Siddha medicine

Siddha Medicine (Tamil Citta- or Tami-maruttuvam)is a system of traditional medicine originating in TamilNadu in South India.[1][2]

Traditionally, it is taught that the siddhars laid the foun-dation for this system of medication. Siddhars were spir-itual adepts who possessed the ashta siddhis, or the eightsupernatural powers. Agastya is considered the rst sid-dha and the guru of all siddhars; the siddha system is be-lieved to have been handed over to him by Murugan, sonof Shiva and Parvati.[3]

The Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy,Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy of the Government ofIndia coordinates and promotes research in the elds ofayurveda and Siddha medicine.[4] The Central Councilof Indian Medicine (CCIM), a statutory body establishedin 1971 under AYUSH, monitors higher education in ar-eas of Indian medicine, including siddha medicine.[5] Toght bioprospecting and unethical patents, India set upthe Traditional Knowledge Digital Library in 2001 as arepository of 223,000 formulations of various systems ofmedicine common in India, such as ayurveda, unani, sid-dha medicine and homeopathy.[6][7]

1 History

The Siddha science is a traditional treatment system gen-erated from Dravidian culture. The Siddha ourishedin the period of Indus Valley civilization.[8] Palm leafmanuscripts say that the Siddha system was rst de-scribed by Lord Shiva to his wife Parvati. Parvati ex-plained all this knowledge to her son Lord Muruga. Hetaught all these knowledge to his disciple sage Agasthya.Agasthya taught 18 Siddhars and they spread this knowl-edge to human beings.[9]

The word Siddha comes from the word Siddhi whichmeans an object to be attained perfection or heavenlybliss. Siddha focused to Ashtamahasiddhi, the eightsupernatural power. Those who attained or achievedthe above said powers are known as Siddhars. Therewere 18 important Siddhars in olden days and they devel-oped this system of medicine. Hence, it is called Siddhamedicine. The Siddhars wrote their knowledge in palmleaf manuscripts, fragments of which were found in partsof South India. It is believed that some families may pos-sess more fragments but keep them solely for their ownuse. There is a huge collection of Siddha manuscriptskept by traditional Siddha families.[9]

According to the manikuttan, there were 22 principalsiddhars. Of these 22, Agasthya is believed to be thefather of siddha medicine. Siddhars were of the con-cept that a healthy soul can only be developed througha healthy body. So they developed methods and medi-cation that are believed to strengthen their physical bodyand thereby their souls. Men and women who dedicatedtheir lives into developing the system were called Sid-dhars. They practiced intense yogic practices, includingyears of periodic fasting and meditation, and were be-lieved to have achieved supernatural powers and gainedthe supreme wisdom and overall immortality. Throughthis spiritually attained supreme knowledge, they wrotescriptures on all aspects of life, from arts to science andtruth of life to miracle cure for diseases.[10]

From the manuscripts, the siddha system of medicine de-veloped into part of Indian medical science. Today thereare recognized siddha medical colleges, run under thegovernment universities, where siddhamedicine is taught.Most of the practicing Siddha medical practitioners aretraditionally trained, usually in families and by gurus(teachers). When the guru is a martial arts teacher, heis also known as an ashan. They make a diagnosis after apatients visit and set about to refer to their manuscriptsfor the appropriate remedies, which a true blue physi-cian compounds by himself or herself, from thousands ofherbal and herbo-mineral resources. The methodology ofsiddha thought has helped decipher many causes of disor-ders and the formulation of curious remedies which maysometimes have more than 250 ingredients.

2 Basics

Generally the basic concepts of the Siddha medicine aresimilar to Ayurveda. The only dierence appears tobe that the siddha medicine recognizes predominanceof Vaadham, Pitham and Kabam in childhood, adult-hood and old age, respectively, whereas in Ayurveda,it is totally reversed: Kabam is dominant in childhood,Vaatham in old age and Pitham in adults.According to the Siddha medicine, various psychologi-cal and physiological functions of the body are attributedto the combination of seven elements: rst is ooneer(plasma) responsible for growth, development and nour-ishment; second is cheneer (blood) responsible for nour-ishing muscles, imparting colour and improving intel-lect; the third is oon (muscle) responsible for shape of

1

2 7 TREATMENT

the body; fourth is koluppu/Kozhuppu (fatty tissue) re-sponsible for oil balance and lubricating joints; fth iselumbu (bone) responsible for body structure and postureand movement; sixth is elumbu majjai (bone marrow) re-sponsible for formation of blood corpuscles; and the lastis sukkilam (semen) responsible for reproduction. Likein Ayurveda, in Siddha medicine also, the physiologicalcomponents of the human beings are classied as Vaad-ham (air), Pitham (re) and Kabam(earth and water).

