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| Saturday, 21 August 2004 |
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'We can modernise Ayurveda with Indian help' by U. Hulugalle I wish very much to endorse the suggestions made in your editorial on August 16. I thought it may be useful to write my ideas on the same subject. It was by chance that I took a serious interest in plant medicines. An old family friend and relative, Mrs. Norman Weerasooria, gave me a bottle of medicinal oils to alleviate the arthritic pains of my wife who is suffering from a rare, progressive, incurable disease. This particular medicinal oil greatly relieved her aches and pains within days. The "miracle" oil was prepared by a young ayurvedic doctor who has a surgery in Pannipitiya. His life and work is a story in itself. Suffice it to say that he spends around six months of the year in Germany curing the ailments of a large number of German patients. He returns to Sri Lanka for six months of the year with millions of rupees received from his grateful German patients. He is trying to use this money to finance Sinhalese Buddhist youth to purchase and grow specific types of medicinal plants thereby providing them employment and incomes. The output supplies the needs of his patients (generally treated free of charge) for ayurvedic medicines. I began my study at plant medicines by purchasing the book 'Sinhala Materia Medica' by Dr. John Attygalle, first published in 1917. The book has the great merit of identifying the Sinhala names of botanical names of plants. I also bought a series of simply written booklets published on research done by the Dabur Research Foundation of India to make people aware of the multiple health benefits of many indigenously available plants. India has made great strides in researching the preventive and curative value of herbal and plant medicines and, more generally, in developing ayurveda. Government Subsidies are given generously and bank loans arranged for planting herbs which no doubt enhances rural incomes. There are also indian businessmen interested in giving us the planting material, the know-how of planting, and buying back the herbs for export to India. Plant medicines are useful for treating and preventing a host of common ailments as well as chronic disorders such as arthritis, obesity, nutritional deficiencies, stress, memory loss and constipation. The Dabur Research Foundation booklets on arthritic reliever ("Salai guggal" (Boswellia serrata), the safe weight reducer (Vilayati imli), (Garcinia cambogia), the stress buster Aswaganga (Withania somnifera), the immunity booster "Amla" (Emblica officionalis known as nelli in Sri Lanka), the brain tonic "Brahmi" (Bacopa monmeri), the leaf known as lunuvilla in Sri Lanka and the highly nutritious super algae ("Spirulina") deserve special mention and attention. Lunuvilla leaf (Brahmi:Bacopa monnieri), not to be confused with gotukola: (centella asiatica) and the super algae (Spirulina) have great potential as remedial medicines in Sri Lanka. The benefits can be summarised as follows: Lunuvilla, (Bacopa monnieri). It enhances memory capacity, improves intellectual and cognitive functions, reduces stress-induced anxiety, and increases concentration. As a nerve tonic it treats insomnia and nervous tension, and with secondary application it acts as a diuretic. Combined with other nutritional supplements such as ginkgo biloba and ginseng it protects against the onset of Alzheimers disease and dementia. Its time-worn traditional uses include determatosis, anemia and diabetes, boils, toothaches, children's stomach disorders, coughs and rheumatism, asthma, blood purifying and the promotion of fertility and the prevention of miscarriages. Spirulina the Super algae is one of the richest and most balanced sources of micronutrients. The tiny aquatic plant offers 60% vegetable protein, essential vitamins and poly-nutrients (e.g beta-carotene and rare essential fatty acids). Another "miracle" is a tonic called Noni (Morinda Citrifolia) from a fruit popularly known as Indian mulberry and Ahu in Sri Lanka which is eaten by birds here. The regular use of Noni (currently manufactured by Health India Laboratories) has the following benefits: Rejuvenates the body; revitalises the cells, restores energy relieves pain, reduces inflammation, releases stress, purifies blood, stimulates the immune system, improves the digestion, enhances well-being, maintains healthy skin, hair and scalp, protects from toxins and pollutants, reduces the risk of cancer, improves memory and concentration, inhibits tumour growth and reduces onset of arthiris, heart disease, diabetes, strokes. These are only a few examples from nearly 5000 medicinal plants used around the world for healing different diseases. Under the leadership of the present dynamic and dedicated Minister dealing with ayurvedic medicine and the directive of the President, the specialised research institutes should take a much closer look at the potential of the medicinal plants in the country; encourage the cultivation of such plants on a selective basis; help ayurvedic product development; the manufacture of high quality ayurvedic products; and its marketing. In extending our ayurvedic base as a means of reducing health costs and providing employment Sri Lanka would benefit greatly by collaborating closely with the far more advanced Indian research institutes and manufacturers of ayurvedic products. |
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