let your life stay in you’. We only take roots and bark when absolutely necessary.
Respecting the plant and reciting mantras leads to efficacious medicines. We also never
touch the plant with our feet as that conveys disrespect. We also believe that a plant has
the power to curse you if it is abused. It is a power endowed to plants by the first teacher
(Siddha) of the Siddha system of medicine, Sage Agasthya. We do not harvest the
medicinal plants to sell at the markets but we collect them primarily for our own healing
practices.
Bio-cultural conservation: we actively spread seeds as we walk along fields and in
forest areas. We also spread seeds in streams so they are carried and disseminated
downstream. We also ensure sustainable harvesting. If for example there are 10 plants in
a small area, we harvest from only 5 and move to another area to harvest, coming back to
the first area only after the 5 plants have had a chance to regenerate. The Malayali tribe
has had a tradition of healing for many generations and six generations of healers have
harvested sustainably from these forests and ensured their conservation.
Spirituality: Healing within our tradition involves both knowledge of healing practices
and spiritual maturity. This spiritual maturity is integral to the efficacy of our medicines,
connectedness with the plants and our ability to diagnose ailments that despite having
physical manifestations are spiritual ailments at their core. Our spiritual traditions require
us to heal people irrespective of their ability to compensate us for our services. There are
times when we provide people with medicines at no cost and also when needed provide
them money for transport back home.
We share our knowledge
While we have a tradition of
sharing and exchanging our
knowledge amongst ourselves we
only want to share our knowledge
with others if they will use it for
the good of others in the tradition
of the Vaidyas. We train a number
of people to become Vaidyas and
before we pass on our knowledge
to them, we carefully observe their
character and test them on their
dedication to the healing tradition
and their ability to harvest plants
sustainably.
We feel that any access to our knowledge must be based on our prior informed consent
which can be obtained through the Tamil Nadu Paramparya Siddha Vaidya Maha
Sangam. We believe that our knowledge must be used to heal people and not to make
profit. Any medicines based on our knowledge must be sold to the poor at a minimal cost.