Literature review on diet regimen mentioned in Siddha Medicine based on Thehiyin Ilakkanam, Kala Ozhukkam and Gunam
Dr.V.Dhivya1*, Dr.S.Emima1, Prof. Dr.S.Victoria 2
1- PG Scholar, Department of Noinadal, Government Siddha Medical College, Palayamkottai
2-Professor and Head of the Department, Department of Noinadal, Government Siddha Medical College, Palayamkottai.
ABSTRACT
Food is important for all living organisms. Eating a variety of healthy food promotes good health and helps to prevent against diseases. It gives nutrients to the body. Nowadays lifestyle modifications and westernized adaptations lead to many diseases. Siddhars, the ancient scholars of tamilnadu explained briefly about the diet regimen to be followed for a healthy and energetic life according to individual thehi’s, changes of climate condition and also based on character. The so called diet regimen is not followed nowadays may be due to lack of knowledge so this research is focused on collecting the information’s about the diet regimens proposed by siddhars in various classical literatures and presenting in the way of reaching the common people in a more effective way for maintaining good health. In this research need of balance of protein, fat, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins and minerals in our diets to sustain a healthy body will be discussed along with the diet regimen of ancient siddhars to lead a healthy life.
Key words : siddha pathology, noi iyal, thehi illakanam, siddha medicine
INTRODUCTION
Siddha system is a traditional system of Indian medicine. Siddha system of medicine treats disease and also prevents diseases. Siddhars also told about lifestyle for healthy life. Food is daily need for human to provide energy and maintain life or stimulate growth. Food provides a range of different nutrients to the body. Nowadays food styles are changed. Many diseases such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease etc., were caused by life style modifications. So the need to focus ancient diet regimens followed by siddhars becomes necessary to maintain healthy life So this research discuss the diet plan as per thehi ilakkanam, kalaozhukkam and our gunam to lead a wonderful healthy life.
THEHIYIN ILLAKANAM
Thehiyinilakkanam is a physical and mental constituent of the body. In siddha theory the physical body is made up of three humors. They are vatham, pitham and kabam. These humors are proportionally together to form a human physical body. Based the proportion of these humors they are divided in to 3 main types and 7 sub types. The main types are vadha thehi, pitha thehi and kaba thehi. The sub types are fomed by union of main types. They are vathapithathehi, vathakabathehi, pithavathathehi, pithakabathehi, kabavathathehi, kabapithathehi and mukuttrathehi.
DIET BASED ON THEHI
DIET FOR VADHA THEHI
VEGETABLES: White pumpkins, mango, drumstick, flat beans, bitter gourd, elephant foot yam, brinjal, wild amorphophalus.
SPINACHES: Indian acalypha, amaranthusaritis, asian spider flower, black night shade, land caltrops, pointed gourd, hog Weed, garden purslane.
BEVERAGES: Trianthema aderandra, bitter gourd, drumstick, banana stem, tender vegetables
DRIED FOODS: Unarmed nightshade, snake gourd, gooseberry, capparis zeylanica, black night shade, dhal veldt grape
PICKLE: Citron pickle, beleric myrobalans, mustard, clearing nut, ginger, Bengal currants, pungent pickles.
DIET FOR PITHA THEHI
SPICES: Bengal gram, lima beans, black gram, cardamom, fenugreek, black pepper, unarmed night shade, butter, ginger, ivy gourd, curry leaves, cumin seed.
VEGETABLES: Cucumber, bitter gourd, ridge gourd, snake gourd, lablab bean, pumpkin, brinjal, drumstick, sesame, tapioca, onion, blossom, banana stem.
SPINACHES: Yellow wood sorrel, ivy gourd, drumstick, small leaf purslane, velvet leaf wound plant, forest pepper, hybanthus, spinach, three lobed night shade, bottle gourd, Indian penny wort, tropical amaranth, black night shade
BEVERAGES: Malabar spinach, humming bird tree leaves, tender coconut, thorny greens, snake gourd, climbing brinjal, unarmed night shade, wild egg plant, green gram, black night shade, Indian pennywort.
PICKLE: Green variety of pepper, ginger, climbing brinjal, tripala, bitter orange, bonduc nut, Chinese gooseberry, Alexandrian laurel, tender mango, sour orange, lemon.
DIET FOR KABA THEHI
VEGETABLE: Brinjal, wild snake gourd, lablab bean, bitter gourd, Bengal currants, wild egg plant, raw fig, green gram, bottle gourd, ridge gourd, banana stem, raddish, drumstick, white pumpkin, onion, tapioca.
