Ayurvedic treatments are offered in thou sands of hotels, resorts, beach shacks and massage parlours across Kerala. But ayur (life) and veda (knowledge) is much more than high-priced oil treatments and sex-enhancing solutions. It is a science that deals with the do’s and don’ts for a healthy life that derives its essence from one of the world’s most ancient systems of medicine.
The tradition of Ayurveda lies within the Vedic lore of ancient India. Though the origins of Ayurveda are lost in obscurity and myth, the science of life is believed to have been discovered by the author of the four Vedas, Lord Brahma himself. Ayurveda is also said to be a book of wisdom gathered over centuries by many great saints who codified it into the healing science we know today. What we do know is that it is not a quick-fix solution, nor does it offer instant nirvana.
For the peculiarity of Ayurveda is that it looks at a patient in entirety during treatment. Successful treatment involves a thorough consultation with qualified doctors. Not all the resorts and shacks that offer Ayurvedic treatments in Kerala pay heed to this simple fact. They offer a wide range of treatments that the layman can’t fathom. Most commonly, visitors are prescribed a Panchakarma treatment for as many as 10 days, which, depending on your resort, can cost anywhere between ₹35,000 and ₹2,00,000. Treatments which involve oil massages are indeed relaxing and one can’t com plain about the pampering. The point is, you may not need to be ‘treated’ for an ailment. You can just get treatment for pleasure – sukha chikitsa – in line with Ayurvedic principles, like a simple oil massage for ₹2,000. But treatment for plea sure or for a particular disease makes little difference at many centres.
The Eight fold Path
The science of Ayurveda is like an ocean – treatment is divided into eight specialised branches, known as Ashtangas (asht is eight in Sanskrit) that deal with prevention and cure of various diseases. Two of the best-known Ashtanga compendiums are the Ashtanga Samgraham and Ashtanga Hridayam (an abridged version of the Samgraham and the only authentic medical treatise to survive the march of time), the medical digests edited by Saint Vagbadacharya in the 5th century CE. Any master physician, or Ashtanga Vaidya, would know the 7,385 shloka (four-line verse) work by heart. All Ayurvedic treatments are based on the Ashtanga chikitsas, which together deal with every function of the human body.
Five Stages of Healing
One aspect of Ayurveda prescribes the Panchakarma therapy, which involves five phases of detox pre ceded by a few preparatory treatments such as Snehpanam (internal treatment through consumption of herbs) and Swedam (external treatment with hot bundles of herb mixtures). The five phases follow:
♦ Vasthi detox, for rheumatic, neurological as well as obesity problems
♦ Virechanam, or purging of the vascular system and skin diseases
♦ Vamanam, or purification as a remedy for asthma and allergy
♦ Nasyam or nasal cleaning to control migrane, cervical spondilosis and facial palsy
♦ Rakhtamaksham, the blood purifying process
These treatments are further subdivided into various categories. Thus, for example, the Vasthi treatment could include:
♦ Kizhi – inducement of perspiration through application of medical packs or cotton bags containing rice (njavarakizhi), herbal powder (choornakizhi) or leaves (elakizhi) used to heal muscular-skeletal dis orders and neurological problems
♦ Pizhichil – application of medicated oil while lying in a wooden tub, prescribed for rheumatism and neurological disorders
♦ Dhara – administering nerve tonics made of oil (thaila dhara) or buttermilk (thakra dhara), excel lent for psychosomatic problems
♦ Sirovasthi – dripping of oil over the forehead, an ideal treatment for palsy and various headaches
The Rasaya Treatment
Another popular system of Ayurveda is the Rasaya chikitsa, or the science of dhatu. Crucial to maintaining body energy and strength, this science includes three types of treatment namely:
♦ Kudee pravesikam, which involves isolation in hut (kudi) combined with a strict diet and daily regimen
♦ Vathatha pikam, a practice similar to Kudee pravesikam but much less austere
♦ Nityarasayana, which has no specific restrictions. All help in the post-treatment stages of meningitis, tuberculosis, typhoid, hepatitis and gynaecological disorders
Reputed Centres in Kerala
Ayurvedic centres in Kerala number in the thousands and new ones spring up every day.
There are many centres, particularly in big tourist destinations such as Kovalam, that aren’t scrupulous in prescribing treatments, which are often determined according to what one can pay rather than what one needs. Before agreeing to any treatment, be absolutely sure that it is truly required. Rem ember that serious ailments, even if discovered by an Ayurvedic doctor while on holiday in Kerala, must be treated back home under regular super vision by a doctor.
There are several Ayurveda centres and hotels providing Ayurveda, including Green Leaf and Olive Leaf-certified centres approved by the Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala. This list is constantly amended and updated, so keep checking W keralatourism.org for up-to-date information.
TIP The ideal time for Ayurveda treatment is during the monsoon months (June–August), so book well in advance. Green and Olive Leaf ratings, like star ratings, denote the quality of the hotel and not of treatment
And Then There Were Six
According to tradition there were 18 Ashta Vaidyan families in Kerala which practised authentic Ayurveda. Over time only eight families, now reduced to six, succeeded in keeping the legacy alive.
Pulamanthole Mooss
This family from Pulamanthole Village in Malappuram provides medicines prepared under the SRD Ayurvedics brand. Dhanwanthiri, goddess of Ayurveda, is the family deity. Most believe that Vagbhata, author of the Ashtanga Hridayam, spent his last days with this family.
Vaidyamadhom Namboodiri
The Vaidyamadhom family oversees the Vaidyamadhom Vaidyasala and a nursing home at Mezhathur near Kuttanad in Palakkad District. This family alone is allowed to officiate at important functions partly because they have steer ed clear of practising Salya chikitsa (surgery), which attracts taboos as it involves touching blood and flesh, considered unclean.
Elayidath Thaikkat Mooss
In 1924, the Viceroy of India, Lord Reading, bestowed the title Vaidyaratnam on the doyen of this family, Ashtavaidyan Thaikkat Narayanan Mooss. The family from Thaikkattussery in Thrissur District is also remembered for the doyen’s late son, Ashtavaidyan Neelakandan Mooss, who in 1941 established the famous Ayurvedic manufacturing unit, Vaidyaratnam Oushadasala in the village. One particular physician, Marana Thaikkat, is believed to be able to predict death by reading people’s faces.
Pazhanellippurath Thaikkat Mooss
This family, known as Thrissur Thaikkat Mooss, is from Kizhakkumpattukara in Thrissur District. It runs the SNA Oushadasala, established in the 1920s in the memory of Thrissur Thaikkat Narayanan Mooss, a Sanskrit scholar. Narayanan authored 10 books in Sanskrit including the Sinooramanjari, a treatise on vermilion.
Aalathiyur Nambi
The Nambi family headed by Alathiyur Narayanan of Aalathiyur in Malappuram District now lives and works at Choondal Village in Thrissur District. Narayanan’s second son PTN Vasudevan Mooss has been adopted by Pazhanellippurath Thaikkat Mooss.
Cheerattamon Mooss
Septuagenarian Cheerattamon Narayanan Mooss continues to prac tise authentic Ayurveda at Olassa Village in Kottayam District.