This study on the genesis and evolution of a cluster of disorders (called śītapitta, i.e, urticaria and syndromes resembling it) and their treatment in Indian medical literature from early times to the present day is the first of its kind. It deals with antecedent concepts in the classical saṃhitās and the sudden appearance of a well-defined nosological entity in a later period, together with the therapeutic measures developed. The fate of this entity in a large number of medical treatises is systematically explored. Continuity and change in both theory and therapy are thus seen to be present until our own times.
Introduction 1
2 The term udarda 3
3 The terms koṭha and utkoṭha 13
4 The Mādhavanidāna: the emergence of śītapitta 91
5 The uses of the udardapraśamana drugs 103
6 The botanical identities of the udardapraśamana drugs 163
7 Treatises dealing with śītapitta and related disorders, roughly arranged according to their chronological order 169
8 General summary and deliberations 333
Abbreviations 349
References 351
Index 1. Botanical names of plants 359
Index 2. Sanskrit names of plants 367
Index 3. Groups (gaṇa) of medicinal substances and pharmaceutical formulations 377
Index 4. Miscellanea 381
