Science from Nilavembu kudineer cut more Noes than Ayes from AYUSH experts

The poor defense offered by the Government of Tamil Nadu for Nilavembu kudineer and the subsequent attempt to present amateurish shreds of evidence by the experts of the Traditional healing practices to substantiate the science of Nilavembu kudineer has indeed not only shaken the foundation of our health care system but also the basic tenets of science and civilization.

The government of Tamil Nadu has been promoting Nilavembu kudineer as an effective drug for Dengue for quite some time. Besides Dengue, it is also promoted with several dramatic claims such as ‘preventive, promotive, curative, immune boosting, antibacterial, antiviral, analgesic, antipyretic and what not????. One may wonder why the experts from the system have limited only this much benefits for Nilavembu kudineer and why not more.

When the demand for scientific proof got momentum, the experts in Siddha system initially agreed to the fact that undeniable evidence is necessary to support such tall claims which they lack. But with time, the experts got divided over the issue and most of them voted noes for such detailed study than ayes and buried their head inside tradition to justify that Nilavembu kudineer need not be studied because ancient Siddhars have already established its efficacy and safety.

The big question is how the ancient Siddhars have identified Dengue virus, studied the anti viral activity of the traditional preparation, how they have ascertained the preventive effect, whether they have done any challenge study, how did they confirm the immune boosting activity and curative effect etc., remain million dollar question.

The number of noes has significantly outnumbered ayes but such strange situation also raises doubts over the self-belief of the experts. It looks like they fear the blasphemy that their system may thoroughly get exposed if any detailed scientific evaluation is done. Such exposure may put the entire AYUSH in back foot and the doctors of the so-called system may find it difficult to defend their role. Most of them are already pulling the old cart – AYUSH on the wheel of faith and gullibility of people.

Maybe this loud truth forbids many experts in Siddha system to say noes than ayes to any detailed study on Nilavembu kudineer. A detailed study can be easily conducted and also a favorable result also can be generated. But the question is can such scientific study be published in international journal of high scientific repute like Lancet or New England Journal of Medicine etc? Maybe to avoid such an embarrassing question, some experts may smartly say noes to any scientific evaluation.

Perhaps the laymen may not know the loopholes in such study but the experts in the editorial board of any reputed journals can easily recognize the true merit of the study if it is intentionally created/engineered in a favorable manner to defend the efficacy and such studies shall be summarily rejected.

The experts from traditional healing system would have thought that way to allow such hall of shame to happen instead say noes to all such attempts and continue to believe and argue that the system is already great and so are its products. From that perspective, all those who have studied such course also have to be great.

The above situation if allowed to exist as medical science and Government continue to patronage the system, the experts would continue to make tall claims without providing any proof or research and would then argue that such proofs are not required for the traditional system.

When the Siddha experts argue that no research and scientific proof is required for the traditional drugs, then why we have several research institutions for AYUSH stream? None of these research institutions also till date appears to have done any great research may be because no research support is required for a faith-based system.

It means, they want to ride on the faith and never wants science. They want science only to re-affirm the faith of the faithful and not for any scientific credence. They want to keep the system away from science so they say noes instead of ayes to scientific evaluation.

They have the freedom and right to remain unscientific. But can the government of India afford to promote such practices as medical science, its products as drugs, the graduates from such system as doctor and waste lots of money from public exchequer? Can the Government afford to make gullible people in our society to endure medication health fraud? Can the Government cause confusion in our health care system by promoting all such faith based practices as medical science and affect the epidemiological understanding of several diseases in rural India resulting in increasing the health burden of our nation?

Government and all those people who have the right scientific temperament and national interest also must say noes not for generating scientific proofs for the faith based system but noes to promoting such practices as medical science and allowing its graduates to hold on the title doctor which cause great confusion among innocent people.

Nilavembu kudineer is the only tip of the iceberg. If we dig out the entire system, only skeletons from cupboard would come from the system and not proven science.

The government must recognize the risks involved in promoting the system as medical science. Time has come, the entire traditional healing practice must be re-defined as paramedical practice and so are the graduates from such system. Instead of saving the tradition and faith occultism, we must save poor people and their hard earned money.

Dr S Ranganathan