title: Ayurveda, malaria and the indigenous herbal tradition in Sri Lanka.
abstract: Using key informants and available records, the way in which inhabitants of purana villages in Nuwarakalaviya, Sri Lanka coped with malaria during the pre-DDT era is examined. This study found that the Nuwarakalaviya peasants responded to endemic malaria through a localized herbal tradition, which was to some extent independent of the scholarly ayurveda system common to the whole of South Asia. The relevant herbal tradition, consisting of a combination of antiparasite and antivector strategies using locally available natural resources, represented an effective adaptation to the local ecosystem.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.
authors.forename: K T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Silva
mesh_terms: D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000628:therapy*; D008515:Medicine, Ayurvedic; D008517:Phytotherapy; D013188:Sri Lanka