The higher order Siddha medicines which are in the possession of a few traditional healers in Tamil Nadu would have to be subjected to scientific research in order to gain the acceptance and approval of the community and the government bodies, according to R.S. Ramaswamy, Director General of the Central Council for Research in Siddha (CCRS), Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy), Government of India, Chennai and A. Kumaravelu, Chairman, Scientific Advisory Board, CCRS.
2-day workshop
Talking to newspersons on the sidelines of a two-day workshop on Higher Order Siddha Medicines (HOSM) organised by the Tamil Nadu Paramabariya Siddha Vaidhya Maha Sangam (TNPSVMS) which began here on Saturday, Dr. Ramaswamy and Dr. Kumaravelu said that only after the bifurcation of the Central Council for Research in Ayurveda and the establishment of the CCRS in 2010, the Siddha Council took up the initiative of research in HOSM.
“We have to first collect the materials and the sources of medicines, document them and send them for analysis”, they said.
Five types of research
Dr. Ramaswamy said that the medicines have to be subjected to five types of research, i.e., drug research (including the efficacy, toxicity and standardization of the drugs), literary research, medicinal plants research and clinical research.
Certain drugs can be given straightaway to human beings, but they also have to be scientifically proved by subjecting them to tests for reverse pharmacology in order to get the approval of the scientific community and the government, he said.
Earlier inaugurating the workshop, Dr. Ramaswamy said that the CCRS will help Siddha doctors obtain patents if they submitted their medicinal preparations for tests and the medicines were scientifically proved.
Central council
Previously, there was only one Central Council for Research in Ayurveda, and all other branches of indigenous medicine were considered as different branches of Ayurveda. Different councils for different systems of medicine were formed in order to gain recognition for AYUSH.
Dr. Kumaravelu stressed the need to do further research and bring to public use the HOSM (`kattu’, `kazhangu’, `muppu’ and `guru’).
K.P. Arjunan, traditional Siddha practitioner of Vellore and state president of TNPSVMS said that the four types of HOSM can cure different diseases.
He handed over `kattu’ and `padharasa lingam’, two types of HOSM to Dr. Ramaswamy for research by CCRS. T. Sivakumar, Field Publicity Officer, Puducherry delivered the keynote address. S. Subanandan, state secretary of TNPSVMS welcomed the gathering. S.R. Jayaprakash, state treasurer of the Sangam proposed a vote of thanks.
Later, Vellaichamy, traditional Siddha healer from Tirunelveli district demonstrated the preparation of `Vengarapattu’, a HOSM.
