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This method of
medical practiced called Siddha is connected
with the Tamil speaking parts of India. The
term Siddha is obtained from Siddh meaning
attainment of perfection and is one of the more
popular traditional healing systems in India.
The origin of this system of medicine is related
with the desire of saints who relentlessly took
efforts to achieve salvation in which they
realized that a good physical body that is free
from disease is required to reach eternal bliss.
They developed a system of medicine mainly for
healthy living and also for the elimination of
disease. This traditional Tamil system of
medicine was refined into a science by the
Saivite saints called Siddhars. The system is
also called the Agasthyar system which was
named after its renowned exponent, sage Agasthya.
Basically the same
as all the other traditional Indian medicines,
Siddha is based on body humours and other
characteristics alike to those in Ayurveda.
Following the Siddha system, the universe
consists of five elements namely Earth, Water,
Fire, Air and Ether which correspond to the five
senses of the human body. A person is deemed
healthy if a suitable proportion of these five
elements in combination with each other exist in
the person's body.
It is important to
note that mercury and sulphur play a vital role
in the therapeutics of this medical science and
most of the time, they are used in combination.
Siddha medicine has an interesting way of
categorizing drugs. On the basis of mutual
interaction, the drugs can either be called
friends or enemies. Compatible drugs are called
friends while those that are not compatible with
each other are called enemies. The Siddha
practitioner considers these features when
administering the drugs. The diagnosis in Siddha
is based on findings from eight aspects such as
pulse, eyes, voice, touch, color, tongue, faeces
and urine.
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