Siddha Vaidya is the oldest documented medical system and pharmacology in the world.

It was 1920 when a British civil engineer was commissioned to build a railroad through the Indus Valley in northern India. Asking his workers to bring rubble to build up a low-lying area, he noticed that many were bringing bricks of a uniform size. Curious, he followed them to find their source. Being an amateur archaeologist, he realized he had stumbled upon a buried civilization that until then had only lived in legend. The great Dravidian culture was soon to be discovered.

Since then, many Dravidian cities have been uncovered and much has been learned about this ancient, peace loving, agricultural and matrilineal society. For thousands of years, the Indus Valley was a center of world trade and cultural exchange. The cities were well planned with central community pools, wide organized roads and uniform housing including running water and sanitation systems.

Of course, there is much speculation as to how such a great civilization could disappear so thoroughly. One possibility is, living in peace (metal cutlery, but no weapons have been found), they were driven away by Aryan invaders who had weapons and horses. Another prevailing idea is, due to geological changes, the Saraswaty River (their main source of water) shifted underground, forcing them to move elsewhere. This idea is now supported by satellite photos showing the underground river. Most likely, a combination of events over a long period caused the Dravidians to migrate to the east and to the south into the areas known as Tamil Nadu, Kerala and the Maldive Islands.


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Indian legends tell of a great teacher named Agastya and his eighteen disciples, called Siddhas, who lived in the Indus Valley. Studying and writing extensively on subjects as diverse as philosophy, ethics, literature, theosophy, medicine and pharmacology, their knowledge was written with a stylus on the spines of specially treated palm leaves and bound into manuscripts. These have been guarded and passed down through certain families, being re-written every few hundred years for preservation. Today the Institute for Asian Studies is working to preserve this ancient wisdom, particularly the medical system called Siddha Vaidya.

Siddha Vaidya (sida viy dya) translates as a medical system based on sub-atomic particles or fundamental building blocks of the universe (Chitta). This system is believed to be the root of Ayurveda. It is also speculated that one of the eighteen Siddhas was Lao Tzu who took Agastya's teachings to China.

Using the palm leaf manuscripts, Siddha Physicians (in India) are able to treat over four thousands diseases and disorders with internal medicines made from herbal and herbo-mineral formulations in conjunction with external treatments. Upon thorough diagnosis, the manuscripts are followed to the letter, creating a treatment plan for each individual's condition.

In the mid 1980's, Dr. Rajkumar Reghunathan, an orthopedic surgeon, contacted the eminent Dr. Raman Harichandran, an eighth generation Siddha physician. Fascinated by the medicines and treatments, Dr. Raj began spending more and more time at Dr. Harichandran's clinic.

Noticing that patients were arriving with what he had been trained to believe were `incurable' conditions and then months later being well or greatly improved, he opened his mind to new possibilities.

Under the careful tutelage of Dr. Harichandran and driven by an insatiable curiosity, Dr. Raj began his study of Siddha Vaidya using his western scientific knowledge of physiology and pathology. He knew the medicine worked, but he had to know why.

Finally, after many years of study and becoming a Siddha physician himself, Dr. Raj was given permission to translate the manuscripts into English and other modem languages. Beginning in early 2002, he increased his efforts to bring Siddha Vaidya to the western world by giving trainings in some of the external treatments to doctors, nurses and massage practitioners in Sweden (Karolinska Institute) and cities around the U.S.

Practitioners are trained to work with their clients in three areas of prevention. The first is passive, meaning lifestyle and activities. The second is active, meaning herbs and treatments for detoxification and to strengthen the present condition of one's body. The third is intervensive which means to protect against some condition in the future.

With the help of Dr. Harichandran's son, Dr. Reghu Harichandran, Dr. Raj has maintained his Indian Longevity Clinic in Kerala, India (www. isvin. com) and recently returned to live there permanently, with his wife Susan Flint, to continue translating the manuscripts.

Serena will be joining them in January '06 to help create a short documentary on the clinic and the making of medicines.

www.isvin.com (India Clinic)