By Surya Vishwa/DailyFT-Harmony Page Courtesy NewsIn.Asia

Colombo, October 16: Fulfilling a long-awaited need in this pandemic backdrop, the Sinhala Weda Uruma Baraya, a collective of Sri Lankan professionals and traditional physicians promoting Deshiya Chikitsa (Sinhala Wedakama) as part of Sri Lankan Ayurveda, has commenced a pioneering residential ‘weda gedera’ for COVID-19. Engineer Harsha Kumar Suriyaarachchi is the founder of the Sinhala Weda Uruma Baraya.

The treatment centre is located within the Heritage Eco Resort which is a four-star hotel situated down Jayanthi Mawatha, Peliyagoda, Kelaniya. The treatment centre is now named the Lak Suwa Sahana Maha Weda Gedera; a place of peace, healing and provides in diverse ways knowledge of how our ancients lived well and happy. This unique weda gedera which has all the luxury of a modern hotel uses the expertise of an island-wide panel of over 25 male and female traditional medical practitioners. 

This pioneering initiative in Sri Lanka – the Lak Suwa Sahana Maha Weda Gedera in Kelaniya, has already cured two aged patients whose relatives had transferred from the Western hospital, based on their choice.

These two COVID-19-afflicted persons aged 90 and 95 years respectively were among the first patients transferred by their family members from the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the allopathy medicine system. It is significant that one of the close relatives of the 90-year-old patient is a Western science based medical doctor who is aware of the limitations of this medical system and the ancient science of Sinhala Wedakama/Sri Lankan Ayurveda and thereby took the decision to admit the said patient to this traditional medicine-based system.

The initiative by the Sinhala Weda Uruma Baraya to set up a traditional medicine-based centre within this pandemic and vaccine hysteria comes amidst the notable gap in national policy to mainstream our traditional health systems for COVID-19.

Among the board of directors of this initiative is Lasantha Prasad Lokupitiya, a veteran environmentalist and business personality who is part of the Sinhala Weda Uruma Baraya.

This is the endeavour of a few Sri Lankan professionals who have joined hands

to start the residential treatment centre dedicated to the medical science of the land; Sinhala Wedakama that is part of Sri Lankan Ayurveda,” says Lokupitiya.

We have located this Weda Gedera in a four-star hotel which has all comforts and the full rate we are charging per day is inclusive of a patient specific traditional diet based on recommendations by the wedamahattayas/weda nonas on our Sri Lankan Ayurveda medical panel. We are now planning a separate totally free traditional medicine based pandemic treatment facility which will be akin to a government hospital ward currently followed for COVID.

Eng. Harsha Kumar Suriyaarachchi meanwhile emphasises that those who have contracted the COVID virus will be treated not as patients but as guests receiving an opportunity to rejuvenate themselves and rid themselves of all ailments, not just this particular virus.

He further explains that traditional physicians of Sri Lanka do not mystify this flu mimicking virus and see it as a semprathrishaya that weakens the immune system. He emphasises that based on so many case studies in the past two years that traditional physicians of Sri Lanka can handle any complication arising out of this disease.

The Sinhala Weda Uruma Baraya functions on the premise that those who come to get this residential treatment should be those who have faith in the medical heritage of Sri Lanka and not those who doubt it.

If they want Western kind of treatment or technology connected with it, they can go to Western medicine-based hospitals,” he states.

Among the indigenous medical experts who make up the team of physicians affiliated with the Residential Treatment Centre in Kelaniya include Indigenous Sinhala Wedakam/Sri Lankan Ayurveda Doctor Swarnachandra Hulangamuwa having more than 40 years of registered practice and with wide scale experience of treating patients who are often regarded as incurable. She and her son practice the Hulangamuwa tradition indigenous medical treatments. She and her son Indigenous Doctor Tharanga Hulangamuwa who have treated scores of patients of COVID19 prevention and cure, play a major role at this COVID-19 treatment centre.

Among the other Sinhala Wedakam/Lankan Ayurveda experts affiliated with the Lak Suwa Sahana Maha Weda Gedera includes but is not limited to Veteran Sri Lankan Ayurveda Doctor D.D. Hettiarachchi of Ganemulla who was among the first to research and develop COVID-19 specific medications exported to Italy last March to treat primarily Sri Lankan patients is among the expert indigenous medical panel of the Lak Suwa Sahana Maha Weda Gedera.

