Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2 (1980) 71 - 73 0 Elsevier Sequoia S.A., Lausanne -Printed in the Netherlands

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THE TRADITIONAL SYSTEM OF MEDICINE IN SRI LANKA*

P. B. WERAGODA

Commissioner of Ayurveda, Colombo (Sri Lanka)

Summary

Four systems of traditional medicine have been adopted in Sri Lanka: Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Deshiya Chikitsa.

The Ayurveda and Deshiya Chikitsa systems use mainly plant and herbal preparations for the treatment of diseases -- the former uses about 2000 species, the latter about 500.

The plants are used singly or as mixtures. The traditional systems of medicine have a vast literature, mainly in the form of manuscripts.

The principle of the Ayurvedic system is to consider the body as a whole, ailments of different organs not being treated separately as in modern medicine. Similarly, Ayurveda takes into account the actions of the drug in its entirety. Research therefore must be carried out in hospitals or biological laboratories and not in chemical laboratories where plant extracts are subject inevitably to chemical reactions.

Therefore the chemical approach to identify active principles is a com- plete deviation from the principles of traditional medicine. Research on plants should be carried out for the further development of traditional systems of medicine and not to their detriment.

The threat of extinction of certain species of plants and herbs is stressed, the causes being the destruction of jungles, the greater demand for raw materials for increased manufacture of traditional medicinal prepara- tions, the absence of organised cultivation of medicinal plants, and unscien- tific harvesting.

The compilation of encyclopaedias of plants used in traditional medicine is highly recommended for every country interested in preserving the traditional systems of medicine.

The traditional system of medicine has been practised in Sri Lanka for over 3000 years. Recorded history takes us to the 4th century before the Christian era, at which time a hospital with in-patient and out-patient

*Paper Presented at the Joint Istituto Italo-Africano/World Health Organization Meeting on Research and Training in Traditional Systems of Medicine in Developing Countries, with Particular Reference to Medicinal Plantsand Herbs, Rome,April2 -6, 1979.

facilities had been constructed in the then capital city of Anuradhapura. One can see, even today, archaeological remains of medicine boats, in a fine state of preservation, turned out of stone and used for medicinal oil baths.

The traditional system of medicine is legally recognized in Sri Lanka. It has its own medical council which registers medical practitioners, pharma- cists and nurses and regulates their professional conduct. There is organized teaching and training of practitioners of traditional medicine on the same lines as in modern medicine.

Traditional medicine in Sri Lanka comprises four different systems: Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Deshiya Chikitsa. In Ayurveda, therapeutic agents for curing disease are mostly herbal preparations, while in the Siddha system they are predominantly mineral preparations. The Unani system dif- fers from the other two in its fundamental concepts. Deshiya Chikitsa uses mostly herbal preparations as in Ayurveda. It is historically evident that the Ayurveda and Siddha systems came to Sri Lanka from India along with several cultural waves.

The Unani system left its imprint here through the Arabs, who came for trading purposes. Deshiya Chikitsa, or indigenous medicine, originated in Sri Lanka probably during prehistoric times and developed in its own way. It is practised mainly as a tradition, knowledge being handed down from father to son, often being jealously guarded as a special preserve of the family.

For the same reason, there is a high degree of specializatian in certain fields such as ophthalmology, hydrophobia, fractures, snake poisoning, treatment of bums, boils and carbuncles, and B treatment similar to the Chinese acupuncture. In this treatment magic+ritual performances such as EMi (oblations), lime cutting, and ~~~~~~ (appeasement) are also used, particularly for mental afflictions.

In Ayurveda, over 2000 kinds of herbs and plants are used, while in Deshiya Chikitsa they number about 500. In the latter form of treatment, in some cases a single drug has proved to be very effective, while in certain others several parts of the same plant, such as tender leaves, flowers, bark, roots, fruits, etc. have been used to make a drug to treat certain ailments_ Ayurveda also uses certain drugs, including Cannabis, in particular combina- tions and ratios, Physicians in Sri Lanka use them with such confidence that modern scientists have begun to think that it is worth attempting research on these plants to identify the active principles. There are certain plants which, if grown in 8 garden, prevent certain kinds of poisonous reptiles from entering that garden. Cultivation of such plants serves as a preventive measure against possible serious dangers. There are several varieties of plants which serve as antiseptics and which are widely used by physicians, while there are some others which are efficient antibiotics.

There is in Sri Lanka and in South East Asia a vast volume of literature on traditional medicine. A substantial amount is in the form of ola leaf manuse~pts which should be edited and published for the benefit of posterity. There should be free exchange of ideas among countries practising

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traditional medicine and in each country there should be an encyclopaedia of medicinal plants so that the rest of the world can benefit from this knowledge.

In Ayurvedic treatment the human body is taken as a whole, and ail- ments of different organs are not treated separately as in modern medicine. Similarly, Ayurveda takes into account the action of the drug in its entirety. Ayurveda holds that the action of the whole drug is often different from that of any of its constituents taken separately. It is not possible to infer the action of a substance from that of the constituents as, in a compound, the properties of the constituents are changed when they are combined. In such complex cases, therefore, one should ascertain the action of the mixture as a whole. The researches of the late Rev, Father Calus and Dr. K. S. Mashkar at Hapkin Institute support this view:

“It is impossible to obtain any information about the medical properties of drugs by carrying on researches in chemical laboratories. Whether a drug is useful or harmful to the system can be conclusively proved only if the drug is administered in its natural state - a state in which its action has been described in Ayurveda. Research regarding them should be carried on primarily in human hospitals or at the most in biological laboratories. Invariably all the famous medicinal drugs which were subjected to research in chemical laboratories proved to be useless with regard to their pharmacological actions, not because they were so but chiefly because they were subjected to chemical reaction.”

Any new research on plants used in traditional medicine should follow this point for successful results,

One other important point is the threat of extinction of certain species of plants, particularly in the South East Asian region. This is due to several reasons:

(a) the clearing of jungles for a~icultur~ development and for the settlement of an ever-increasing population;

(b) the greater demand for raw materials for increased manufacture of traditional medicinal preparations;

(c) the callous and unscientific harvesting and extraction of herbs and plants;

(d) the absence of organised cultivation of medicinal plants and herbs. In this context agricultural scientists could play a very important role

in establishing scientific cultivation and propagation, while systematic harvesting and extraction could be done with due consideration for future needs.

To conclude, thought should be given to the following three points: (a) efforts should be directed to develop the knowledge of plants used

in traditional medicine for the development of traditional systems of medicine, according to the principles of traditional medicine;

(b) organized cultivation, systematic harvesting, preservation and storage of medicinal plants and herbs, and herbaria and plant nurseries should be established;

(c) an encyclopaedia of plants used in traditional medicine should be compiled in each country.