Kshataja Kasa – Causes, Symptoms, Treatment

By Dr Raghuram Y.S. MD (Ay) & Dr Manasa, B.A.M.S

Kshataja Kasa means cough produced by injury, mainly to the chest and chest organs. It is one among the five types of cough. In this condition it is the injury that causes the cough. There is pain in the chest along with expectoration of bloody sputum and loss of weight.
Read – Charaka Kasa Chikitsa – 18th Chapter

Table of Contents

Causative factors

Excessive indulgence in –

Sexual intercourse
Weight lifting
Walking long distances
Fight / battle / combats
Fighting with a person stronger than him
Fighting with horse or elephant

Pathogenesis

The body gets dried in people who are indulged in activities beyond their capacity as mentioned above. The chest / lung of these people are injured. The vitiated vata enters in those sites of injury and cause cough.
Read – Ghee Home Remedy For Dry Cough

Signs and Symptoms

First there is manifestation of dry cough. Following this there is expectoration of phlegm mixed with blood.
When the severity and bouts of cough increase, there is manifestation of sounds resembling that of a pigeon coming from his throat in an indistinct way.
Due to intensity of cough there is pain in throat and chest.
Pain resembles like pins and needles in the chest, throbbing in nature.
There is excessive tenderness in the involved region of the chest. When the painful site is touched the patient feels troubled and is put into serious discomfort.
There is a fell that someone is tearing the chest apart.
There is feeling of increased heat in the chest.
Tooth pain
Fever
Dyspnea / breathlessness
Severe loss of voice

Prognosis of Kshataja Kasa

The cough caused due to chest injury in an emaciated person is incurable.

The same cough when manifests in a strong person can be managed.

Newly manifested kshataj cough is curable sometimes when the four limbs of treatment i.e. physician, patient, medicines and attendants work synchronously in a methodical way.

This cough and all other coughs manifested in the old age, due to ageing are manageable.

Sanskrit Verses

Treatment of Kshataja Cough

Group of sweet tasting herbs
Group of herbs belonging to the Jivaniya category
Herbs and measures which increase strength
Herbs and measures which increase the muscle bulk
Read – Benefits of Sweet Taste – Ayurveda Description, Effect On Body

Treating Kshataj Kas on the lines of Pittaja Kasa

Cough caused due to injury is treated on the lines of cough caused by pitta. For this purpose, milk, ghee and honey should be mainly used.

If the patient is suffering from cough of vata-pitta origin and also has pain in his body, he should be given massage using ghee.

If only vata is vitiated and produces pain in the body parts massage should be done with vata mitigating oils.
Read – How To Balance Vata Dosha? Line Of Treatment And Reasoning

Formulations

Snehana – Use of medicated fats

Pippalyadi Sneha

Paste of 1 karsha each of is prepared –

Pippali – Piper longum,
Madhuka – Glycyrrhiza glabra and
Sugar candy

This is mixed with the below mentioned ingredients –

1 prastha each of

Cow’s milk
Goat’s milk
Sugarcane juice

1 prasrta each of

Flour of barley, wheat
powder of Raisins
Juice of Amla
Sesame oil

All these are heated on mild fire. When the contents get thickened, the vessel is removed from the fire and allowed to cool. When the contents get cooled, honey and ghee are added. This is called Pippalyadi Sneha and should be used for consumption.

Benefits –
This medicine cures cough caused due to injury, dyspnea, heart diseases and emaciation. It is also beneficial for old aged people and to those who have scanty semen.

Jivaniya Ghrta

Ghee prepared with Jivaniya group of herbs, mentioned in the treatment of Vatarakta i.e. gout should be given to drink to a patient suffering from cough due to chest injury in the below mentioned conditions –

If the patient has strong appetite
If there is repeated spitting of blood along with burning sensation throughout the body
If there is pain in the heart and ribs

Drinking of ghee

If there is bleeding from the channels of the body and from the mouth, the patient should be given ghee extracted from milk for oral consumption and as nasal drops. If the patient is tired, emaciated and has low digestion power, he should be given with yavagu for drinking.