3 World Siddha DayAfter former Chief Minister Karunanidhis announce-ment of Tamil New Years Day as World Siddha Day, therst World Siddha Day was celebrated on 14 April 2009,addressed by his Excellency Shri Surjit Singh Barnala,Governor of Tamil Nadu.[11] The second World SiddhaDay was celebrated in a grand manner on 14 April 2010,at Image Auditorium, Adyar, Chennai; more than 2000students, post graduates, practitioners and traditionalvaidyas participated in the celebration.[12] In connectionwith the celebrations, a website was launched.[13] Thethird World Siddha day was celebrated at Trivandrum,Kerala, where Siddha doctors met on 14 and 15 April2011.

4 Concept of disease and causeIt is assumed that when the normal equilibrium of thethree humorsVaadham, Pittham and Kabam is dis-turbed, disease is caused. The factors assumed to aectthis equilibrium are environment, climatic conditions,diet, physical activities, and stress. Under normal condi-tions, the ratio between Vaadham, Pittham, and Kabamare 4:2:1, respectively.[14]

According to the Siddha medicine system, diet andlifestyle play a major role in health and in curing dis-eases. This concept of the Siddha medicine is termedas pathiyam and apathiyam, which is essentially a list ofdos and don'ts.

5 DiagnosisIn diagnosis, examination of eight items is required whichis commonly known as enn vakaith thervu. These are:

1. Na (tongue): black in Vaatham, yellow or red in pi-tham, white in kabam, ulcerated in anaemia.

2. Varnam (colour): dark in Vaatham, yellow or red inpitham, pale in kabam.

3. Kural (voice): normal in Vaatham, high-pitchedin pitham, low-pitched in kabam, slurred in

alcoholism.

4. Kan (eyes): muddy conjunctiva, yellowish or red inpitham, pale in kabam.

5. Thodal (touch): dry in Vaatham, warm in pitham,chill in kapha, sweating in dierent parts of thebody.

6. Malam (stool): black stools indicate Vaatham, yel-low pitham, pale in kabam, dark red in ulcer andshiny in terminal illness.

7. Neer (urine): early morning urine is examined;straw color indicates indigestion, reddish-yellowcolor in excessive heat, rose in blood pressure, saf-fron color in jaundice, and looks like meat washedwater in renal disease.

8. Naadi (pulse): the conrmatorymethod recorded onthe radial art.

6 DrugsThe drugs used by the Siddhars could be classied intothree groups: thavaram (herbal product), thadhu (inor-ganic substances) and jangamam (animal products).[14]The Thadhu drugs are further classied as: uppu (water-soluble inorganic substances or drugs that give out vapourwhen put into re), pashanam (drugs not dissolved in wa-ter but emit vapour when red), uparasam (similar topashanam but dier in action), loham (not dissolved inwater but melt when red), rasam (drugs which are soft),and ghandhagam (drugs which are insoluble in water, likesulphur).[15]

The drugs used in siddha medicine were classied on thebasis of ve properties: suvai (taste), gunam (character),veeryam (potency), pirivu (class) and mahimai (action).According to their mode of application, the siddhamedicines could be categorized into two classes:

Internal medicine was used through the oral routeand further classied into 32 categories based ontheir form, methods of preparation, shelf-life, etc.

External medicine includes certain forms of drugsand also certain applications (such as nasal, eye andear drops), and also certain procedures (such asleech application). It also classied into 32 cate-gories.

