In Shirovasti, the patient is seated in an upright position on the treatment table and a long leather cap of about six to eight inches in length open at both ends is fitted around the patients head. Dough prepared from blackgram powder is used to line the inside of this sleeve and ensure that it does not leak. Then medicated herbal oil is poured into the cap and kept for 30 to 45 minutes. This treatment is prescribed for disorders like facial paralysis, cataract, deafness, earache, insomnia and other diseases that afflict the cranial nerves.