CMC opens ancient medicine department:

Ayurveda to the rescue

By Ranil WIJAYAPALA

Dr. Palathiratna

Rows of huge Egyptian made jars and pots sealed with ant hills and pot clay and buried under clay floors gives someone entering that place an impression of entering a place with archaic values despite it being within the busy and thickly populated Dematagoda area in the Colombo city.

The ancient looking burners and underground hearths used for metal ashing and the huge cauldrons used to boil kasaya add to the same feeling of ancient value.

But the pump lines and bottling machines by the side of those jars and pots indicate that it was a place where the ancient and modern technology combined.

The Ayurvedic Drug Manufacturing Centre at Dematagoda run by the Indigenous Medicine Department of the Colombo Municipal Council manufactures Ayurvedic drugs to be distributed among 20 Ayurvedic and Indigenous Medicine Dispensaries within the Colombo city.

But the most important factor is that it is the only place where the ancient technique of underground fermentation method of manufacturing Ayurvedic drugs is being used at present in Sri Lanka.

"This underground technique was used in ancient times. We believe that the pioneer of that system was King Ravana and of our Ayurveda medicinal system. We are preserving that system here in our drug manufacturing centre", explaining the system used there, Dr. C.D. Palathiratna, the Chief Medical Officer of the Indigenous Medicine Department of the Colombo Municipal Council said.

A great physician

According to the epic Ramayana, King Ravana is said to have been well versed in medical knowledge. He sent his most trustworthy wiseman, Pulathisi Rishi, to represent Lanka at the world's first medical conference held in the Himalayas in India. According to Dr. Palathiratna, even though historians claim King Ravana is mythical, the Sri Lankan indigenous medical practitioners believe in the existence of the king adding that he was a great physician who had authored five books on medicine. Arkaprakash, one of the five books in a later edition is available in Sanskrit even today.

"The technology used here is called the underground fermentation method. That system is not used anywhere else in Sri Lanka.

We prepare herbal wines 'Arishta' and 'Asava' through this technique", Dr. Palathiratna said.

"We also use the ancient ashing technique in our drug manufacturing to melt heavy metals to produce asava and arishta", he said.

That ancient technology is being used to burn heavy metals, specially metals such as mercury, sulphur, gold and those important for very essential medicines.

Since the setting up of the Indigenous Medicine Department in 1957, the Colombo Municipal Council Indigenous Medicine Department is using this ancient technology.

"Herbal wine is usually prepared using the underground fermentation technique. If you keep it in a normal place, fermentation occurs.

But here it is much better because the underground heat and cold balance affect this medicine. We used ant clay to cover the mouth and specially made Egyptian jars placed underground for this fermentation process", he said.

The Arishta made out of 'Kasaya' using herbal plants and 'Asava' use of the herbals and sugar are kept for 28 days for underground fermentation.

Whilst preserving this ancient technology of underground fermentation, the latest technology has been introduced to make these Ayurvedic drugs.

Modern methods

"We have introduced the most modern sterilisation methods, to this drug manufacturing process. Therefore, all medicines are being prepared with this ancient technology.

Underground fermentation process

We also apply modern technology to sterilise the bottles and for the cleaning and sealing of the bottles", Dr. Palathiratna said.

From the underground jars these medicines are filled into the bottles through the filters.

"When we were using underground technique earlier we had to use little baskets and other utensils to take out the arishta and asava. By using the modern technology we have to avoid the contamination of these medicinal drugs", Dr. Palathiratna said.

"We have maintained very good quality standards when producing these drugs. We have used modern technology to preserve the ancient technology. Otherwise we cannot use this ancient technology as people may think that we are using contaminated drugs when we are using the ancient technology without using the modern technology for sterilisation and bottling of drugs", he said.

The Ayurvedic drugs including oils, arishta asava, herbal powders produced here at the Ayurvedic Drug Manufacturing Centre in Dematagoda, are being distributed among the 20 Indigenous Medicine Dispensaries in the city.

The manufacturing of these Ayurvedic drugs is being done under the supervision of four qualified Ayurvedic doctors and 15 staff.

According to Dr. Pathmashanthi, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer of the Indigenous Medicine Department of the CMC, they produce more than 90 percent of the requirement of the Ayurvedic dispensaries in the Colombo city.

"We are maintaining the quality of the drugs and we are maintaining additional stocks to cater to the demand", Dr. Pathmashanthi said.

According to Pathmashanthi, there is a big demand for the services rendered by the Ayurvedic Dispensaries.

Specialised centres

The 'Panchakarma Ayurvedic Treatment Centre' at Duplication Road, Kollupitiya and the Deformity Rehabilitation Indigenous Medical Clinic for Heroes at Slave Island are specialised Ayurvedic Medicine Centres run by the Colombo Municipal Council.

"We treat diabetic patients, people with high cholesterol level, arthritis patients, paralysed people and also patients with chronic nerve disorders under the indigenous system," Dr. Palathiratne said.

"Western scientists have no such effective methodology for these nerve disorders. They have it in acute stages. But when paralysis occurs we use oil massage, special treatment, body massaging at the Panchakarma centres.

Kingsley Cooray of Wellawatte, thanked the doctors at the Panchakarma centre for healing his knee pains and his high blood sugar level.

"I took western medicine for it. But when I used the tablet my blood sugar level shot up to more than 400 points. Then they wanted to remove water from my knee. I could not walk. My weight was around 97 kgs when I came here. The doctors here reduced my weight to 80 kgs, control the diabetic level and also cured my knee pains", Cooray said.

Drying herbs using heaters

The Panchakarma centre is open to the public seven days except Poya days for the treatment of patients in need of special treatment. Dr. Palathiratne said that they are unable to cater to the demand at the Panchakarma centre. "We are doing it free for the city's ratepayers", he said. Dr. Sunethra Wickremasinghe at the Deformity Rehabilitation Indigenous Medical Clinic in Slave Island, said that their objective was to render whatever possible service for the injured and disabled war heroes through Ayurvedic medicine.

Ayurveda better

"Although they use western medicine for their injuries they also accept that the healing from the Ayurvedic system is much better. Many injured and deformed war heroes come here for treatment", Dr. Wickremasinghe said.

The Chief Medical Officer Dr. Palathiratne said the Special Commissioner of the CMC Omar Kamil is giving his fullest support to promote Ayurvedic dispensaries in the city and the latest Ayurvedic Dispensary is now being built at Keselwatte and will be opened soon.

"Special Commissioner Omar Kamil gives all support for the Ayurveda Department. This is the dawn of a new era in the Ayurvedic Department of the Colombo Municipal Council. This year alone two new Ayurvedic Dispensaries are being set up. Drug Manufacturing is done at a cost of Rs. 7 million under Special Commissioner Omar Kamil", Dr. Palathiratna said. More people in the city will be healed at these Ayurvedic Dispensaries as the demand for their service is growing.