The announcement carried to the public through media advertisement by the department of Ayush for ISM interventions for prevention and management of common flu like fevers was objected to by experts of siddha system in Tamil Nadu.

Last week the central ayush department published advertisement in major dailies in Tamil Nadu advising the people of the state to follow Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy medicines for prevention of flu like conditions and infectious diseases.

In the siddha category of the advertisement it was suggested that for viral infections like flu, fumigation for environmental purification using kandankathiri, kungiliyam and vembu smoke was a good protective measure. Against this suggestion of the department, the age old and experienced siddha physicians argue that smoke from these sources will never eradicate the viruses or the vector for any length of time. Regarding advice of medicated smoking with ‘umathai ilai’ and ‘milagu pugai’, they said those were not medically supervised and will create lung problems to non-smokers and children.

Vaidya S Usman Ali, the director of Centre for Traditional Medicines and Research (CTMR) in Chennai, said the advertisement is totally confusing the public as it contains the references of six medicines under ‘medical management’ and it does not specify whether all the six items are to be taken simultaneously and for how long.

He said, out of the six medicines, ‘bramananda bairavam’ contains red sulphide of mercury, red arsenic and yellow arsenic, and ‘gowri chintamani’ contains 33 per cent mercury. He asks whether these medicines should be used without consulting competent physicians and why does the ayush department give such misleading advertisements. Further, on another suggestion of a medicine, he said ‘pavazha parpam’ is not an affordable drug for common man.

Coming down heavily on the misleading advertisement, Usman Ali said there is no drug in the name of ‘sivappu kukkil thylam’ in the market. The advertisement of Ayush had carried the name of the drug for external oil medication.

Usman Ali said he will write a letter to the union health minister about this misleading advertisement.