https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=112.134.147.66Bharatpedia - User contributions [en]2026-08-24T14:14:55ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.43.6https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sri_Lankan_traditional_medicine&diff=140231Sri Lankan traditional medicine2021-07-10T04:47:16Z<p>112.134.147.66: /* History */</p>
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<div>{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}<br />
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{{short description|Alternative medicine}}<br />
{{Alternative medicine sidebar |traditional}}<br />
[[Sri Lanka]] has its own indigenous scheme of [[traditional medicine]] which is called "Hela wedakama" (apart from [[Ayurveda]]).<ref>{{cite book |title=Sri Lanka |last=Plunkett |first=Richard |author2=Ellemor, Brigitte |year=2003 |publisher=Lonely Planet |isbn=1-74059-423-1 |pages=174 |url=https://books.google.com/?id=4ZuhdR2sEZ0C&pg=PA174&dq=Ayurveda+%2B%22sri+lanka%22 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Science and Empires |last=Petitjean |first=Patrick |author2=Jami, Catherine|author2-link= Cathérine Jami |author3=Moulin, Anne Marie |year=1992 |publisher=Springer |isbn=0-7923-1518-9 |pages=112 |url=https://books.google.com/?id=JnUeeLgYaowC&pg=PA112&dq=Ayurveda+%2B%22sri+lanka%22 }}</ref> This system has been practised for thousands of years in the island nation. On the other hand, the Sri Lankan āyurvedic tradition is a mixture of the [[Sinhala traditional medicine]], [[Indian subcontinent|mainland]] āyurveda and [[Siddha medicine|Siddha]] systems of [[India]], [[Unani]] medicine of [[Greece]] through the [[Arabs]], and most importantly, the [[Desheeya Chikitsa]], which is the indigenous medicine of Sri Lanka.<br />
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==History==<br />
Sri Lanka developed its own Ayurvedic system based on a series of prescriptions handed down from generation to generation over a period of 3,000 years. The ancient kings, who were also prominent physicians, sustained its survival and longevity. King Buddhadasa (398 AD), the most influential of these physicians, wrote the obtain the permit prior to start treatments for the patients or prior to starting making medicines according to the ancient traditions.<br />
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Ancient inscriptions on rock surfaces reveal that organized medical services have existed within the country for centuries. In fact, Sri Lanka claims to be the first country in the world to have established dedicated [[hospitals]] with the capability of performing surgeries even for the animals. The Sri Lankan mountain [[Mihintale]] still has the ruins of what many believe to be the first hospital in the world. Old hospital sites now attract tourists, who marvel at the beautiful ruins. These places have come to symbolize a traditional sense of healing and care, which was so prevalent at that time.<br />
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Āyurvedic physicians had historically benefited from royal patronage which in turn endowed them with prestige in the island's social hierarchy. From this legacy stems a well-known Sri Lankan saying: "If you can not be a king, become a healer." Traditional medicine had largely died out in Sri Lanka with the advent and [[Core–periphery structure|ravages]] of European [[colonialism]] and the growth in popularity of [[prescription drug]]s. In recent years, however, increasing numbers of [[Tourism in Sri Lanka|tourists]] have been [[Paradigm shift|seeking out]] alternative remedies to persistent chronic ailments in traditional Sri Lankan medicine,<ref name=suryalanka>https://www.suryalanka.com/en/</ref> among other things. In addition, along with [[Buddhism in Sri Lanka|Buddhism]] and other things made objects of nationalism, ''āyurveda'' continues to influence democratic politics and general political discourse in present-day Sri Lanka.<br />
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==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
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{{Pseudomedicine}}<br />
[[Category:Health in Sri Lanka]]<br />
[[Category:Ayurveda]]<br />
[[Category:South Asian traditional medicine]]</div>112.134.147.66