|
Description:
The article explores the methods of healing within a village of central Nepal. There are various levels of medicine used in combating sickness and curing disease such as herbal, ritual, western, etc. The article reveals that when a villager falls ill, he can consult any of a number of local healers, buy ayurvedic medicine, or consult baidhya for aushadhi. Most fundamental of medical ideas is the division of foods and illness into hot (garmi) and cold (sardi) categories. Health involves a balance in the body between garmi and sardi, if imbalance occurs illness is bound to result. The article includes tables presenting a list of garmi and sardi foods. It also discusses the local Hindu cosmology because the cause of sickness is related with the spirits, and other beliefs like saaichar, ulka, and dasa. (Rajeev Ranjan Singh 2007-01-09)
|
