Chapter 25 - Symptoms and treatment of Unmada (insanity)

Its causes and indications.

An abnormal excess of the three doshas make their way upwards through improper channels (causing an obstruction of the sense-carrying passages), resulting in the unsoundness of the mind. This is a mental disease, and is called insanity (unmada). In its primary and undeveloped stage, it is called mada (distraction).

Insanity (unmada) is of eight different kinds, according as it is due to an abnormal excess of (1) vayu, (2) pitta, (3) kapha, (4) a combination of these three, and to (5) mental agony, (6) poison, (7) influence of evil spirits, and (8) intense sexual desire.

The following are the causes of the disease, in the first five cases:—taking of food, impure, defective (not properly boiled, etc.), and injurious by combination (see page 9, vol. IV), insulting of objects of reverence, mental shock due to fear and exultation, and improper activities (such as indulgence in endurance swimming). In people of low vitality, the deranged doshas, as well as the other dirts, are vitiated by the causes enumerated above, with the result that the heart, which is the seat of intelligence, as well as the sense-carrying passages, are affected thereby, leading quickly to the distraction of the mind.

The following are the general symptoms of insanity:—bewilderment. unsteadiness of mind, agitated appearance of eye-sight, impatience, incoherent speech, and vacantness of the heart.

Insanity due to vayu.

An abnormal excess of vayu, due to taking of food, coarse (not softened with fatty substance), insufficient, and cold; waste of the dhatus (chyle, blood, etc.), and fasting, vitiates the heart, already disturbed by excess of contemplation, worry, etc., and thereby quickly weakens intelligence, memory, and imagination. These are the symptoms of insanity due to vayu:—laughing, smiling, dancing, singing, speaking, physical activities, and crying, at improper places and hours; roughness, emaciation, and reddishness of the skin: and increase of strength after digestion of food.

Insanity due to pitta.

Pitta in the heart of a man, ignorant or unmindful of the rules for the keeping of his own health, gets increased and turbulent by bis taking food, of any one of the following description not well-digested, pungent, sour, and bidahi (see page 7, vol. IV). Pitta, thus vitiated, causes insanity Of a violent nature. The following are the symptoms of such an insanity:—impatience, good deal of physical activity, putting off worn clothes, loudness of voice in a threatening attitude, running, hotness of the skin, anger; desire for a shady place, cold food, and cold drinks; and yellowishness of the body.

Insanity due to kapha.

If a man who takes no physical exercise, sits idle, and is in the habit of taking too much of food, his kapha in the heart, combined with pitta, gets vitiated, which destroys his intelligence, memory, and imagination, leading to insanity.

The following are the symptoms of this disease:—very little desire to speak, aversion to food, love for women, love for solitude, sleep, vomiting, discharge of saliva, increase of strength just after taking meal, and whiteness of the nails.

Insanity due to combination of the three doshas.

The causes of this disease are the combination of all the causes mentioned above. Its indications are also a combination of all the indications mentioned above. This disease defies treatment, (on account of impracticability of making the patient take medicines and follow the prescribed directions properly), and is therefore to be given up by the physician.

Insanity due to mental agony.

This is due to threats received from such agencies as thieves, officials of the king, and enemies; loss of riches and friends, and disappointment in love affairs. Divested of intelligence, the diseased divulges strange secrets of the mind, sings, laughs, and laments.

In this disease, the eyes of the patient grow red. He loses his strength, sense-organs, and physical lustre. He presents an appearance of pitiableness. His face is blackish red, and he loses his consciousness altogether.

The insane who keeps his face always upwards or downwards, has lost much of his flesh and strength, and keeps always awake (without sleep), is sure to die very soon.

Insanity due to evil spirits.

In this disease, the patient acquires power of speech, courage, strength, and activities of a superb character, and his fits are incapable of being controlled by any kind of knowledge, science, physical strength, or skill (simply because the disease is due to causes over which human beings have no control.)

Insanity due to intensity of sexual desire (or nympho-mania).

It will be dealt with in its proper place along with the other female-diseases.

Treatment of insanity: Simple Remedies.

(1) In insanity, due to vayu, the patient should be made, first of all, to drink fatty substances, such as clarified butter (fresh, old, or medicated, such as chaitasa ghrita, castor oil, etc.) In insanity due to pitta, the patient should be made to take purgatives, first. In insanity due to kapha, he is to be made to vomit, first of all. Douches, snuff’s, etc. may be prescribed later. The causes of epilepsy and insanity being of the same nature, methods of treatment, of the former may also be adopted in the latter.

(2) The patient may be made to drink (a) a paste prepared from boiling masha grains, mixed with clarified butter: or (b) milk with clarified butter.

(3) Oil prepared from the seeds of nimba is to be rubbed well all over the body, the diet being heavy, excluding dry pot-herbs. The patient is also to be bound hand and feet, and smoke of maheshvara dhupa is to be inhaled by him, every night, till recovery.

(4) (a) Decoction of dasha-mula (bilva, shyonaka, gambhari, patala, ganikarika, shalaparni, prishni-parni, brihati, kantakari, and gokshura (? of a tola, each,—total, two talas, to be boiled with 32 tolas of water, and reduced to 8 tolas, by boiling by a mild heat in an earthen vessel), mixed with clarified butter, or (b) soup of meat mixed with powdered white mustard seeds, or (c) clarified butter of as many years’ standing as procurable may be made to be drunk by an insane.

(5) All sorts of insanity are cured by taking payasa (i.e. milk boiled with rice), boiled with the roots of dhatura (one fourth of a tola in weight), and mixed with molasses and clarified butter.

