Snake Bites

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Ayurvedic concepts of Snake Poison

Animal poison is a part of toxicology from the ancient period which mainly deals with toxic animals. Charaka explains about the types of poisonous animals as follows

"The poison of serpents, insects, rats, spiders, scorpions, house lizards, leeches, fishes, frogs, hornets, lizards, dogs, tigers, jackals, hyenas, mongooses" as termed as Animal poisons.

Snakes (Sarpa Visha)

There are more than 2000 species of snakes in the world and 126 species in India, of which 52 are poisonous. It is estimated that annually about 2 lakh people are bitten, of whom around 16,000 die. Since the majority of snakes are non venomous.

Ayurvedic classification of Snakes

In the basic classification of the snakes are of two types- 1. Mythological (Diva), 2. Terrestrial (Bhauma)

Mythical snakes

They are Vasuki, Taksaka, Ananta, Sagara, Sagaralaya, Nanda and Upananda. These are radiant like fire and it is said that they always roar, cause rain, shine by themselves and makes to shine, always supports and sustains the world, when becomes angry convert the world into ashes by their sight and breath.

Terrestrial Snakes

The terrestrial snakes are classified into five types. Namely

• Hooded ( Darvi kara) - 26 in number
• Hoodless / painted with circular patches (Mandali) - 22 in number
• Hoodless & striped (Rajimantha) - 10 in number
• Non poisonous (Nirvisha) - 12 in number
• Hybrid species (Vaikaranja) - 10 in number

Identification of snakes (According to Ayurveda)

Physical Appearance

• Hooded (Darvi Kara) - Those who having hooded and fast moving marks resembling of a wheel or a plough, an umbrella or a cross or goad on their body should be known as this type.
• Hoodless (Mandali) - Those who having large body variegated with various types of circular marks, slow moving and lustrous like fire and the sun is called as Mandali Sarpa
• Hoodless / striped (Rajimantha) - The snake which are glossy and whose bodies look colour ful as if painted with various colours horizontal, perpendicular and lateral stripes are known as Rajimantha

Sex differences of Snakes

The eyes, the tongue, the mouth and the head of a male serpent is large, while those of female snakes are small. Those which partake of both these features, mild poison and anger less should be considered as Hermaphrodite.

Features of Castes

Brahmana	Kshatriya	Vaishya	Sudra
Angry	Proud, Brave		Colours similar to wheat, buffalo, elephant
Bluish brown / whitish red in colour	Red eyes	Possess colour like a pigeon, diamond, Beryl	Dots & lines in the body
Red mouth	Get angry soon	Body covers with either dots / patches of colour of smoke, red	Dry
Brown eyes	Possess colour like ripe fruit of Jambu, Kahrjura, Draksha, and broken Amjana pulp	Emit smell like that of goat, Kushta, Sheeps milk, and ghee	Emit smell like alcohol, blood
Roam in cleaner places	Mark in the hood resembles the half moon, conch wheel	Bites from left side	Bites the person from the back
Possess the marks like sacrificial thread	Emit smell like Jati, Champaka, Punnaga and Jongaka	Aggravates the Pitta	Aggravates the kapha dosha
Emit smell like the flowers of Bilva, Chandana, Usheera, Padma, Guggulu	Bites right side of the person
Bite from the front	Aggravates the Vata
The poison increases all the three doshas immediately

Factors influencing in the increase in the potency

Age & Season

Type of Snake	Factors increases the potency
Hooded (Darvi Kara)	Young and Rainy season
Non hooded painted with circular patches / rings of various colours (Mandali)	Middle age and winter
Non hooded and striped (Rajimantha)	Old age and Summer
Hybrid snakes (Vyantara)	Intervening periods (Ritu Sandhi)

Sex

The male snakes are powerful during the day, similarly female snakes are during the night, and eunuchs are during the evening and bite during those periods repetitively, some times the female bite always.

Snakes whish dwell in places such as burial ground, sacred tree, ant hill, sacrificial site, temple, meeting place of four roads, reservoir of water, old garden, hallows in trees, trees yielding milky sap, neem tree, near water falls and caves of mountains which bear marks such as wheel, diamond, mace, spear and trident, which have a tuft of hair / crown, whose mouth and eyes are red- these snakes possess intense of poison.