Larger dose of ghee should be given for consumption if there is stiffness / rigidity of body parts and bending of the body.

Ghee which is vata pacifying in nature and which doesn’t cause imbalance of pitta and blood should be given for oral use. Any other measures which pacify vata but don’t aggravate blood or pitta are ideal in cough caused due to injury.
Read – Ghee Benefits, Usage, Side Effects, Contra Indications

Use of meat

For patients who are habituated to eating meat and have emaciated body caused due to cough caused by injury, meat juice of lava and other birds shall be given for consumption. If there is excessive thirst, the patient should be given goat’s milk processed with Trna Panchamula group of herbs for drinking.

Dhumapana – medicated smoking

Dhumapana is indicated in the patients of kshataja kasa when there is splitting / bursting pain in the chest due to the sites of injury being filled up by kapha, even after the doshas are removed by administration of proper line of treatment.

The below mentioned medicated smoking are ideal –

1. Medadi Dhuma – wick prepared by smearing the paste of the below mentioned herbs on a linen is used for smoking purpose after dipping it in the ghee –

Meda – Polygonatum verticillatum
Mahameda – Polygonatum cirrhifolium
Madhuka – Glycyrrhiza glabra
Bala – Sida cordifolia
Mahabala – Sida rhombifolia

Jivaniya Ghrta should be taken as an after drink.

2. Manashiladi Dhuma –

Paste of the below mentioned herbs should be smeared on a linen, dried and dipped in ghee. This wick is used for smoking purpose –

Manashila – realgar
Palasha – Butea monosperma
Ajamoda – Trachyspermum ammi
Vamshalochana – Bambusa bambos
Shunti – Zingiber officinale

Sugarcane juice or drink prepared with jaggery should be used as after drink.

3. Manashiladi Dhuma -2

Wick prepared with Manashila – realgar and wet props of Vata – Ficus benghalensis made into paste and added with ghee is used for smoking.

Wholesome food should be consumed along with meat juice of tittira bird.

Yogas for Kasa Mentioned in Sahasra Yoga Text Book
Atisarahara Kashaya
Swasa kasahara Kashaya
Hikkadihara Kashaya
Koushikokta Rasnadi Kwatha
Kasa swasahara Yavagu
Panduhara Kashaya
Sannipata Jwaradihara Kashaya
Panchatiktaka Guggulu Ghrita
Vrisha Ghrita
Nirgundyadi Ghrita
Dasanga Ghrita
Sasa Vasadi Ghrita
Dhanvantari Ghrita
Maha kushmanda Ghrita
Balashwagandhadi taila
Tekaraja Rasa
Bhringalarkadi Taila
Amrutadi Taila
Bala Taila
Sudarsana Choorna
Sitopaladi Choorna
Pridhu Nimba Panchaka Choorna
Maha Khandava Choorna
Lavangadi Choorna
Tugadi Choorna
Swasakasadihara Choorna
Jivanthyadi Choorna
Trikatwadi Choorna
Yavanyadi Choorna
Talisapatradi Choorna
Jati Lavangadi Choorna
Karpooradi Choorna
Hingu Vachadi Choorna
Bala Soolari Choorna
Narasimha Choorna
Kalyana Kshara
Sudha kandadi Kshara
Draksharishta
Dasamoolarishta
Dhatryarishta
Bhringarajasava
kumaryasava
Kushmanda Rasayana
Manibhadra Guda
Agasthya Rasayana
Chyavanaprasavaleha
Bharngyadi Leha
Punarnavadi lehya
Vyaghryadi Lehya
Gudardraka
Matala Rasayana (Dadima)
Kasattinutiri (Kasahari Vati)
Suryaprabha Gutika
Neelakantha Rasa
Gaganeshwara Rasa
Jatilingadi Gutika
Dhanvantari Gutika
Bala Kuvaladi Kashaya
Cherupayaradi Kashaya
Ramacchadi Kashaya
Swasari Taila
Mamsa Sarpi
Amritaprasa Ghrita
Maha Mayura Ghrita
Ajamamsa Rasayana