Ushma sweating is fomenting the patient, covered with a wet cloth, over heated bricks, stones or coarse grains (kudhanya) sprinkled with sour gruel or other liquids. Like tapa sweating it chiefly pacifies kapha, according to the commentary.
Names and synonyms
- Sanskrit
- ऊष्मस्वेद
- Hindi
- उष्मस्वेदऊष्मस्वेद
- English
- Steam sweating (ushma sveda)
Ingredients and preparation
Ingredients
| Ingredient | As written in the text | Quantity as written |
|---|---|---|
| Sour fermented gruel (kanjika)कांजी (काञ्जिक) | कांजी | Not stated |
Preparation as described
Bricks, stones or coarse grains are heated and sprinkled with sour gruel or a similar liquid.
इँट, पत्थर, कुधान्य इत्यादि को गरम करके उस पर कांजी आदि द्रव छिडककर
How it is used
The patient, covered with a wet cloth, is fomented by the rising heat.
गीले कपडे से ढके हुए रोगी के शरीर को सेकने को उष्मस्वेद1 कहते हैं।
Indicated for, as the text says
- Kapha disorders(कफप्रशमन)
Effect on the doshas, as stated
सोष्णोष्टकोपलकुधान्यगणैस्तथोष्मा॥ 23॥Source wording as converted, Chapter 22 · p. 500 · v. 23.What the text says
Each statement reports the source, with its chapter, page and verse. Traditional descriptions are not presented as proven medical facts.
Preparation1
A footnote adds that fomenting with the steam of a heated pot filled with milk, curd, sour gruel or a decoction of vata-reducing drugs is also called ushma sweating.
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.
Questions and answers
What are the four kinds of sweating described, and what is each said to suit?
Heat (tapa), steam (ushma), poultice (bandhana or upanaha) and liquid (drava) sweating; tapa and ushma chiefly pacify kapha, the poultice destroys vata, and liquid sweating suits vata or kapha mixed with raktapitta.
Detailed answer and sourcesAll references
Every page and verse of the source that this entry draws on.
Quick facts
- Content type
- Procedure
- Source pages with records
- 1
- Pages naming it
- 0
- Chapters
- Chapter 22
- Extraction tasks
- T24
- Record id
- method_ushma_sveda_p572