Shalakya Tantra
A special branch of the Ashtang Ayurvedic tree, Shalakya tantra encompasses the treatment for the diseases affecting the body parts located that are above the neck. This reveals that the branch of the science of life deals with the causes, diagnosis and curative procedures of the diseases pertaining to the head, ear, nose, eye, lips and throat.
A number of methods are formulated for the treatment of the organs of the body, according to the shalakya tantra. In Sanskrit, the word shalaka means a rod or a probe. Therefore, by shalakya tantra, it is meant that the treatment would be done using rods or probes in order to apply medication to the affected parts of the body.
Treatment of the eye using shalakas is termed as netra shalaka, whereas a probe of the ear is referred to as karma shalaka. Nasa shalaka and mukh shalaka are the names given to the treatment of nose and throat, respectively.