Procedure for holding a gargle

The throat, ears and forehead are first sweated; the gargle liquid is then held in the mouth, filling it only halfway, and kept still until the medicine is enveloped in kapha; when the eyes fill with water and the nose begins to run it is spat out. Fresh liquid is taken and the cycle repeated with care until the doshas have come out, heaviness of the head has gone and hoarseness and other mouth diseases have calmed; after that no more is held. Liquids are chosen by dosha from the alkali, sour, oil, ghee, urine and astringent groups. For kavala, dry drugs are chewed by rule.