(6) Insanity is cured by taking, for three seeds of kushmanda, mixed with honey.

(7) Raw meat of she-sparrow, pestled with milk, cures insanity. The body of the patient should be rubbed with mustard oil. He is then to lie down flatly in the sun.

(8) All sorts of insanity due to evil spirits are cured by the application in the eyes of the collyrium prepared from pippali, maricha, rock-salt, honey, and cow’s bile.

(9) Inhaling the smoke of the following cures all sorts of insanity due to the influence of evil spirits and witches:—leaves of nimba, vacha, hingu, dried skin of a snake, and mustard seeds.

(10) The following, used as a snuff or collyrium, cures insanity:—Mower of shirisha, garlics, shunthi, white mustard, vacha, manjistha, haridra, and pippali, all pestled together with goats’ urine.

Maheshvara dhupa.

(11) Equal quantities of shrivesta (exudation of sarala or fine tree), deva-daru, saffron, musta, katuki, mustard, leaves of nimba, madana fruit, vacha, brihati, kantakari, dried skin of snake, cotton seeds, barley seeds, husks of paddy, cow’s horn, fur of asses, tails of peacock, cats’ stool, fur of goats, and clarified butter prepared from goats’ milk are to he nibbed together, and subjected to bhavana with asses’ urine. All sorts of insanity (unmada) are cured by inhaling the smoke of this compound.

Unmatta-parpati rasa.

Two raktis, in weight, of parpati rasa and five seeds of dhathura are to be rubbed with clarified butter prepared from cow’s milk. This is to be taken every day for the cure of insanity.

Two raktis of parpati rasa and five seeds of nakuli are to be rubbed, with clarified butter prepared from cow’s milk, and taken every day for the cure of insanity.

Kanakadi rasa.

One part, each, of mercury, sulphur, and incinerated copper are to be rubbed together for three days, each, with the juice or decoction of the leaves of dhattura, maharastri, and kuchila (nux-vomica), and made into a lump. This is to be heated by mild heat. When cooled, it is to be mixed with three parts, each, of seeds of dhattura, mica, sulphur, and aconite, and rubbed with water, for three days. Pills are then to be made, three raktis in weight, each. All sorts of insanity (except that due to poison and sexual desire) are cured by taking this medicine.

Unmada-gaja-keshari rasa.

Equal quantities of mercury, sulphur, realgar, and seeds of dhattura are to be rubbed together, and subjected to bhavana, for seven days, each, with the juices of vacha, and rasna, and made into powder. This medicine cures insanity (unmada), including that due to the influence of evil spirits, epilepsy, and fever.

Unmada Bhanjana rasa.

Equal quantities of trikatu, triphala, gaja-pippali, vidanga, deva-daru, kirata-tikta, katuki, kantakari, jastimadhu, seeds of kutaja, roots of chitraka, bala, roots of pippali, ushira, seeds of shobhanjana, roots of trivrit, indravaruni, tin. silver, mica, and coral; and iron, equal in quantity to all the other materials combined, are to be rubbed together with water and made into pills, two raktis in weight, each. This medicine cures insanity due to vayu and evil spirits, epilepsy, thinness, and hemoptysis.

Bhutankusha rasa.

One part, each, of mercury, iron, copper, pearls, rock-salt, sambara salt, sea-salt, vira salt, and sauvarchala salt: and one fourth part, each, of diamonds, orpiment, sulphur, realgar, copper-sulphate, bitumen, stibnite, opium, and rasanjana (yellow stibnite) are to be rubbed, for one day, with the juices of bhringaraja, danti, and milk of snuhi, and made into a lump. This is to be dried and heated by Gajaputa. This medicine cures insanity due to the influence of evil spirits only. Dose, two raktis, a day, to be taken with honey and ginger juice. Decoction of dasha-mula, mixed with powdered pippali, is to be drunk after taking the medicine. The body of the patient is to be fomented by heating a paste prepared from bitter alabu. Pungents, sours, and other things acrid in taste, as well as coarse (not softened with fat) food are to be avoided altogether. Milk of buffalo, clarified butter prepared from the same, and heavy food are to be given to the patient, and mustard oil is to be rubbed profusely all over his body.

Nistraigunya rasa.

One part, each, of gold, mercury, and black stibnite, and one tenth part of aconite are to be rubbed together with the juices of shulini (tulsi?) and deva-dali. The compound is then to be heated with sulphur oil (see page 141, vol. II), and made into pills. This medicine cures insanity.

Sutaka pratyaya rasa.

Three parts of mercury are to be rubbed together with one part; each, of sulphur, orpiment, and realgar, and made into a black powder. With this is again to be rubbed three parts of triloha (see page 152, Vol. III) already pestled with an equal quantity of black anjana (stibnite). The whole thing is then to be rubbed with the juices of shulini (tulasi?) and devadali, and heated with sulphur oil (see page 141, vol. II) by mild heat. This medicine cures epilepsy and insanity.

Sharveshvara rasa.

Four tolas, each, of incinerated mercury, roots of orange, roots of danti, patha, samudra-phena, roots of arka, and incinerated horn of deer are to be rubbed together for three days with the decoction of twelve tolas of triphala. The compound is then to be rubbed for five days, each, with the decoction of amla-vetasa and milk of arka. It is then to be rubbed for twenty one days with the juice of durba grass. This medicine cures insanity (unmada) and epilepsy, if taken in doses of nine raktis, each, with the decoction of roots of chitraka (or trikatu, according to another text).

Diet, etc. in insanity (unmada).

The same as in apasmara.