SIDDHA

Siddha medicine is a traditional system of healing that originated in Southern part of India and is considered to be one of India’s oldest systems of medicine. The Siddha system is based on a combination of ancient medicinal practices and spiritual disciplines as well as alchemy and mysticism. Siddha medicine appears as part of Tamil culture in the earliest Tamil sangam literatures Tholkappiyam. Practitioners of Siddha medicine are known as siddhars (or siddhas). Siddhars held that the object of their study was to preserve and prolong life. To do so, they believed, required humans to live according to the laws of nature.

The Five Elements

According to the Siddha system, there are five elements that exist in nature: earth, water, fire, air, and ether, all of which form the original basis of all corporeal things. It is believed that there is an intimate connection between the macrocosm of the external world and the microcosm of the corporeal being. In the human body the element of earth is present in the bone, flesh, nerves, skin, and hair; the element of water is present in bile, blood, semen, glandular secretions, and sweat; the element of fire is present in hunger, thirst, sleep, beauty, and indolence; the element of air is present in contraction, expansion, and motion; and the element of ether is present in the interstices of the stomach, heart, neck, and head.

According To The Siddha System, There Are Five Elements That Exist In Nature.

Earth, Water, Fire, Air, And Ether, All Of Which Form The Original Basis Of All Corporeal Things.

‘Veda’ meaning Science Of Knowledge.

This Form Of Medicine Has Many Specialities Such As Shalya-Chikitsa (Surgery), Kaayachikitsa .

Siddhars Believed Vata To Be Self-Originated And Identical To Divine Energy.

It was the name given to the heat contained in the liquid bile, which causes the expulsion of waste matter in the form of urine and feces, and it was believed to give sight to the eyes, beauty to the skin, and cheerfulness to the mind. Kapha was believed to supply moisture to the body and to give stability, adding to the strength of the body by increasing the firmness of the limbs and thereby keeping them in harmony with one another. It was also thought to aid in digestion and sensation, such as by imparting taste to the tongue. Pranayama, Varma, Herbal and Mineral Treatment are some of the therapies in siddha.