AIAPGET Siddha key terms

An indigenous Tamil medical tradition attributed to the Siddhars, using plant, mineral, and metallic preparations alongside dietary and lifestyle rules to restore balance of the three humours.

An enlightened Tamil sage-physician credited with founding and developing Siddha medicine; eighteen principal Siddhars are traditionally recognised, with Agathiyar regarded as foremost.

The senior Siddhar traditionally credited with compiling core Siddha medical texts and transmitting the system to disciples; his works underpin much of Siddha pharmacology and diagnostics.

The Siddha doctrine of three humours - vatham, pitham, and kabam - whose balance maintains health and whose disturbance produces disease; diagnosis and treatment aim to restore their equilibrium.

The humour associated with air and space, governing movement, nerve function, and respiration; vitiation is linked to pain, stiffness, and neurological disturbance.

The humour associated with fire, governing digestion, metabolism, and body heat; excess is linked to burning sensation, inflammation, and irritability.

The humour associated with water and earth, governing cohesion, lubrication, and structure; excess is linked to coldness, congestion, and sluggishness.

The seven vital constituents of the body - from chyle through blood, muscle, fat, bone, marrow, and reproductive fluid - progressively formed from digested food and assessed in Siddha diagnosis.

The physical body constituents, including the seven vital tissues plus waste products, considered in Siddha assessment of strength, nourishment, and disease progression.

The eight-fold Siddha diagnostic examination covering pulse, tongue, complexion, voice, eyes, stool, urine, and touch; each finding is interpreted in relation to the three humours.

Pulse examination in Siddha practice, in which the practitioner assesses rate, rhythm, and character at defined sites to infer the state of vatham, pitham, and kabam.

Faecal matter examined as one of the eight diagnostic parameters; its colour, consistency, and frequency are interpreted as indicators of digestive and humoral status.

Siddha urine examination assessing colour, smell, froth, and sediment; traditionally performed with oil-drop and other observation methods to infer humoral imbalance.

The oil-drop urine test in Siddha diagnosis, where a drop of oil on urine is observed for spreading pattern and shape to indicate the predominant vitiated humour.

The Siddha concept of time or season, one of the factors determining humoral balance; different seasons are held to aggravate or pacify particular humours.

Siddha diagnostic reasoning that identifies the nature, cause, and site of disease by combining the eight-fold examination with humoral, seasonal, and constitutional assessment.

The root cause of disease in Siddha analysis, considered at the level of humoral imbalance, dietary and lifestyle factors, and underlying constitutional vulnerability.

The three waste products - faeces, urine, and sweat - whose proper elimination is essential to health; their retention is held to disturb humoral balance.

The first and finest of the seven vital constituents, formed from digested food; it nourishes the body and is the precursor of blood and the remaining tissues.

Blood, the second of the seven vital constituents, formed from saram; its quality and quantity are assessed in Siddha diagnosis of strength and disease.

A Siddha powdered medicine form, typically finely ground herbal or mineral ingredients, administered with adjuvants such as honey, ghee, or warm water.

A calcined Siddha preparation, usually from minerals or metals processed by repeated calcination, forming a fine powder used in small doses.

A red or reddish Siddha metallic or mineral preparation produced by specific purification and calcination steps, used in low doses under careful supervision.

The purification process applied to raw drugs, metals, and minerals before compounding, intended to remove impurities and reduce toxicity in Siddha pharmacy.

A Siddha decoction prepared by boiling herbs in water until reduced, then filtered and taken in measured doses; a common form for treating humoral disorders.

A medicated oil in Siddha practice, prepared by processing herbs with oil and other ingredients; used for external application and, in specific cases, internal use.

The dietary and behavioural regimen prescribed alongside Siddha treatment, specifying permitted and avoided foods and activities to support the action of medicine.

A group of Siddha disorders attributed to vitiated vatham, typically presenting with pain, stiffness, tremor, or altered movement, and managed with vatha-pacifying measures.

Siddha disorders arising from vitiated kabam, often presenting with congestion, coldness, cough, or heaviness, and managed with kapha-reducing diet and drugs.

A Siddha clinical condition marked by pallor and weakness, associated with impaired blood formation and disturbed pitham; assessed through complexion, eyes, and pulse.

The Siddha term for urinary stone, characterised by pain and difficulty in passing urine; managed with lithontriptic herbal formulations and dietary regulation.

A Siddha system of vital points on the body; injury or stimulation at these points is held to affect vatham and nerve function, and specific manipulative techniques are used therapeutically.

A Siddha manual therapy involving prescribed massage techniques applied to the body, used to relieve vatha disorders, improve mobility, and support recovery.

The Siddha branch concerned with rejuvenation and longevity, using specific herbal and mineral formulations plus regimen to slow ageing and restore vitality.

The five elements - earth, water, fire, air, and space - held in Siddha theory to constitute the body and to underlie the three humours.

A teacher or preceptor in the Siddha lineage; textual tradition emphasises the guru's role in transmitting clinical knowledge and spiritual discipline to students.

The official collection of Siddha drug standards and monographs, specifying source materials, purification, preparation methods, and quality parameters for formulations.