Six Inevitable Procedures
According to Charaka an ideal physician is ought to know thoroughly six procedures in practice. These are slimming, building up, roughening, lubrication, fomentation and checking.
Slimming makes the body light. Building up makes the body bulk. Roughening creates coarseness, roughness and non-slipperiness. Lubrication makes wetting, oiling, softness and flow. Fomentation relieves stiffness, heaviness, cold and creates sweating. Checking arrests the flow of mobile substances.
Slimming
There are many procedures to make the body slim. Fasting and withstanding of thirst, physical exercise, walking, open air life with exposure to sun and wind, dieting, evacuative therapy etc form the procedures. Inexpensive and commonly practiced procedures are all but the last two. Evacuative therapy is advisable to those who have disturbed vata, increased pitta, kapaha, skin diseases and those who are diabetics.
Building
Consumption of rich foods with fish and meat, oil massage, sleep, enema with sweet, milk, ghee and lubricant substances are the common methods.
Roughening
Consumption of honey, buttermilk, oil cake and diet having the substances of pungent, astringent and bitter, sexual activity give desired effects.
Lubrication
The procedures hold good as detailed elsewhere.
Fomentation
Elsewhere detailed procedures hold good.
Checking
Consumption of liquids, foods and drugs with bitter, astringent or sweet substances is better known result-giving procedures.
