Alleging that the Union Ayush ministry is acting as ‘Ayurveda ministry’ and giving no significance to any other branches of the traditional systems, a Siddha drug researcher and lecturer working at the department of pharmacology at the Melaka Manipal Medical College in Karnataka, has sought the ministry’s support to promote and popularise the time-tested Siddha medicines.

In a letter sent to the Minister of Ayush, Dr. Arul Amuthan, the researcher-cum-academician says that it is urgent for the Ayush ministry to immediately step in to promote and popularise the efficacy proven Siddha traditional medicines, especially the widely accepted dengue fighter, ‘Nilavembu Kudineer’.

According to him, the department of ISM in Tamil Nadu has made some efforts to popularise the drug among the people of the state, but the Ayush ministry is not showing any interest towards that end.

“It has been proved that the drug, Nilavembu Kudineer, cures fever in a comprehensive way through its healing effects of temperature regulation, inflammation control and body pain relief. Synergistic action of this herbal combination relieves all types of fever irrespective of the type of causative organism. It exhibits potent antiviral activity against viruses causing dengue and chikungunya fever. It is also effective in curing fevers caused by infective organism such as typhoid and malaria”, he narrates about the drug.

The King’s Institute of Preventive Medicine and Research, Chennai has conducted a research on the effectiveness of this traditional anti-viral medicine and the results were positive, he says.

The Dr. Amuthan wants more care from the government side for the growth of Siddha system and alleges that Ayush ministry is not showing any interest to spread it to all the states in the country. Siddha system of treatment was laid down by Maharshi Agasthiyar and it became a native medical treatment method in Tamil Nadu centuries ago. The system needs more researches and practice areas for which Ayush ministry should encourage for opportunities like the support being given to Ayurveda. It seems that Ayush ministry is operating as ‘Ayurveda ministry’, alleges the Siddha physician.

He says that government can adopt various measures to promote Siddha medicines. Priority should be given to setting up research institutions and clinical trial centres for Siddha in all the state capitals. This will ensure spread of awareness about the system throughout the country. First preference should be given to the popular and largely accepted poly herbal formula, Nilavembu Kudineer, which controls all types of fever associated with body ache.

Similarly, the ‘Amma Magaperu Sanjivi’ scheme (distribution of a kit contains Siddha medicines for pregnant women), introduced by government of Tamil Nadu, carries 11 Siddha medicines for the welfare of pregnant women and the new born. These drugs are for countering complaints such as nausea, iron and vitamin deficiency, abdomen and hip joint pain.

This kit was prepared based on an earlier study conducted by a former director of Indian medicine and homoeopathy, Chennai. Due to the promising result of normal and healthy delivery, this was implemented. The medicines in the kit are tested successfully in Tamil Nadu for the last 10 years. Amuthan wants the Ayush ministry to introduce the kit supply scheme in all the states in the country so that the credibility of Siddha system can be maintained and continued.

Further, he points out that the system has many additional merits than Ayurveda in clinical practices such as ‘varmam’, mineral based therapy, semi synthetic (vaippumuraigal) drugs, broad spectrum drugs (perumarunthugal), drugs for cancer (putrunoimaruthugal) etc, are of higher versions than the Ayurvedic drugs. By focusing on Siddha medicines, Ayush ministry can challenge the world for drug discovery and promising cure in many diseases through traditional medicines, he said in the letter to the central government.