Factors influencing in the decrease in the potency

Snakes drenched in water, debilitated by copulation, which are frightened, vanquished by the mongoose, tormented by cold breeze, sunlight, disease, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, soon after coming from a different region, soon after shedding the peel, which wonder in forests full of Kusha grass, medicinal plants and thorny vegetation possess the little potency of poison.

Factors influencing the snake bite

Snake bite human, animals for the purpose of food, by fear, being touched by the feet, accumulation of more poison, anger, committing of sinful acts, by hatred and instigation by gods, sages and Lord of death.

Types of Snake Bite

Scholars	Types of bites
Susrutha	Sarpita Radita Nirvasa
Vagbhatta	Tundahata (Hit / Assault by the mouth) Vyalidha Vyalupta Dastaka Damstranipidita

• Thundahata: Where the place of bite is only wet by the saliva but no mark of teeth are seen then it should be known as Thundahata
• Vyalidha: Mark of one to two teeth (Bite) seen but there is no bleeding then I should be known as Vyalidha.
• Vyalupta: Mark of two teeth seen along with bleeding is known as Vyalupta
• Dastaka: Three such marks of teeth is seen accompanied with tearing of muscle only but not the blood vessels is known as Dastaka
• Damstranipidita: Four teeth marks is seen with tearing of muscles etc

Among the five types the first two are non poisonous and other three are poisonous should be treated immediately.

Differences between poisonous - non poisonous snake bites

Bites having poison are accompanied with painful swelling, pricking, and knotty, itching and severe burning sensation. Those with out poison have opposite features.

Features of different snake bites

Features of hooded snakes (Darvikara)

• Bitten site is elevated like tortoise back, dry, with small marks of teeth
• Blue colour of the face, body, bitten area, nails, eyes, faces
• Fever with rigors
• Pain in the joints
• Loss of sleep
• Excessive yawning
• Rigidity of the neck
• Distension of the veins
• Catching pain in the bones of the back, waist, knee etc
• Heaviness of the head
• Anorexia
• Cough & Hiccough
• Dyspnoea
• Stiffness of the lower jaw
• Dryness & obstruction to Anus
• Irrelevant speech
• Loss of movements & consciousness
• Appearance of forth and saliva at the mouth
• Rumbling sound in the throat

Features of the non hooded painted with circular patches / rings of various colours (Mandali)

• Great heat locally
• Site is dry, appears yellowish red in colour
• Muscles become thick with herpes like ulcers with accompanied by severe burning sensation.
• Exudation with putrid smell
• Yellowish discolouration of the face, eyes, nails, body and bitten parts
• Thirst
• Fatigue
• Giddiness
• Burning sensation
• Fainting
• Fever
• Bitter taste in the mouth
• Bleeding from the channels (nose, mouth, ears etc)
• Feeling of burning sensation/ smokiness
• All the vitiated symptoms of Pitta

Features of Non hooded and striped (Rajimantha)

• The site becomes unctuous, firm, slimy, swollen, blood which is thick, cold and pale in colour.
• Severe head ache
• Anorexia
• Vomiting
• Rumbling sound in the throat
• Difficulty in expiration
• Sleep
• Cough
• White colour of the nails
• Rigidity & feeling heaviness of the body
• Discharges from the nose, mouth & eyes
• Horripulations
• Loss of consciousness
• Dyspnoea
• All vitiated symptoms of Kapha

Features of male snake bite

Bitten by the male snake the gazes upwards, keeps his right leg briskly over the upper part of the body like a brave man and the symptoms are weak at night.

Features of female snake bite

The symptoms are opposite to the features of male snake bite and the person will have feeble voice, diarrhoea, shivering, fear and fever.