SPINACHES: Emetic nut, ivy gourd, amaranthusaritis, elephant ear, snake gourd, water clover, Indian sorre, Indian acalypha, Indian penny wart, rough bryony, drumstick, chocolate This Researched, plumed cocks comb, cetis, velvet leaf wound plant, Bengal currants, asian spider flor, garden pursalane, dry ginger, aloevera.
BEVERAGES: Turmeric, mustard, garden dill anet, common fumitory, bishops This Researched, fenugreek, coriander, sesban, dog mustard, bitter gourd, thumbe.
DRIED FOODS: Unarmed night shade, black night shade, climbing Brinjal, veldt grape, wild snake gourd, Capparis zeylanica, snake gourd, lablab bean, amla, bitter orange.
PICKLE: Pepper, turmeric, unarmed night shade, banana stem, bishop Weed, tender mango, climbing brinjal, guava, tender bitter gourd.
KALA OZHUKKAM: Sidhars explain about kalaozhukkam as six perumpozhuthugal and six sirupozhuthugal. The perumpozhuthugal are karkalam, koothirkalam, munpani, pinpani, elavenil and muthuvenil. The three humors are vadha, pitham and kabam increase in their state and other state.
Seasons |
Status of three Humour |
|
Tamil months &Western calendar |
Siddha seasons |
|
Chithirai, vaikasi (mid april to mid may, mid may to mid June) |
Elavenil |
kabam increase in other state |
Aani, Aadi (Mid june to mid july, Mid july to mid August) |
Muthuvenil |
kabam in normal state. vatham increase in own state |
Aavani, Puratasi (mid august to mid September,mid September to mid October) |
Karkalam |
pitham increase in own state. Vatham increase in other state |
iyppasi,karthigai (mid October to mid November, Mid November to mid December) |
Koothirkalam |
pitham increase in other state |
Margazhi, Thai (mid December to mid January, mid January to mid February) |
Munpanikalam |
all thathus in normal state |
Maasi, Panguni(mid February tomid March, mid Marchto mid April) |
Pinpanikalam |
kabam increase in own state |
DIET BASED ON KALA OZHUKKAM
KARKALAM
· Person to take diet to equalize pitha thodam.
· Person to take emetic and purgative medicines
· Person to take bath with hot water
· Person to drink rain water, Well water and hot water
· Person to eat sour and salt taste foods and easily digestible foods
· Person to take honey mixed foods and old grains
KOOTHIRKALAM
· Person want to equalize the pitham
· Person take purgative medicines of bitter taste oils, sloth and seetham vigor
· To avoid dew, sunlight, cold air, salt alcoholic beverages, curd, oil and fat items
· Person will sit in moon light
· Person take bitter, astringent and sweet taste foods
· Person take must easily digestible foods
· Person take samba rice, green gram, gooseberry and honey
MUNPANI AND PINPANIKALAM
· Person should take oilbath
· Person eat sweet, sour and salt tasted foods
· Person eat meat, blackgram, wheat and sugarcane added foods
· Person take beverages prepared with jiggery, rice and grapes
· Person take some sunlight bath
ELAVENIL
· Person should equalize the kabam in this climate
· Person should take purgative and nasal instillations
· Person take light and dry foods
· Person do some exercises
· Person drink a soaked water of cuscus grass and sandal
· Person eat honey, wheat and mango fruit
· Person take pungent, sour and sweet tasted food and seetham vigor foods
· Don’t do sleep at daytime
· It is good time for family life
MUTHUVENIL
· Person equalize the vatham in this climate
· Person take neippu, liquid and sweet tasted foods
· Person must eat easily digestible food
· Person eat salt, sour and pungent taste food
· Person should avoid exercise
· Avoid sunlight and alcoholic beverages
· Person drink a soaked water of trumpet flower and cuscus grass
· Person take samba rice, meat, banana and jack fruit
· Person should take sleep at daytime
DIET BASED ON SIRUPOZHUTHUGAL
Siddhars also discussed diet plan for a day. They divide a day into 6 portions they are vaigarai, kalai, nadupagal, pirpagal, malai, and naduiravu but This Research take food three times per day. So they said diet for breakfast, lunch and dinner
DIET FOR BREAKFAST : Green gram, bengal gram, dholl, black gram, sesame, dry beans, mustard, pepper, dry ginger, asafoetida
DIET FOR LUNCH: Tuber varieties, fruits, spinaches, buffalo curd and butter milk
DIET FOR DINNER: Tender lablab bean, raw fig, cow milk, tender drumstick, three lobed night shade
GUNAM
Siddhars told about human characters. They divides gunam into 3 types. They are sathuvam, rasatham and thamasagunam.
