PUDUCHERRY: The Central Council for Research in Siddha (CCRS) is working on 21 research projects at its five centres, Dr R S Ramaswamy, director general of CCRS, said on Wednesday.
Talking to mediapersons after inaugurating an auto analyzer facility at the Regional Research Institute here, Ramaswamy said the projects included the development of siddha remedies for ailments like osteoarthritis, infertility, uterus fibroids, etc. The research is being carried out at five siddha centres in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Thiruvananthapuram, Palayamkottai and Mettur.
Pointing out that Indian medicine system was popular in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry, he said efforts were on to create awareness in other parts of the country. A number of States like Karnataka and Goa have come forward with proposals to start siddha hospitals, he added. Further, Ramaswamy revealed that a drug for treating diabetes has been developed and patent applied for. When queried about the general belief that siddha medicines caused renal failure, he said it was a wrong perception and adding that care was taken to do liver and kidney function tests along with the intake of prescribed medicines. The fully computerised biochemical auto analyzer, procured at a cost of nearly Rs 28 lakh, facilitates investigation of various blood parameters like sugar, urea, cholesterol, proteins and liver markers with a single blood sample. About 135 samples can be analysed and 400 tests performed in an hour with this equipment.