# Mātrā Basti (Small-Dose Oil Enema) > Mātrā Basti is a small-dose oil enema. The record gives 30 to 60 ml of warm medicated oil, given by a therapist or, once taught, self-administered. Caraka's Siddhi Sthāna 4 describes it as requiring no dietary restriction, usable in any season, and indicates it in vāta disorders and in people depleted by exertion. ## Key facts - **Sanskrit name:** मात्रा बस्ति / Mātrā Basti ## What it is The record classes Mātrā Basti under *panchakarma*, subcategory *mātrā*, and glosses it in English as a small-dose maintenance enema. *Mātrā* refers to the measure or dose: this is the small-volume oil form, distinct from the larger *basti* procedures in the same category. ## Where it comes from The record cites **Caraka Saṃhitā, Siddhi Sthāna 4**, and that checks out with one correction. The chapter is *Snehavyāpat Siddhi*, on the successful management of complications of unctuous enema, not "Mātrā Basti-yojana" as the record labels it. Mātrā Basti is described inside that chapter, alongside sneha basti formulations, the causes of occlusion, and the problems arising from administering basti on an empty stomach. What the translation I read reports from that chapter: - the dose is given as one and a half *pala*, rendered as roughly 60 to 70 ml - it can be administered in any season - the person taking it may eat and go about their activities as they like - Caraka indicates it for those emaciated by excess activity, exercise, weight lifting and long journeys, and for those who are weak and afflicted with *vātika* disorders Note that the record's dose of 30 to 60 ml does not match the roughly 60 to 70 ml of that translation. The two overlap only at the top of the record's range. Which figure a practitioner works from is a question worth asking. ## What it involves The record gives two steps and no more: 30 to 60 ml of warm medicated *taila*, self-administered or given by a therapist. The record records no preparation, no aftercare, no positioning, no retention time, no course length and no frequency. That is a substantial gap for a procedure that introduces oil into the body, and it is the reason this page describes rather than instructs, notwithstanding the record's mention of self-administration. What the record calls self-administered is administration a practitioner has assessed for, prescribed and taught. ## What is used - **Sahacarādi Taila** - **Mahānārāyaṇa Taila** The record names no equipment and gives no rule for choosing between the two oils. ## What to ask before booking - which oil, at what volume, and on what basis the volume was set - whether anything needs to be done before or after, since the record itself is silent on both - how many sessions are proposed and over what period - if self-administration is being suggested, what training and follow-up come with it --- Canonical version of this page: https://nighantu.ageayurveda.com/practice/matra-basti/ Published by Age Ayurveda in the Nighantu. Educational reference only, not medical advice. Incorporates material from the Amidha Ayurveda Herb Database under CC BY 4.0.