Meet My Siddha Physician

Dr. Pulavar Vinayagam is a Siddha physician of repute. He lives in North Chennai, in Otteri to be exact. An unassuming personality, he has bee practicing for over 40 years as a Siddha specialist. He is also the secretary of Tamil Nadu Siddha Vaidhya Sangam. He teaches yoga on Saturdays and Sundays. He uses ayurveda preparations along with siddha medicines. And he has been my physician for the past 20 years. Almost all of my health problems have been solved after I started using his Siddha preparations. He is a good listener and has always cleared my doubts. He is also a Tamil scholar and has written a couple of books in spite of his busy schedule.

I am also in the process of interviewing him on your behalf. So if you have any questions regarding Siddha or Ayurvedha systems you can contact me. I will come back to you with his insights regarding your problems.

Now, a little bit about Siddha system from Dr. Vinayagam’s book ‘Siddha Maruthuvam’. The content is in question and answer format.

Question: Please brief us on different parts of Siddha system and its speciality.

Dr. Vinayagam: Siddha system is a spiritually oriented system. Yogam, gnanam, vatham, vaithiyam, jothidam and manthrikam are the different aspects of Siddha system. Siddha system classify diseases as 4448 in number which manifest as a result of disharmony in vali, azhal and aiyam (vata, pittha and kapha). Siddha system claims to have remedy for all the diseases that afflict mankind. The basic tenet of Siddha is ‘food as medicine and medicine as food’. In fact it is a way of life. The system advocates vegetarianism.

Siddha system was not only adept at regaining the lost harmony it also helped maintain it. To that end the system exhorts a typical day to day activity that includes dhyanam or meditation, tapas or austere practices, kayakalpam, and vasi practice. Jothida naadi, or astrology refers to writings of Siddhars (founders of Siddha system of medicine). It is said that Siddhars were guided by a superior force to write about the future of human beings. These writings offer ways and means for people to overcome their problems be it physical, mental or spiritual.

The Siddhars by virtue of their wisdom and insight used herbs and minerals available in nature to cure ailments that afflicted mankind.

Some Home Remedies of Siddha System

From today for the next thirty days I will be blogging about home remedies based on Siddha medicinal system. Siddha system is said to be the oldest form of medicinal system, a few centuries older than Ayurveda. It is said that the Siddha system was developed by Siddhas or the enlightened ones.

The history of Siddha system is an interesting one as is the history of the Siddhas who developed it. These Siddhas were said to be spiritually evolved personalities who gained insight of the mysteries of universe through their austere meditation practices.

Most of the herbs used to make Siddha concoctions are available in South India and Sri Lanka. Kolli Hills in Tamil Nadu is the abode for various medicinal herbs.

I will start with the head problems, or hair problems rather. After scouring through my collections I came across the following two remedies for head lice.

1. Before going to bed, spread leaves of Karunthulasi (Ocimum Sanctum no labiatae) also known as Krishna thulasi on your pillow. Sleep on the leaves. Lice will go away unable to bear the smell of the leaves.

2. Mix mercury in kuppaimeni (acalypha indica) juice. Soak a cotton twine in this mixture. After some time take out the twine and dry it in shade. Before going to bed tie one of the twine to the hair and leave the other end hanging over to the ground. It is found that lice will go out through this twine.

Given below is a preparation that helps luscious hair growth.

Gooseberry juice one litre and fresh kadukkai juice one litre are mixed in a glass container. 100 gm of serankottai or semecarpus anacardium nut is cut to pieces and added to this mixture. This mixture is then transferred to a glass bottle and the lid closed tight. The bottle is buried in earth for one month.

After one month, take the bottle out, filter the ingredients. Take two litres of pure coconut oil, heat it over stove and add the filtered liquid onto coconut oil. Heat the whole mixture for sometime and let it not boil. Cool the oil and filter it again. Save the oil in a bottle. Apply one teaspoonful of this oil to your scalp for luscious hair growth. This also helps to cure premature graying.

Siddha System a precursor to Ayurveda, and Siddha herbs for Hair

As mentioned in my earlier article, Siddha system of medicine was developed in South India. The early text books written by Siddhas were in Tamil. The Dravidian civilization was at its zenith then. Plenty of notes on the Siddha medicines could be found in epics of those times. Thirumoolar Thirumandiram and Tholkappiyam are examples. This was before the Aryans occupation of the Sind region and Gangetic plain.
The therapeutics of Siddha medicines consist of mainly metals and minerals and herbs. The earlier Ayurveda texts do not mention metals and minerals, while from the beginning Siddha texts mention mercury, sulphur, copper, arsenic and gold and there usage in therapy.
Siddha medicinal philosophy is based on the premise that what is there in the cosmos is there in human body, in short humankind is made up of the same material as that of the universe. The system sees harmony in the Universe and wants to establish the same harmony in the human body mind and spirit using the herbs, minerals and metals.
Another feature of the Siddha medicine is that most of the preparations are in compond formulation. So by its synergistic action, toxicity is diminished. The pharmacodynamics of this system is entirely different from other systems of medicines.
To know more about some great Siddhas like Bhogar etc visit the website. Thiswebsite mainly deals with the alchemy aspect for which the Siddha system is very famous.
Now for some remedies for hair problems.