CHARACTERS OF SATHUVAGUNAM: Grace, imprint controller, wisdom, majestic, greatness, sincerity and truthful
CHARACTERS OF RASATHAGUNAM: Encouraging, wisdom, majestic, valor, dhamma, charity, educative, questionnaire
CHARACTERS OF THAMASAGUNAM: Promiscuity, lust, angry, kill, sloth, justice will be passed, increased sleepy, foodie, liar, forgotten and crafty
This Research should take the food as per gunas, This Research gain good characters through food
DIET OF SATHUVAGUNAM
GRAINS: Samba rice, raw rice, by aris rice, wheat, chamba white, Italian millet, black gram, green gram, parched grain, parched rice, sesame
SPICES: Dried ginger, black pepper, cumin seeds, fenugreek
SWEETS: Sugar, white sugar, sugar candy, honey
FRUITS: Grapes, dates
AROMATICS: Nutmug, arillus of the nut, cardamom seeds, saffron
NUTS:Almond
OILS: Sesame oil, mahua oil, dry coconut
MILK PRODUCTS: Cow milk, cow curd, butter, ghee
VEGETABLES: Wild egg plant, cluster bean, bitter gourd, cucumber, green plantain, unripe jack fruit, wood apple, ber fruit, raw mango, black night shade, bitter orange, sprout, coconut, amla, colocasia, toxtail amaranth, plantain stem, veldt grape
SPINACHES: Curry leaves, purple fruited pea, fenugreek leaves, coriander leaves, purple amaranth, dwaf copper leaf, black night shade, humming bird tree leaves and flowers
FRUITS: All banana types, bayan banana, mango, jambul, guava, tender coconut
DIET OF RASASAGUNAM
GRAINS: Sago, dhal, Bengal gram
NUTS: Cashew nut, ground nut
SPICES: Turmeric, asafetida, musk, tamarind, chillies, salt varieties, mustard, black mustard seed, white mustard, coriander seeds
AROMATICS: Clove, bark of cinnamon, the bishops This Researched, opium poppy, areca nut, Ceylon Iron wood
MILK PRODUCTS: White goat milk and white goat ghee
VEGETABLES: Lady’s finger, pumpkin, cluster fig, tamarind, lemon, green chilli, yam
SPINACHES: Amaranthu saritis
FLOWERS: Banana blossom, cassia
FRUITS: Pomegranate
NON VEGETARIAN: Deer, goat, rabbit, meat, fish and some birds
DIET OF THAMASAGUNAM
GRAINS: Double boiled rice, ragi, millet, pear millet, maize, pea, dry beans, peas, horse gram
SWEETS: Palm jaggery, palm candy
MILK PRODUCTS: Buffalo milk, buffalo curd, buffalo butter, buffalo ghee
VEGETABLES: Brinjal, lablab bean, ridged gourd, drumstick, bottle gourd, potato, raddish, Palmyra root tuber
AROMATIC: Onion and garlic
SPINACHES: Drumstick leaves, tropical amaranth, yellow wood sorrel, chicory leaves
FRUITS: Cashew fruit, custard apple
OILS: caster oil
BEVERAGES: Palm wine, coconut toddy, alcoholic beverages
NON VEGTARIAN: Lake fishes, other animal meat
DISCUSSION
In siddha theory the human body is based on three humors. They are vatham, pitham and kabam. The three humors differ in its state causes the disease. We need to equalize the three humors by good activities and healthy food style. We should take food based on our humors combination. We lead a healthy life. Siddhars revealed about diet regimen as per thehi such as vathathehi, pithathehi and kabathehi. They have said about diet for climate variation. They divided twelve months into six kalam and told diet for climates such as karkalam, koothirkalam, munpani, pinpani, ilavenil and muthuvenil. They also said about diet for a day. Siddhars insist about human characters. They said diet for gunam such as sathuvam, rasatham and thamasam.
CONCLUSION
From the above information’s, the food styles were identified for individual thehi’s, based on climate changes and for gunam were revealed. Hence this research will help to avoids lifestyle disorders by following this diet regimen and can lead a healthy life.
REFERENCES
1. Durairasan K., NoiIllaNeri, Department of Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy, Chennai, 2008, pg no 184-186, 157-158
2. Kannusamypillai, PatharthaGunaVilakam, Department of Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy, Chennai, 2007, pg no 465-472
3. Shanmugavelu, NoinadalNoiMuthalNaadal – Part: 1, Department of Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy, Chennai, 2007.
4. Thiyagarajan, Compendium of Siddha Medicine, Department of Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy, Chennai, 2007.
5. Venugopal P.M., UdalThathuvam, Department of Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy, Chennai, 2007, pg no 262-265