Siddha Medicine and Its Core Concepts in Traditional Healing

Siddha medicine is among India's oldest medicinal traditions. Siddha is a Sanskrit word that means "confirmed truth." Siddhars were those who were involved in the establishment of such a Siddha school of thought.

What is Siddha?

Siddha medicine is a form of traditional medicine that originated in South India. That was one of India's most ancient medical systems. Owing to a lack of education in scientific medicine, the Indian Medical Association considers Siddha medicine certificates to be "false" and Siddha therapies to be quackery, causing harm to public healthcare.

The Supreme Court of India claimed in 2018 that "unskilled, unqualified and poorly trained quacks are presenting a severe risk to the entire community and interfering with the lives of individuals without getting the appropriate education and training in the science from accredited institutions," on identifying fake medical professionals with no qualifications.

In becoming local "healers," Siddhars throughout rural India have historically learned methods via master-disciple relationships. Siddhars were amongst India's approximate 400,000 traditional healers, accounting for roughly 57 per cent of rural medical services.

Siddha practitioners tend to believe that five basic elements, namely – earth, fire, water, sky, air, – are present in food, "humour" of the body of a human, and herbal, animal/inorganic chemical compounds, including sulfur and mercury. These can be used as therapies for the treatment of diseases.

The Homoeopathy of the Government of India, Yoga and Naturopathy, Ministry of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, and governs practice in Siddha medicine and several other ancient traditions known as AYUSH. Siddhars are practitioners who have received rigorous training and hold professional degrees including MD (Medical Doctor, Siddha), BSMS (Bachelor of Siddha Medicine and Surgery), or PhD (Doctor of Philosophy). The Central Council of Indian Medicine is a regulatory body that oversees learning in rural Indian medicine, such as Siddha medicine, and was created in 1971 under AYUSH.

History

Siddha medicine seems to be an ancient Indian traditional treatment method that originated in South India and can be traced back to the Indus Valley Civilization in the third millennium BCE or earlier. The method of this medicine is shown to have derived from Hindu God Shiva, who introduced it to his consort Parvati, as per ancient Siddha vaidyam literature. Nandi instructed nine Devtas about that after Parvati handed it over to him.

The majority of Siddha medical practitioners are typically trained, generally in families and under the guidance of gurus (teachers). When the guru teaches martial arts, he is referred to as an ashan.

The Siddhars, according to legend, laid the groundwork for this method of medicine. Siddhars were ashta siddhis-wielding spiritual adepts. Nandhisar is known as the guru among all Siddhars and also the first siddha.

Concept of Disease and Cause

The disease occurs when the balance of the three humours – Vaadham, Pittham, and Kapam – is disrupted. Climatic conditions, physical activity, diet, and stress are thought to influence the whole equilibrium. The proportions of Vaadham, Pittham, and Kapam are 4:2:1 in normal circumstances.

Dietary habits and lifestyle, as per the Siddha medicine system, contribute significantly to health and disease cure. Pathiyam and apathiyam are terms used to describe the Siddha medicine principle, which is basically a rule-based system with a set of "do's and don'ts."

Siddha Treatment

Purgative therapy, Oleation therapy, Fasting therapy, Emetic therapy, Steam therapy, Physical therapy, Bloodletting therapy, Solar therapy, and Yoga therapy are some of the psychological treatments used in Siddha.

Herbalism

The Siddhars' herbal agents can be divided into three categories: thadhu (inorganic substances), thavaram (herbal product), and jangamam (animal products).

The thadhu agents have been further divided into uppu (water-soluble inorganic substances which release vapour when ignited), uparasam (equivalent to pashanam but has a different action), loham (not immersed in water but melts when ignited), pashanam (agents that are not dissolved in the water yet release vapour once ignited), rasam (soft substances), and ghandhagam (substances that tend to be insoluble in water).

Regulation

The Travancore-Cochin Medical Practitioners' Act of 1953 made it illegal to practise Siddha medicine and similar things of rural alternative medicine in India, and the Supreme Court of India upheld the prohibition in 2018, saying that "a number of unskilled, unqualified, untrained quacks are presenting a massive risk to the wider population and interfering with people's lives."

Registered health professionals must be educated at a recognised institution, register, and be included on a list of approved physician practitioners reports issued in The Gazette of India, according to the Act. Practitioners of Siddha medicine are not recognised on the Gazette list because they are not educated, certified, or licensed as qualified physicians.

Siddha System of Medicine

List of Siddha medicines and their uses in Siddha System of Medicine: Below mentioned in the List of Siddha medicines and their uses:

• Kudineer: Kabasura Kudineer Chooranam is a typical Siddha remedy for treating common respiratory ailments including the flu and cold. Siddha vaidyam practitioners swear through this herbal concoction for relief of respiratory symptoms such as dry and wet cough, heavy phlegm, and fever.

• Siddha Choornam: Choornam is a kind of internal medicine that could be used as a single or multi-herbal formulation. Throughout this case, a Siddha method poly-herbal formulation has been used to treat stress headaches (TTH).

• Propitiatory Siddha Medicine