A noted Siddha remedy for dandruff. Take 5 gm of alum, green vitriol 1 gm and mix them in water. Apply the mixture on the scalp and wash it off after 15 minutes. Do not use plastic or rubber combs to the hair for a few days. Bathe your head with neem bark decoction.

For premature greying and dizziness. Curry leaves (250 – 400 gm) are ground to a fine paste and then moulded to small round flat forms and dried in shade. Heat coconut oil 1kg over stove and add this dried curry leaf cakes when the oil is about to boil. Add a tiny amount of camphor to the oil and allow the whole oil to cool. Once cooled, store the oil in a glass bottle. Regular application of this oil, (once a day) should solve premature greying.

Siddha Remedies for Hair Problems

Writings of Siddhars

The Siddhars presented their recipes for herbal tinctures and base metal amalgams in poetic form. In fact all of their writings, be it their philosophical ideas or yogic practices all of these were in poems with difficult meters similar to those of the epics of the Sangam Age of Tamil Nadu.

Their works are full of tantric imagery, references to Kundalini, the sleeping serpent power that resides in each of us, and also ways to control this power. The esoteric nature of their imagery and their philosophy which defies human logic resulted in their works still being not translated.

To know more about Siddhars click here.

The Siddhars have classified diseases as 4,448 in number and prescribed medicines in the form of herb, roots, salts, metals and mineral compounds. They formulated methods to process metals, minerals, herbs and natural raw materials to make churnams, chenthurams and leyhams, etc. (Churnam is in the form of powder, leyham is in the form of a thick paste). Siddha practitioners claim that there is mention of treating AIDS in the writings of the Siddhars. AIDS was called "Vettai Noi" in the Siddha parlance. In Chennai some AIDS patients are treated with Siddha remedies along with their regular allopathic treatment.

"Vettai Noi" is due to Azhal Kurtrum (fault of pittam or bile, acidic nature) exhibited in the blood stream. To treat this they prescribe a regimen based on herbs namely arugampul(Cynodon Dactylon Pers), karisilankanni (Eclipta Alba Hassk), musumusukkai (Mukai Scavrillia), thoodhuvalai (Solanum Trilobatum Linn) and jeeragam (Luminum Cyminum)

Now for some Siddha remedies for baldness.

Athimathuram (Indian Liquorice) is powdered. Buffalo’s milk is added and made into a paste. This paste is applied to the bald areas. Bathe after 5 – 10 minutes. Regular application helps hair growth in bald areas.

Kuppaimeni (Acalypha Indica) and coconut oil ½ litre each is taken. Root of kuppaimeni 35 gm is cleaned and ground to a fine paste. This is added to the coconut oil. Again add kuppaimeni juice to the oil and heat the whole mixture. Allow the mixture to boil for a while. Remove this from stove and allow it to cool. Filter the mixture and store the oil in a bottle. Apply this oil on head 15 minutes before you take bath. This too helps baldness.

Ayurvedic tenets for long and healthy life

To lead a long and healthy life Ayurveda recommends a lifestyle based on moderation in all spheres of life. Adapting this lifestyle is liberating and manifests positive changes in body, mind and spirit. Human beings die either naturally due to ageing or due to diseases and accidents. While one cannot foretell death, leading a healthy life keeps away diseases and the attendant suffering.

Ayurveda recommends following certain tenets that when adapted to ones lifestyle and made into a habit can benefit physically, mentally and spiritually.

The basic requirement for a healthy existence is good food, good sleep and good relationship.

Always consume freshly prepared food. Avoid all foods of the previous day especially the non-vegetarian ones. Also avoid refrigerated foods.

Do not suppress the natural urge to urinate and defecate. Avoid daytime nap. Do not lie down to sleep with head facing north.

Eat only when you feel hungry. Eat twice a day. Do not go to bed immediately after supper. Walk for 10-15 minutes before going to bed.

Follow a regular routine for sleeping. Go to bed by 10 o’clock at night. Get up at 6 in the morning. Six to eight hours of sleep is necessary to maintain good health.

Ayurveda advocates sex in moderation. It stipulates a general rule of sexual relationship once every fortnight (a tough one!). No sex immediately after food, a gap of 4 hours is advised.

The Siddhars of yesteryears also suggest the following regimen.

Eat twice a day.

Apply oil to head and bathe in warm water once every four days.

Fast a day, once a week.

Sex once a fortnight.

Clean the airway passages and nostrils etc (by instilling certain medications into the nostrils) once every 45 days. This helps clear the sinuses.

Take purgatives (natural ones) once every four months and cleanse the colons.

Take emetics (vomit inducers) once every six months to clear the phlegm etc.

Avoid dust and polluted atmosphere.

A disciplined mind is necessary to keep away from bad habits and inculcate good ones.

I am reminded of a quote I found at the entrance of Integral Coach Factory Design and Development Department, "in the chains of a disciplined life, the spirit soars”.