7 TreatmentThe treatment in siddha medicine is aimed at keeping thethree humors in equilibrium and maintenance of seven

3elements. So proper diet, medicine and a disciplined reg-imen of life are advised for a healthy living and to re-store equilibrium of humors in diseased condition. SaintThiruvalluvar explains four requisites of successful treat-ment. These are the patient, the attendant, physician andmedicine. When the physician is well-qualied and theother agents possess the necessary qualities, even severediseases can be cured easily, according to these concepts.The treatment should be commenced as early as possibleafter assessing the course and cause of the disease. Treat-ment is classied into three categories: devamaruthu-vum (Divine method); manuda maruthuvum (rationalmethod); and asura maruthuvum (surgical method). InDivine method, medicines like parpam, Chendooram,guru, kuligai made of mercury, sulfur and pashanams areused. In the rational method, medicines made of herbslike churanam, kudineer, or vadagam are used. In sur-gical method, incision, excision, heat application, bloodletting, or leech application are used.According to therapies the treatments of siddhamedicines could be further categorized into followingcategories such as purgative therapy, emetic therapy,fasting therapy, steam therapy, oleation therapy, physicaltherapy, solar therapy, blood-letting therapy, yogatherapy, etc.

8 VarmamVarmam are vital points in the body that act as energytransformers or batteries. They form centres for boostingthe vital life-force Uyir Sakthi ow through the intricatenadi system of the body. Nature, by its design, has pro-tected these vital centres by placing them deep inside thebody or by covering them with tissues inaccessible to nor-mal attempts of breach.Varmam is a holistic therapy on its own and tackles thebody, mind and spirit. A varmam expert understands theunderlying links between the body, vital life-force and themind. If one looks at the long list of things which varmamcan do, one will be totallymesmerised by the deep scienceand the indisputable healing it brings about. The humanbody can get into lot of accidents, minor and major, in itslifetime. Very rarely people are lucky enough to escapeaccidents in life.Varmams have been classied based on the type of pres-sure needed to injure: (a) Paduvarmam (varmam dueto injury), (b) Thodu varmam (by touch); Thattu var-mam (by blows); (c) Thaduvu varmam (by massage); (d)Nakku varmam (by licking i.e. tongue massage); and (e)Nokku (by staring). The widely used and recognised onesare the 12 Paduvarmams and 96 Thoduvarmams; there isless consistency with the other categories simply becauseof the way of application or the deeper knowledge neededto apply them. In these categories, the Nokku varmam isthe most awe-generating and is rarely seen practiced, as

those masters who were able to do this are almost extinct.A varmam therapist needs to have a deep knowledgeabout the bodys nerves and physical structure to do aneective treatment. There are only a few therapists exist-ing in this world, and the modern siddha world is tryingto preserve this art of healing.

9 Siddha todaySiddha has lost its popularity after modern medicinewas introduced, as a scientic medical system, evenin Tamil Nadu. Still, there are a few ardent follow-ers of the system who prefer Siddha for only a fewdiseases like jaundice. After some modern doctors,such as Dr. Ramalingam, IMPCOPS, president, Chen-nai, C.N. Deivanayagam, tried to popularize the Siddhasystem,[16] a few modern doctors have started suggest-ing Siddha. In 2012, VA Shiva Ayyadurai, a Tamilianand MIT systems scientist, launched an educational pro-gram for medical doctors through the Chopra Center withDeepak Chopra which integrates concepts from tradi-tional systems medicine such as Siddha, Ayurveda, andtraditional Chinese medicine, with systems science andsystems biology.[17]

The Tamil Nadu state runs a 5.5-year course in Sid-dha medicine (BSMS: Bachelor in Siddha Medicine andSurgery). The Indian Government also gives its fo-cus on Siddha, by starting up medical colleges and re-search centers like National Institute of Siddha[18] andCentral Council for Research in Siddha.[19] There hasbeen renewed interest in Siddha, as many started feel-ing modern medicine is not complete and changingits stands/theories frequently.[20] The health minister ofTamil Nadu in 2007 claimed that Siddha medicine is ef-fective for chikungunya.[21]

Commercially, Siddha medicine is practiced by

Siddha family doctors (traditional practitioners), of-ten referred in Tamil as vaithiyars, have transferredknowledge to their children, and

Medically certied Siddha doctors who have studiedin government Siddha medical colleges.

