KUALA LUMPUR, AUG 23 – For more than 6,000 years, humans have been using herbs, green leaves, raw fruits, roots and bark off some carefully selected trees to keep themselves healthy and also to keep diseases at bay.
Back then, the concept of gluttony had perhaps not taken root, and it was a more Spartan life. The motto was that “food is medicine and medicine is food,” and the understanding was that what one ate would be either beneficial or detrimental to one’s health.
And precisely this was practised in the ancient Siddha medical system by the Indian Siddhas or saints and mystics. They employed roots and herbs like ginger, turmeric and pepper while preparing their food to retain optimum health.
A local practitioner of Siddha medicine, Dr M.S. Chelliah said these ancient men of medicine used the herbs and plants as ingredients in their food because they knew well their potent and medicinal value.
“For example, turmeric has the capacity to loosen up phlegm, while pepper can ease a soar throat and cumin can reduce stomach indigestion. Green leaves, meanwhile, help reduce nausea and body heat,” he told Bernama in an interview.
It was all about having a lifestyle marked by ideal cooking practices and healthy eating. Dr Chelliah said such a lifestyle and the use of herbs, fruits, locally available vegetables and salads to help enhance the human body’s immunity level proved to be a key to robust good health.
“Traditionally made medicines from natural food products are also safe for intake and are qualitatively better than what pharmacies churn out. Although traditional medicine made from herbal plants may take a while before benefits can be seen, they nevertheless do have a positive effect in the long run.”
BENEFITS IN THE LONG RUN
“Modern medicines may provide a quick cure for pain but sometimes the pain returns,” said Dr Chelliah, who launched a book in Tamil language on herbal medicines recently.
The society’s awareness of these traditional medicines, however, still remains low because people have little exposure to these alternative medicines compared with modern allopathic medicines.
Hence, these traditional cures based on herbal plants elicit little response in the country as precious few know the benefits of such plants for the human body, he said.
“As there are already modern medicines now, many people no longer remember or practice the traditional cures.”
NATURAL GOODNESS THAT REMAIN UNKNOWN
Dr Chelliah, who has been practising Siddha medicine for over 15 years now, gave an example of how one can be rid of fever by using a medicinal plant that is boiled and then applied to the body to bring down the temperature.
He said practitioners of traditional medicine should also explain in detail to the people when they advocate the intake of a certain vegetable or herb.
This would increase people’s awareness about the benefits of a particular food to the human body.
“For example, take the case of banana. What are the benefits of eating bananas, and their energy giving benefits and vitamins involved should be told to the people,” he said.
Dr Chelliah also called on the people to be more careful with their diet and exercise a certain degree of control when it comes to what they eat. He expressly cautions against overeating, or it would jeopardize their health.
“Cut down on sugar, salt, very hot spicy food and food with high amount of carbohydrates. These days, I see people eating all through the day, at any time during the 24 hours? How can the body be healthy when there is no rest for the stomach at all?” he asked.
MALAYSIAN HERBS LESS EFFECTIVE?
Speaking of Malaysian herbs, he said these were less effective when compared with those found in India and Indonesia, due to their higher water content.
“There are various herbal plants in Malaysia, but due to the high level of water content, they are less effective. When there is too much water, how can these plants work more effectively on the human body?”
The government therefore can take measures to make available more area for growing organic plants in strategic locations in the country, he said, adding that this would result in more sources of herbs and will go a long way in developing an indigenous herbal industry.
“Actually, the government is already paying a lot of attention to the development of the herbal industry by making available various incentives. However, what is needed is a special place for organic herbal plants that will bring health benefits to the people,” he said.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry has identified the herbal industry as an economic revenue source for the country.
One initiatives towards realising this dream has been taken with the setting up of an Entry Point Project under the National Key Economic Area of Agriculture (NKEA) under the Economic Transformation Plan (ETP).
– BERNAMA
