This
pain prevents the release of urine. Váyu-reducing
therapies are used.
Abdominal Colic (Vit-¤húla)
Váyu becomes excessed when dry foods are eaten,
weakening the digestive fire and preventing stool
evacuation. This causes excruciating pain in the lower
abdominal area. Pain begins on the right or left side,
then eventually spreads to the whole abdomen. Other
symptoms include rumbling sounds, unquenchable
thirst, vertigo, and are followed by epileptic fits.
Therapies include fomentation (moist heat
application), emetics, non-oily and oily enemas,
purgatives, and the Váyu-reducing herbs mentioned
above.
Annaja-¤húla
Overeating during weakened digestion aggravates
Váyu, preventing the digestive tract from digesting
food. This causes intolerable colic pain. Symptoms
include abdominal distention, epileptic fits, nausea,
belching, vilambiká (see indigestion), shivering,
vomiting, and fainting. Váyu-reducing therapies
mentioned above are used.
Gulma (benign abdominal tumor) therapies are
used for all colic conditions
