AIAPGET Siddha flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Three humours in Siddha

Vaatham (air, vaayu), pittham (fire, thee) and kabam (water/earth, neer) regulate body function; health is their balance and disease is their vitiation, assessed through naadi and the eight-fold examination.

Ninety-six thathuvangal

Siddha enumerates 96 constituent principles forming the human being, from the five bhutas and sensory organs through the humours and vital forces; understanding them underpins diagnosis and therapy.

Ten types of vaatham

Pranan, abanan, viyanan, uthanan, samanan, naagan, koorman, kirukaran, devathathan and thananjayan. The first five are the principal vital airs; the rest govern reflexes such as yawning, sneezing and hiccough.

Five types of pittham

Anar, ranjagam, saathagam, alosagam and prasagam. They govern digestion, blood colouring, vision, intellect and skin lustre respectively; vitiation produces burning, jaundice-type and inflammatory presentations.

Five types of kabam

Avalthamban, kilethagan, pothagan, tharpagan and santhigapan. They lubricate joints, protect the stomach, support taste and give firmness; excess causes heaviness, coldness and congestion.

Seven udal thathukkal

Saaram (plasma), senneer (blood), oon (muscle), kozhuppu (fat), elumbu (bone), moolai (marrow/nerve) and sukkilam (reproductive fluid). Depletion or vitiation of these explains wasting, anaemia and degenerative disease.

Ennvagai thervu

The eight-fold Siddha examination: naadi (pulse), neer (urine), vizhi (eyes), sparisam (touch), viram (faeces), naakku (tongue), sabdham (voice) and malam. Each yields humour-specific diagnostic signs.

Neer kuri (urine diagnosis)

Urine is examined for colour, smell, froth, sediment and the oil-drop spread pattern; the way a drop of oil disperses indicates the dominant humour and the affected thathu.

Six suvai

Inippu (sweet), pulippu (sour), uppu (salt), kaarppu (pungent), kasappu (bitter) and thuvarppu (astringent). Each taste has defined effects on the humours and is used to select and combine drugs.

Veeriyam and pirivu

Veeriyam is a drug's potency - veppam (hot) or thatpam (cool). Pirivu is its post-digestive effect. Together with suvai and prabhavam they define the drug's total therapeutic action.

Parpam and chendooram

Parpam is a calcined, purified oxide of metal or mineral; chendooram is a fine metallic or mineral powder. Both are potent, used in small doses, and require correct suddhi and vehicle for absorption.

Suddhi of paashanam

Purification of toxic minerals and metals by repeated washing, trituration or soaking in herbal juices, milk or lime. Suddhi removes physical and chemical impurities and is a prerequisite for safe internal use.

Pathiyam

The prescribed dietary and behavioural regimen followed during Siddha treatment. It prevents food–drug interaction, supports digestion and is considered essential for the medicine to act fully.

Kudineer

A decoction made by boiling crude drugs in water until reduced to a specified volume, then filtered. It is the commonest liquid dosage form for fevers and acute conditions.

Chooranam

A finely powdered herbal or herbo-mineral formulation, sieved to a specified mesh, taken with honey, ghee, milk or warm water according to the condition and the humour involved.

Thailam

A medicated oil prepared by boiling the base oil with herbal juices and paste until the watery phase is removed. Used externally in vatha disorders, stiffness and neurological conditions.

Mezhugu

A waxy, semi-solid Siddha formulation made by triturating drugs with ghee, wax or oil until a soft mass forms. Used for chronic vatha-kaba conditions and given with warm milk or water.

Rasayanam

An electuary or confection made by cooking drugs with jaggery, honey or ghee to a thick consistency. Used as a rejuvenative and for chronic respiratory and digestive disorders.

Mathirai

A pill or tablet form produced by triturating powdered drugs with a binder and rolling to a fixed weight. Ensures accurate dosing for potent herbo-mineral formulations.

Mukkutra theory

The doctrine that vaatham, pittham and kabam are the three regulating forces of the body; their relative dominance in an individual determines constitution, disease tendency and drug selection.

Uyir thathukkal

The five vital constituents - pranan, apanan, viyanan, samanan and uthanan - that sustain respiration, excretion, circulation, digestion and upward movement respectively.

Varman points

Specific vital points on the body described in Siddha; injury to them disturbs vaatham and can cause pain, loss of function or systemic effects, treated by varmam manipulation and internal medicine.

Thokkanam therapy

A Siddha manual therapy of nine types of massage and manipulation applied to the body, used in vatha disorders, musculoskeletal pain and post-injury stiffness, usually with medicated oils.

Vamanam and virechanam

Vamanam is therapeutic emesis and virechanam is therapeutic purgation; both are Siddha purification procedures used to expel vitiated kabam and pittham respectively, with strict indications and pathiyam.

Naadi pareekshai

Pulse examination in Siddha. The physician palpates the radial pulse to assess the relative strength and rhythm of vaatham, pittham and kabam, and correlates findings with the disease state.

Gunapadam

The classical Siddha pharmacopoeia describing drugs by suvai, veeriyam, pirivu, prabhavam and actions. It is the reference text for materia medica and formulation composition.

Siddha mineral group

Paashanam, rasavargam and uppu vargam cover toxic minerals, metals and salts. They are used after suddhi in parpam, chendooram and kalangu forms, with strict dose limits.

Prabhavam

The specific, unpredictable action of a drug that cannot be explained by its suvai, veeriyam or pirivu alone. It accounts for unique therapeutic effects of particular herbs.

Kaba vatha fever pattern

Fever with heaviness, cold extremities, body ache and coated tongue suggests kaba-vatha dominance; treatment uses pungent, hot-veerya drugs and kudineer rather than cooling formulations.

Siddha diagnosis by vizhi

Eye examination notes conjunctival colour, scleral tint, lacrimation and pupil behaviour; yellowish sclera suggests pittham excess and liver involvement, while pallor suggests saaram depletion.

Ilagam

A Siddha semi-solid or paste-like formulation, often sugar- or jaggery-based, used for paediatric and geriatric patients because it is palatable and easy to administer.

Siddha rejuvenation therapy

Kayakarpam, the rejuvenation branch, uses rasayanam, mineral preparations and disciplined diet to restore thathu balance, slow ageing and improve immunity in chronic and convalescent patients.