Ever since illnesses raised their ugly heads and took men, women, and children to be their victims, humans have worked on developing different kinds of medicines to combat those diseases. It is the natural response of the human being to try and deal with adversities in a variety of ways. In the ancient past, they looked to trees, shrubs, and fruits to help them overcome the diseases that they had been afflicted with. As time went on, human beings began to recognize the medicinal value that was inherent in certain plants, fruits, and flowers.
These days, whenever we feel weak or feverish or tired we automatically turn to one of those allopathic pills that the drug store stocks in large quantities. However, most drugs come with a set of side effects. You never know how a particular drug might end up affecting your system. If while attempting to get rid of a particular set of symptoms, you end up contracting a few more, you would have to pop in a few more pills to keep down the new symptoms.
That is why various schools of alternative medicine have been gaining in popularity over the last few years with Siddha medicine being one of them. You may ask “What is Siddha medicine?” Siddha medicine emerged in South India where the Siddha physicians, the siddhars, practiced this form of medicine. The word, “Siddha” means “perfection” in Tamil. By inference, Siddha medicine can thus be termed as the perfect medicine or the medicine of perfection.
Even at present, Siddha medicine is being largely practiced only in Southern India in the Tamil Nadu region and in certain parts of Kerala. There are a lot of existing works that elaborate the tenets and principles of Siddha medicine. However, unfortunately enough, most of these written works have been written out in a language that is symbolic and difficult to decipher. Perhaps, this is the reason why the spread of Siddha medicine has not been as great as the spread of other forms of alternative medicine like Ayurveda.
Although there is no clear cut explanation regarding when and how Siddha medicine came to be, theories abound regarding the same. One theory is that Siddha medicine began with the great sage Vishwa Brahma Dutt who is said to have meditated for 41,000 years. Having completed this period of meditation, he had acquired special powers, which allowed him to commune with the elements of nature. He began the tradition of Siddha medicine, and his followers who came to involve themselves in this natural medical system came to be known as the “siddhars”. There is another theory that, This medical system is developed by Lord Shiva, from whom it is then transferred to Goddess Parvati and then gradually over to the Siddhar Agasthiyar. Over the centuries, the siddhars continued to compile their work and their written records have survived till today, though much of it is in bad condition.
In principle, the Siddha medical system seeks to revitalize our bodies and make our organs function in a healthy manner. Here is a hundred percent natural system of medication that seeks to take us from days of bad health on to lives of perfect health. “Siddha” means “perfection” after all.