Siddha medicine is a science and art of healing that deals with all aspects of an individual based on experimental knowledge. In ancient times, siddhars were the foremost scholars of this medical system. The Siddha medicine was split into two groups, internal medicine and external medicine. One of these internal medicines mathirai (pills), has 1-year shelf life. Among them, Ettikottai Mathirai (EM) is one of the polyherbal medicines mentioned in Nam Nattu Vaithiyam, and is indicated for 18 types of soolai (pain), including lumbar and cervical pain. According to the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), pain is defined as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage.” Common pain relief drugs, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), cause gastric ulcers. Medicinal herbs as analgesics have been used for therapeutic purposes for centuries without any adverse effects. EM comprises the following five herbal drugs: milagu (Piper nigrum), chukku (Zingiber officinale), ettikottai (Strychnos nux-vomica), kirampu (Syzygium aromaticum), and elumichai (Citrus limon). EM possesses both anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. This review article reflects on drug properties, chemical constituents, pharmacological activities, medicinal uses, and scientific review of EM for pain management. This review further focuses on improving the research on Siddha herbal medicines.
Shanmugam et al. (Wed,) studied this question.