Sesame oil. Aversion to cold. When in an increased state, va¯ta produces emaciation and cachexia, a desire for hot food and drinks, a fear of cold, tremors and spasm, abdominal distension, constipation, weakness, fatigue, distortion of sensory function, excessive talking, giddiness, confusion, irreverence, fear, anxiety, nervousness, and black, blue, orange or clear discolorations of the skin, eyes, urine and faeces. When va¯ta is in a decreased state there is general bodily dysfunction, loss of sensation and consciousness and the general characteristics of a kaphaincrease.
va¯ta displays the characteristic of ru¯ks .a(‘dry’), and when in an increased state this quality will be transferred to the body, with symptoms such as dryness and cracking of the heels. The use of a medication, such as taila (sesame oil), that displays the corresponding opposite quality of snigdha (‘greasy’) would thus be applied to alleviate ru¯ks .a and return va¯ta to normalcy. .a and return va¯ta to normalcy. If va¯ta is in a vitiated state, however, and promotes the increase of pitta, this could manifest as bleeding cracks on the heels. Thus the principle quality of snigdha would need to be combined with the quality of s´ita to relieve the additional symptoms of heat, using perhaps coconut oil or ghr .ta(clarified butter), which have both ‘cooling’ (s´ita) and ‘greasy’ (snigdha) properties.