Healing art of the Kani tribes

Gopakumar AV
Unveiling the mist of the Ponmudi hill range, the southern most tip of the Western Ghats; a haven of tribal goodness is revealed. Ponmudi , 60km from the capital city of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram is the abode of Kani tribe one of the forest dwelling tribes of Kerala, the southern state of India. Ethnically the tribe shows a racial origin having Dravidian veddoid and Negrito features. The tribal physician among the ‘Kani’s’ known as ‘plathi’- who is a repository of medical wisdom. They usually treat the patients with herbs, animal products and minerals, witch craft and rituals are also practiced to cure diseases, which they believe occur due to the influence of evil spirits. No proper scientific study has been done in this regard, so far.

With an intention to explore them more, our team met the ‘plathi; Lakshmi Kutty Kani. Through her the intricacies of the tribal world was opened to us “Kani’s are traditionally nomads. They once moved freely in the forest subsisting mainly on forest produce and shifting cultivation, we lead a highly co-ordinated life style under the direct and straight control of the tribal chief” says Lakshmi kutty Kani. But now, such heirarchy is not so prominent among them.

Recently she won an award from the Government of India, Ministry of Human Resource Development, for revitalization and popularization of indigenous knowledge system of the country. While talking about the healing side of the Kani tribe, she said that they haven’t created anything new; it’s just a part of life. “Nature is so organized that it has provided everything, in the form of plants, animals, minerals... necessary for the typical health needs of the people in that habitat. By quoting the ubiquitous plant ‘ touch me not’ (mimosa pudica) used for uterine bleeding she proves it. In Ayurveda, there is a verse in Ashtanga Hrdaya.

‘Jagatyevam anoushadam
na kinchit vidyate dravyam
vashaanaarthayagayoh '– meaning there is nothing in this universe, which is not medicinal, which cannot be made use of for many purposes and many modes. Reminding the holistic nature of tribal medicine and ayurveda.

The common disease of this hilly terrain includes Jaundice, skin diseases, allergies, bites or poison of snake, spider or scorpion. Lakshmi kutty has everything to ward them off. Her diagnostic and prognostic techniques include naadi (pulse reading), colour of skin, movement of eyes expressions and gesture of the person who come to call the physicians etc. “Therapy gives significant importance to magico – religious cures like mantras and rituals apart from herbal medicines” asserts Lakshmi kutty, pointing the importance of spirituality in the art of tribal healing.

“It’s not a materialistic venture, and I don’t demand any fee for the service done, it’s a sacrifice for my fellow being in the name of “Agasthyaguru” (Sage Agasthya, is known to be the fore father of this tribal community.)

In India, there are about 4000 deaths occurring annually due to poisonous bites, a majority of them occur in the hilly regions. According to Lakshmikutty, the seriousness of the bite can be determined by conducting a simple test, that’s done by pouring the herbal extract of muyal chevian (a plant) on the left eye. If its trace is seen in the right eye, the patient can be cured effectively. To treat the poison bites of snake, the extract of the herbs like visha pacha(Eupatorium triplinerve, Vahl) is used. Another poison bite haunting the tribes is the bite of theraphosid spider, an endemic highly poisonous species. For such bites the herbal extracts of swarnamari is used. In the case of spider stings, the ghee preparations are used. Into the ghee, the essence of herbs like Kacholam(Kaempferia galanga, Linn), Eshwaramulla and Krishna thulasi(Ocimum sanctum) are incorporated. Also the paste “poochu” prepared from plants like manjal(Berberis aristata), neem(Azadirachta Indica), thulasi are applied on the affected part for relieving the pain.

In the case of Jaundice, she gives the herbal extract of cashew leaves, added to coconut milk. ‘If the patient develops any fever, the preparation varies, the extract of kizharnelli take the place of the previous dosage’, adds Lekshmi kutty. For Gastric ailments, herbs like kattu nelli(Emblica officianalis), thannikka(Terminalia bellerica), kadukka(Terminalia chebula), leaves of cherupulli, naruneendi tuber(Hemidesmus indicus) are used in the preparation of medicine.

Oil preparations are advised in the case of minor ailments like allergies, headache etc. for example the oil prepared using the herbal extracts of Neela Narakam is prescribed for headache. In case of Asthma and whooping cough, certain animal fleshes like anteater internals are used in the preparation of the drug. Not the medicines, their workship and life style keeps them fit in their environment. The Herbal decoction from the plant ponnari is used, as beverage by the tribal is an example. The regular intake of this imparts the essential vital energy. Not just that, the hilly region, is a haven of many such rejuvenator plants like Arogyapacha(Tricopus zeylanicus), to make their life comfortable. To experience this romanticized tribal life – a life in unison with nature, where streams, mountains, plants, animals are a part of you- trekk to this part of the World. Sure, this experience will enable you to recognize that there are different ways of knowing things, that tribals have their own science different from the modern perceptions.