Siddha Medicine

Siddha is one of the oldest medicine systems of the world. Though it originated in south India, the basic aim of the system is to help the mankind live a better life. Siddha can be termed as a scientific art, which was founded by siddhars. More than just a medical system, Siddha is a method dealing with intense spirituality and immense possibility for the betterment of human beings. Siddhars themselves attained this knowledge after deep meditation and arousing the serpent power within them.

Though these serpent powers are within every human we do not realize then until there is somebody to guide. Nevertheless, these siddhars achieved the ultimate blissful state that can be achieved by humans and also attained enlightenment. The Siddha system of medicine believes that a healthy body develops a healthy soul. Thus, they devised a number of means and methods to strengthen their physical as well as spiritual self. They also propagated that these methods could actually heal various ailments and can help to attain immortality.

To share their knowledge with the rest of the world, they laid down their wisdom in scriptures. These scriptures were manuscripts made of palm leaves. Some of the fragments of these age old relics are found in south Indian families, which keep them preserved solely for their own use. These scriptures now form an important part of the Indian Medical Science, as they contain valuable information and answers to many such questions, which have been asked since long.

Siddha medicine system is quite similar to Ayurveda and has therefore found place amongst the most popular and significant systems of medicine. This has contributed to the fact that there are a number of recognized Siddha medical colleges in the country. These colleges are run under known government universities to educate students about the ancient medical science of Siddha. Like Ayurveda, Siddha also categorizes diseases into Vata, Pitta and Kapha.

Diagnosis in Siddha
According to Siddha, human body sustains the state of healthy living via keeping the Three Humours in equilibrium, influenced by dietary habits, daily activities and the environment around. In case this equilibrium is disturbed, it leads to a condition known as disease. It is basically the derangement of five elements, which in turn alters the Three Humors.There can either be a decrease or increase in the balance.

Siddha History
Siddha system of medicine is a form of a traditional medicine system which originated down south. Siddha means achievement, which was attained by Siddhars. They were saints who were mystics and are credited for developing and forwarding the system of Siddha medicine. It is believed that there were eighteen Siddhars in total, who are also referred to as the enlightened souls.

Siddha Medicines
Siddha medicine system has a vast wealth of drug knowledge, which makes use of metals and minerals. The Materia Medica or the compilation of the drugs gives an idea about the various rich drug ingredients, classification, preparation and doses. Apart from minerals, Siddha medicines also make use of drugs obtained from animal sources.The medicines of Siddha are capable of treating almost all types of diseases.

Siddha Principles
Like all other medicine systems, Siddha system of medicine also has some underlying principles and concepts. These fundamental principles bear resemblance to that of ancient Ayurveda. According to Siddha system, the human body, food and the drugs are the replica of the universe, irrespective of their origin.

Siddhars
Siddha system of medicine is one of the ancient medicine systems of India. It is considered to be Dravidian of origin and has all its literature in Tamil. Moreover, at times it seems quite similar to the traditional medicine system of Ayurveda. The founders of Siddha are supposed to be saints of Shaivite tradition, belonging to Tamil Nadu. These saints practiced an unorthodox level of spiritual practice to attain liberation.

Siddha Significance
Siddha comes from the word 'Siddhi' which is means 'perfection' or 'eternal bliss'. These are referred to as the supernatural powers which gave the ancient saints the designation of Siddhars. By the virtue of these powers, Siddhars employed their knowledge for the benefit of the mankind.

Siddha Treatment
The main aim behind the treatment in Siddha medicine is keeping the Three Humours in equilibrium and maintenance of the seven elements. This requires proper diet, medicine and a disciplined routine of life. As laid down by Saint Thiruvalluvar, a successful treatment has four requisites. These are, the patient, the attendant, physician and medicine. If the physician is well qualified and the other agents have necessary qualities, any disease can be cured.