Basic principles of siddha system of medicine

1. Dhatus are the various tissues of the human body.
In Siddha, they are listed as:
 Saram (chyle)
 Chenneer (blood)
 Oon (muscle)
 Kozhuppu (fat)
 Enbu (bones)
 Moolai (marrow)
 Sukila (sperm) or Sronitha (ovum)
The following table helps us understand the functions of the Dhatus and problems that arise in case of malfunctions.
Dhatu Function
Saram Regulates growth and development. Keeps spirits up and nourishes blood.
Chenneer Nourishes the muscles and intellect.
Oon Gives shape to body, enables physical activity and nourishes fat.
Kozhuppu Lubricates the different organs and maintains the oily matter of the body.
Enbu Supports the system responsible for posture and physical movements.
Moolai Fills bony cavity, nourishes semen, increases endurance and a shining appearance.
Suckila or Sronitha Responsible for reproduction.
Raw drugs used in Siddha
On the basis of Five Element (Panchabhootham) theory, raw/crude drugs are divided into
five major categories based on the predominant element they possess.
For example, among metals,
Metal Predominant element
Gold Earth
Lead Water
Copper Fire
Iron Air
Zinc Space
Here, the metal gold will exhibit characters and properties of the element earth as it is the
predominant element in its formation and the other metals can be linked correspondingly.
Based on taste, raw drugs are divided into six categories, as follows:
Medicinal Herb Predominant Taste
Sesamum indicum Sweet
Tamarindus indicus Sour
Cassia tora Salty

2. Andrographis paniculata Bitter
Elettaria cardamomum Pungent
Saraca asoka Astringent
From the above cited examples, it can be understood that Sesamum indicum will exhibit the
properties of the sweet taste due to its dominance.
Based on their origin, raw drugs are categorized into the following classes:
i. Plant origin (Mooligai vaguppu)
ii. Metals and Minerals (Dhathu vaguppu)
iii. Animal origin (Seevam vaguppu)
Raw drugs based on Plant Origin
Herbal raw drugs (Mooligai moolaporutkal) are classified further into 11 sub-divisions based
on the plant part used in preparation of a medicine.
In certain plants, the medicinal value may be attributed to a particular plant part like root,
leaves, flowers etc., which is used.
E.g. Zingiber officinale is used for the medicinal value of its rhizhome only.
Raw drugs based on Metals and Minerals
In the Siddha system of medicine, use of metals and minerals is very much advocated. The
depth of their knowledge in the field of minerals is clearly evident from the way the drug
classification has been done.
Siddha literature describes 220 minerals which are of immense medicinal value. The metals
and minerals are studied under the following four heads:
a. Metals (Ulogam)
b. Minerals (Karasaaram)
c. Mercury and Arsenic compound (Pashanam)
d. Other minerals (Uparasam)
Raw drugs based on Animal Origin
Raw drugs obtained from animal kingdom are also used for medicinal preparations in
Siddha.