10 Educational institutionsGovernment of Tamil Nadu runs two Siddha medical col-leges:

Government Siddha Medical College,Palayamkottai, Tirunelveli district

Government Siddha Medical College, Anna Hospi-tal Campus, Arumbakkam, Chennai - 600106

4 13 EXTERNAL LINKS

Government of India runs a Siddha medical college:

National Institute of Siddha, Grand Southern TrunkRoad, Tambaram Sanatorium, Chennai - 600047

Colleges available in Kerala:

Santhigiri Siddha Medical College,Thiruvananthapuram

Private Siddha colleges (approved by Dept. of AYUSH,Govt. of India and aliated to TN Dr. MGR MedicalUniversity, Chennai):

Velumailu Siddha Medical College and Hospital,No. 48, G.W.T. Road, Opp. Rajiv Gandhi Memo-rial, Sriperumbudur - 602 105

Sri Sai Ram Siddha Medical College & ResearchCentre, Sai Leo Nagar, Poonthandalam, West Tam-baram, Chennai - 600 044

R.V.S. Siddha Medical College & Hospital, Ku-maran Kottam, Kannampalayam, Coimbatore -641042

A.T.S.V.S. Siddha Medical College, Munchirai,Pudukkadai Post, Kanyakumari - 629171

Sivaraj Siddha Medical College, Siddhar KovilRoad, Thumbathulipatty, Salem - 636307

Government of Sri Lanka runs three Siddha medical col-leges oering BSMS degrees:

Department of Siddha Medicine, University ofJana, Kaithady, Jana, Sri Lanka

Unit of Siddha Medicine, Trincomalee Campus,Eastern University, Trincomalee, Sri Lanka

11 See also Yoga and Naturopathy Sowa Rigpa

12 References[1] Recipes for Immortality : Healing, Religion, and Commu-

nity in South India: Healing, Religion, and Community inSouth India, p.93, Wellington Richard S Weiss, OxfordUniversity Press, 22-Jan-2009

[2] The Encyclopedia of Ayurvedic Massage, John Douillard,p. 3, North Atlantic Books, 2004

[3] Siddha. Department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopa-thy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy, Govt. of India.

[4] About us. CCRAS.

[5] CCIM

[6] Traditional Knowledge Digital Library website.

[7] Know Instances of Patenting on the UES of Medici-nal Plants in India. PIB, Ministry of Environment andForests. May 6, 2010.

[8] Anupam Kapil (2001). Numerology Made Easy. PenguinBooks India. p. 221.

[9] Siddha - Origin. CCRAS, Department of AYUSH, In-dian Government. Retrieved 10 November 2011.

[10] Ayurveda & Siddha (PDF). Department of Scientic& Industrial Research, Indian Government. Retrieved 10November 2011.

[11] World Siddha Day. The Hindu (Erode, India). 16 April2009.

[12] Siddha Day to be observed on 14 April. News Today(Chennai, India). 24 March 2010.

[13]

[14] Master Murugan, Chillayah (20 October 2012). SiddhaTherapy, Natural Remedies and Self-Treatment. VarmaKalai. Retrieved 31 May 2013.

[15] Herbs used in Siddha medicine for arthritis - A review(PDF). Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge. October2007. Retrieved 10 November 2011.

[16] Deivanayagam C N (2000). Traditional Medicine: Sid-dha therapy in HIV Disease a South Indian Experi-ence. World AIDS Conference, Durban. TambaramSanatorium, Chennai, India: Govt. Hospital of ThoracicMedicine. Retrieved 2010-12-25.

[17] About VA Shiva Ayyadurai. Retrieved 14 February2013.

[18] National Institute of Siddha. Chennai, India: NIS,Chennai. Retrieved 2010-12-25.

[19] Central Council for Research in Ayurveda & Siddha.India: CCRAS. Retrieved 2010-12-25.

[20] About sasi, siddhainstitute.com.

[21] Siddha medicine can cure chikungunya: Minister. News- One India (India). 30 June 2007. Retrieved 10 Novem-ber 2011.

13 External links Research Database on Ayurveda, Siddha, OtherTraditional Medicines and Related Sciences(CCRAS)

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