Features of Other Snake Bite

Aged snake	Person talks too much, mild grade of pain for long time
Young snake	Causes appearances like severe poison symptoms for a short period
Male off spring (Not having mating with female)	Redness in the right eye
Female off spring (Not having mating with male)	Redness in the left eye
Pregnant snake	Black discolouration with squint eyes, more yawning, anger, suffers from swelling of the throat, tonsils, oedema of the lips, whitish discolouration of the face, heaviness of the abdomen, and severe head ache
Bitten by just delivered	Voids urine mixed with blood, agonizing pain in the abdomen, severe pricking types of pain all over the body

Impulses of snake poison (Hooded - Darvi Kara)

Ayurveda explains about the seven stages of snake poison as follows

• First impulse: The blood (Raktha) gets vitiated, becomes blackish and thereby produce darkish discolouration of the body and bitten site. The person feels like ants crawling sensation of the body.
• Second stage: The muscles (Mamsa) gets vitiated, swelling occurs on the bitten site.
• Third stage: The fat tissues (Medas) gets vitiated, leads to heaviness of the head, loss of vision, moisture ness of the bitten site
• Fourth stage: The poison enters into the digestive & circulatory system and vitiates the Kapha and produces symptoms like excessive salivation, vomiting, joints pain and lethargy.
• Fifth impulse: The poison enters into the bones (Asthi) and vitiates the respiration (Prana vayu) and the metabolic system (Agni). This causes joint pains, hiccough and burning sensation.
• Sixth impulse: The poison enters into the bone marrow (Majja) and affects the large intestines (Pakvasaya) causes severe pain in the body and chest, and heaviness of the chest, delirium, and diarrhoea.
• Seventh impulse: The poison enters the regenerative tissue (Sukra) thereby extremely aggravates the circulatory system (Vyana) dislodges the kapha even from the minutest capillaries, producing secretions of lump like phlegm from the mouth, breaking pain in the waist and the back, impaired functions of the body & mind, excessive salivation, perspiration and suppression of the breath.

Impulses of snake poison (Non hooded - Mandali)

• First impulse: Raktha (Blood) gets vitiated and causes severe burning sensation and yellowish discolouration of the body.
• Second impulse: Muscular tissues (Mamsa) get vitiated and causes extreme yellowish discolouration of the body, severe burning sensation and swelling at the bitten site.
• Third stage: Fat tissues (Medas) get vitiated and cause numbness of the eyes, thirst, and slimy exudation from the wound and severe perspiration.
• Fourth stage: The poison enters into the digestive system and produces the fever.
• Fifth stage: The poison enters into the bones (Asthi) and causes severe burning sensation of the body.
• Sixth impulse: The poison enters into the bone marrow (Majja) and affects the large intestines (Pakvasaya) causes severe pain in the body and chest, and heaviness of the chest, delirium, and diarrhoea.
• Seventh impulse: The poison enters the regenerative tissue (Sukra) thereby extremely aggravates the circulatory system (Vyana) dislodges the kapha even from the minutest capillaries, producing secretions of lump like phlegm from the mouth, breaking pain in the waist and the back, impaired functions of the body & mind, excessive salivation, perspiration and suppression of the breath.

Impulses of snake poison (Non hooded - Rajimana)

• First impulse: Raktha (Blood) gets vitiated and causes pale yellow discolouration of the body
• Second impulse: Muscles (Mamsa) gets vitiated and giving rise to a extreme pale complexion, prostration and swelling of the head.
• Third impulse: Adipose tissue (Medas) gets vitiated and causes haziness of the eyes, deposit of filthy matter on the teeth, severe perspiration and secretions from the nostrils and the eyes
• Fourth impulse: The Poison enters into the digestive system and causes lock jaw, severe heaviness of the head.
• Fifth stage: The poison enters into the bones (Asthi) and vitiates the vata and leads to loss of speech and cold fevers.
• Sixth impulse: The poison enters into the bone marrow (Majja) and affects the large intestines (Pakvasaya) causes severe pain in the body and chest, and heaviness of the chest, delirium, and diarrhoea.
• Seventh impulse: The poison enters the regenerative tissue (Sukra) thereby extremely aggravates the circulatory system (Vyana) dislodges the kapha even from the minutest capillaries, producing secretions of lump like phlegm from the mouth, breaking pain in the waist and the back, impaired functions of the body & mind, excessive salivation, perspiration and suppression of the breath.

Prognosis of snake poison (Ayurvedic view)

Before giving the treatment knowing about the prognosis is very important. Especially in the poisonous conditions it is very important, because the patient may go into complications / death.

