“All my life I’ve observed the methods and techniques of Irula Vaidhiyars. For the last 4 years I’ve been developing herbal remedies which provide a quick recovery with no side effects. The medicine you see here is a symbol of our healing system and a product of our handmade work.” Irula methods of healing are second to none in the eyes of Dr Sekar, the resident Vaidhiyar (traditional healer) at ITWWS. These valuable curative practices of working alongside nature, instead of against it, would inevitably disappear if the Herbal Centre stopped its activities and research.
Dr Sekar tells me his future aspirations, “A residential hospital providing medical services 24 hours a day and the implementation of herbal treatment training programmes.” The medicinal knowledge of the Irula people and the healing powers of forest herbs, trees, and vegetation, are the reasons behind the development and successes of the ITWWS Herbal Centre. The centre has over 60 different types of herbal medicine, with products ranging from skin and hair care to treatment for jaundice and diabetes. The high standard of medicinal products and herbal remedies represent traditional knowledge handed down from generation to generation and a prosperous future for medicinal alternatives, the Irula community, and the local environment.
The process that facilitates the department to function begins chiefly with Irula self help group (SHG) members and individuals. Different communities collect and assort a variety of herbs, seeds, flowers, roots, bark, leaves, and berries from nearby forests and villages. They then sell the produce to the herbal team who use it, along with campus grown herbs, to begin the process of crafting the medicine.
The forest materials are sorted and analysed by Irula Vaidhiyars. The seeds are then stored in the seed bank, sewn, or used directly in the making of medicine. The ones which are sewn can germinate in the nursery or in nearby areas. The herbs and plants are either dried or employed directly in medicines. To dry the produce, solar panels and large flat plates laid outside are required. Once the produce is adequately dry it’s then pulverized to form a powder which can be orally ingested. Examples of the many powdered medicines are: Valarey for memory power, Nanary for stomach problems, Svasa Churnam for the common cough and cold, Chengai Churnam for hair growth, and Jeerana Churnam for gastric problems.
Dr Sekar, who consulted over 1,100 patients in 2006, understands the change that has taken place concerning the lives and direction of the Irula people. 20 years ago their medical techniques would’ve been ridiculed, herbs and natural resources destroyed through imposed ‘government development’, information not documented or shared, seeds for the future not stored or conserved, and treatment not provided to villagers and local people most in need of it. Now all of the practices are being completed by the Herbal Centre team.
In a world of quick fixes, scientific technology, and artificial solutions, nature and environmental conservation for the benefit of impoverished people are often disregarded and considered inconsequential in the development of medical research and treatment. The Herbal Centre is a symbol of how destitute people can be empowered and natural resources preserved and regenerated. Dr Sekar states, “The accomplishments of the Herbal Centre are achieved completely through team work and unique methods of production. No one is producing organic products like us, it’s completely Irula and of extremely high quality”.
