title: Consensus analysis of sastric formulations used by non-institutionally trained siddha medical practitioners of Virudhunagar and Tirunelveli districts of Tamil Nadu, India.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Siddha system of traditional medicine has been practiced in Tamil Nadu. This system of medicine has a high number of non-institutionally trained practitioners but studies on their traditional medicinal knowledge are not adequate. The present study is aimed to document and analyze the sastric (traditional) formulations used by the non-institutionally trained siddha medical practitioners in Virudhunagar and Tirunelveli districts of Tamil Nadu, India.
  
  
  METHODS
  After obtaining prior informed consent, interviews were conducted with 115 non-institutionally trained siddha medical practitioners about the sastric formulations used by them for the treatment. Successive free listing method was adopted to collect the data and the data were analyzed by calculating Informant Consensus Factor (Fic) and Informant Agreement Ratio (IAR).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study documented data regarding 194 sastric formulations and they were classified into plant, mineral and animal based formulations. Quantitative analysis showed that 62.5% of the formulations were plant based, while the mineral based formulations had a high mean number of citations and versatile uses. Gastrointestinal (12.0%), kapha (11.3%) and dermatological (10.8%) ailments had a high percentage of citations. Jaundice had a high Fic value (0.750) followed by the dermatological ailments. The illness categories with high Fic values under each type of formulation were as follows: jaundice, aphrodisiac and urinary ailments (plant based); jaundice, cuts & wounds and dermatological ailments (mineral based); and hemorrhoids, kapha ailments and heart ailments (animal based formulations). The scientific studies conducted with important formulations under each illness category are discussed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study indicated the importance of some illnesses over the others and inclusion of new illnesses under each formulation. The ingredients used to prepare these formulations have shown varying degrees of scientific evidence; generally limited studies were available on the efficacy of them as formulations. Further in-depth studies on the formulations with high IAR value and Fic value of illness categories will be helpful to improve health status of the people.
authors.affiliation: Division of Ethnopharmacology, Entomology Research Institute, Loyola College, Nungambakkam, Chennai- 600034, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mutheeswaran
authors.affiliation: Division of Ethnopharmacology, Entomology Research Institute, Loyola College, Nungambakkam, Chennai- 600034, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pandikumar
authors.affiliation: Division of Ethnopharmacology, Entomology Research Institute, Loyola College, Nungambakkam, Chennai- 600034, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chellappandian
authors.affiliation: Division of Ethnopharmacology, Entomology Research Institute, Loyola College, Nungambakkam, Chennai- 600034, Tamil Nadu, India; Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: entolc@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ignacimuthu
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Duraipandiyan
authors.affiliation: Department of Noi Nadal, National Institute of Siddha, Tambaram Sanatorium, Chennai 600047, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Logamanian
mesh_terms: D020834:Ethnopharmacology; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D028321:Plant Preparations
keywords: Quantitative ethnobotany; Siddha formulations; Tamil Nadu