Incurable features of snake bites describes the Vagbhatta as follows

• The person bitten, who has white coloured face & eyes, hairs falling off, loss of movement of the tongue, faints again & again and with cold exhalation will not survive.
• He who develops hiccough, dyspnoea, vomiting, cough all these simultaneously with pain in the heart, does not survive.
• Vomiting of froth, unconsciousness, blue discolouration of the foot, hands, face and pinched nose, distortion of body parts, diarrhoea, looseness of the joints are the symptoms manifesting just before death in persons who have consumed poisons by mouth, bitten by snakes or injured by poisonous arrow.

Management of snake poison (Ayurvedic)

In snake poisoning emergency treatment is required as the poison remains in the bitten site only for 100 matra (100 seconds) only and then spreads through out the body vitiating the blood and other tissues.

General Treatment

• Tying (Arishta Bandana) - Tying the bitten area with cloth etc to immobilize the poison from the bitten spot.
• Removing the fangs - The teeth (Fangs) which are not on the vital spots should be pulled out by squeezing the area of bite; symptoms of toxicity of poison will not develop if the fangs are removed.
• Cauterization therapy - To burn out the poison on the bitten area itself
• Sucking - If the poison with the blood is coming out, then it should be initiated by applying the pressure, suction by mouth etc
• Vein section - If the poison is started spreading to the blood (Raktha) then the venous section of selected veins should be done.
• Protecting the heart - Anti dotes which protects the heart & circulatory system should be done.

Specific Treatment

Hooded Snakes	Non hooded Patched Snakes	Non hooded With Stripes
Root of Sindhuvara macerated in its own juice added with honey and consumed as a recipe	Each parts of Sugandha, Draksha, Svetakhyaya, Gajakrnika, half parts of each of leaves of Saurasa, Kapittha, Bilva, Dadima made into paste mixed with honey and used as antidote	Katuka, Ativisha, Kushta, Gruhadooma, Harenuka, Vyosha, and tagara, made into paste and consumed mixed with honey
Root of Sindhuvara and Sveta Gairika mixed with water and made in to a paste and consumed as a recipe
Kushta with honey used as nasal drops
If bitten by black cobra the blood should be removed from the site and paste of Carati and Nakuli or powerful root poison should be applied
Ghee added with honey, Manjishta and Gruha dooma (Spider dust) should be drunk
Anti dote prepared out of Tanduleeyaka, Kasmarya, Kinihi, Girikarnika, Matulunga, Sita, Selu used for drinking, nasal medication and collyrium

Treatment for cross breed bites: Karaveera, Arka kusuma, root of Langali, Kana, Patha, and black pepper are made into paste with sour gruel and used. This is called as Sarva Karmika Agada is best for poisoning of cross breed snakes.

Treatment according to the Impulses

Hooded (Darvi Kara)	Non hooded (With Patches)	Non hooded ( With Striped)
First stage: Blood letting by venous section	Blood letting therapy	Blood letting with horns
Second stage: Anti dotes mixed with honey & ghee	Anti dotes with honey and ghee followed by dietary precautions	Vomiting therapy and antidotes mixed with honey and ghee
Third stage: anti dote nasal therapy & collyrium	Purgation therapy after dietary precautions	Anti dote nasal therapy & collyrium
Fourth stage: vomiting therapy followed by dietary precaution	Vomiting therapy followed by dietary precaution	Vomiting therapy followed by dietary precaution
Fifth stage: purgation therapy with cooling therapy	Purgation therapy with cooling therapy	Penetrating type of collyrium
Sixth stage: purgation therapy with cooling therapy	Antidotes prepared with Kakolyadhi gana / drugs with sweet taste	Nasal drops with powders
Seventh stage: Penetrating types of collyrium, make a incision shapes like crow feet and apply the flesh of cow, goat etc over the incision	Nasal drops with powders	Nasal drops with powders

Shankha Visha

When a person is bitten by something in pitch of darkness, the fear of suspicious of being bitten by poisonous animal causes manifestation of symptoms pf pseudo poison in the form of fever, vomiting, burning sensation, prostration, unconsciousness & diarrhoea. This condition is called as Shankha Visha.

Sita, Vaigandhika, Draksha, Payasya, Madhuka and Madhu should be consumed as drink, water sanctified by holy hymns should be sprinkled on the person, and he should be consoled with courageous words and pleasant things.

Ayurveda says vitiation of doshas is the root cause of a disease. Know more about your health through FREE Dosha Analysis.

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