AIAPGET Siddha cheat sheet

Siddha - Core Principles, Materia Medica and Pharmacology

• Siddha posits 96 thathuvangal (constituent principles) of the human being; the body is composed of five bhutas (nilam, neer, thee, vaayu, aagayam) and is regulated by three humours - vaatham (vaayu), pittham (thee), kabam (neer).

• Vaatham subdivides into ten types (pranan, abanan, viyanan, uthanan, samanan, naagan, koorman, kirukaran, devathathan, thananjayan); pittham into five (anar, ranjagam, saathagam, alosagam, prasagam); kabam into five (avalthamban, kilethagan, pothagan, tharpagan, santhigapan).

• The seven udal thathukkal are saaram, senneer, oon, kozhuppu, elumbu, moolai and sukkilam; disease arises when these are depleted or vitiated, and diagnosis maps symptoms to the affected thathu.

• Siddha diagnosis rests on eight-fold examination (ennvagai thervu): naadi (pulse), neer (urine, including oil-drop and colour tests), vizhi (eyes), sparisam (touch), viram (faeces), naakku (tongue), sabdham (voice) and malam; naadi is read for vaatham, pittham and kabam qualities.

• Suvai (taste) categories are six - inippu, pulippu, uppu, kaarppu, kasappu, thuvarppu; each drug's suvai, veeriyam (potency: veppam or thatpam), pirivu (post-digestive effect) and prabhavam together determine its action.

• Materia medica classification: mooligai (herbs), thavaram (woody plants), kizhangu (tubers), thandu (stems), ilai (leaves), poo (flowers), pazham (fruits), vithai (seeds), paal (latex), ney (ghee), then (honey), and the mineral/animal groups (rasavargam, uppu vargam, paashanam).

• Standard Siddha dosage forms: chooranam (powder), parpam (calcined oxide), chendooram (metallic powder), kudineer (decoction), kashayam, thailam (medicated oil), mezhugu (wax-like), rasayanam (electuary), ilagam, mathirai (pill) and bhasma-like kalangu.

• Purification (suddhi) is mandatory before use of paashanam, metals and minerals: examples are sulphur washed in milk, mercury triturated with lime and garlic, and arsenic compounds repeatedly soaked in herbal juices; unpurified use is a documented toxicity hazard.

• Siddha formulations are dosed by age, humour, digestive strength and disease stage; pathiyam (dietary restriction) is prescribed with most internal medicines, and emesis (vamanam), purgation (virechanam) and oil application are the classical panchakarma-type therapies.