Sinhala Wedakam based researcher carrying the lineage family based wedakam knowledge, Doctor Lakman Embuldeniya who has developed the world’s first oral vaccine as in how ancient Ayurveda inspired Western Science doctors is among the expert panel. He has so far provided his oral vaccine to garment factories and has been approached by eight Western countries for obtaining it for controlling this COVID-19 pandemic in those countries.

Also specifically affiliated with the residential medical facility treating COVID19 patients is indigenous medical practitioner Priyantha Dharmawansa Weda Mahattaya linked to the Nilakadi weda paramparawa and practices all the traditional practices of Deshiya Chikitsa (Sri Lankan Ayurveda). He has been practicing for over 30 years the family based inherited medical science of Sinhala Wedakam.

Indigenous medical practitioner and Sri Lankan Ayurveda Doctor Sampath Kalutharage who has to date treated over 30,000 COVID-19 patients and cured them within an average of 3 days is also part of the expert panel. He holds the knowledge of an inherited medical lineage and has trained under veteran Sinhala traditional medical practitioners and holds formal qualifications in Ayurveda from the Malawena Ayurveda Vidyalaya. His mother is a weda nona specialising in ancient Deshiya Chikitsa treatment for diseases of children. 

Indigenous medical practitioner Ayurveda Doctor Seewali Bandara is yet another veteran expert in Sri Lankan Ayurveda treating and advising on the treatment of patients at the Kelaniya residential facility as required.  He hails from the upcountry based Bandara weda paramparawaa and has received formal qualification of Rasa Wedakama in India. He is often called upon by those in foreign countries for carrying out treatments for ailments allopathy cannot cure. He has developed specific treatments for COVID-19 complications and for acute pneumonia. To date he has cured large number of COVID patients.

Among the female Indigenous/Sri Lankan Ayurveda experts that treat patients at the residential medical facility is Doctor Dulari Mataraarachchi Wedamahathmiya who hails from the Kevitiyagala Jayasinghe wedaparapura from the father’s side and from the Kalumada lineage of indigenous physicians. Her formal Ayurveda qualification is from the Malawena Ayurveda Waidya Vidyalaya. This wedamahathmiya treats patients for all general ailments and specialises in Kadun Bindun wedakama and the Shara wedakama.

Indigenous/Sri Lankan Ayurveda Doctor Mataraarachchi Wedamahathmiya has developed a specific wattoru based syrup for fever that could be used even for COVID like conditions (named as the Shri Wimala Una Peniya and also a peyawa (Jarabanga peyawa) that has so far succeeded in curing many early COVID19 specific symptoms.

All the Sinhala Wedakam/Sri Lankan Ayurveda medical experts use the ancient Nadi wedakama to identify diseases. All the doctors practice Buddhist meditation in their personal lives and as part of their medical tradition and are of a calm and kind disposition which is a major pre-requisite in Sinhala Wedakama and Ayurveda in general as authentically practiced.

In addition to the doctors practicing Sinhala Wedakama (Deshiya Chikitsa) as part of Sri Lankan Ayurveda there are MBBS qualified doctors of the Western medical tradition who are equally qualified in the Nadi Wedakama and deep Buddhistic meditation which they use for heightening their awareness in healing. These doctors are affiliated with the Hela Suwaya traditional medicine facility which focuses significantly on pure earth-based food as medicine where Dharmika Govithena/Govithenata Aushada ancient farming concepts are used for cultivating thousands of acres in Sri Lanka to provide poison-free food.

All the food obtained and provided to the guests recovering from the COVID virus at the Kelaniya residential weda gedera cum hotel, is fully organic/nature based. Ancient medicinal heirloom rice such as Kaluheeneti, Pachaperumal and Kuruluthuda and many other varieties are used for main meals as well as lunu kendha (traditional Lankan broth). Only food suitable for the specific health condition and which will not aggravate the symptoms will be provided.

(Surya Vishwa writes on subject matters pertaining to humanism. nature, comparative spirituality, integrated knowledge and intangible cultural heritage. She has for the past year, every week consistently written in the Lankan English language print media on the importance of Sri Lankan policy makers prioritising indigenous medicine of Sri Lanka to be used for controlling the current COVID-19 pandemic.)