First measures for snakebite: tying, excision, burning or sucking

For a bite by any snake on a hand or foot, the limb is tied tightly four finger-breadths above the bite with cloth, cord or bark, the bitten flesh is cut out and the blood let out; on other parts the place is cut and burnt, or the poison sucked out with earth in the mouth.

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Names and synonyms

Sanskrit: सर्पदष्टचिकित्सा
Hindi: सर्पदंश की प्रारंभिक चिकित्सा
English: First measures for snakebite: tying, excision, burning or sucking

Ingredients and preparation

External applicationChapter 19 · p. 429 · v. 102

How it is used

Applied at the bite site.

जगह से चार अंगुल के ऊपर (कपडा, डोरी, वृ़ा के छाल आदि जो वखत में मिल जाये उन से) कसकर बाँध1 लेना चाहिए।

Indicated for, as the text says

Snakebite (sarpa visha)(सर्वैस्सर्पैरेव दष्टस्य)

Quantities are reported exactly as the source states them. They are historical measures, not dosage advice.

Therapies involvedBandaging (bandhana)बंधन (पट्टी बांधना)Surgery (shastra karma)शस्त्रकर्म (शल्य क्रिया)Bloodletting (raktamokshana)रक्तमोक्षण Cauterisation (agnikarma)अग्निकर्म (दागना)

Organs mentionedSkinत्वचा Blood and circulationरक्त और रक्त संचार

पश्चात् काटे हुए जगह को किसी शस्त्र से उखेर कर (मांस को उखाड कर) रक्र निकालना चाहिए (जिससे वह विष रक्र के साथ निकल जाता है)।Source wording as converted, Chapter 19 · p. 429 · v. 102.

Safety

Needs a trained practitioner. This procedure or preparation is of a kind that should only be carried out under qualified supervision.

Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, older adults, kidney or liver disease and other medicines all call for professional advice before any traditional remedy is used.

Therapies involved4