Weragoda P B
J Ethnopharmacol. 1980 Mar;2(1):71-3. doi: 10.1016/0378-8741(80)90033-1.
Four systems of traditional medicine have been adopted in Sri Lanka: Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Deshiya Chikitsa. The Ayurveda and Deshiya Chikitsa systems use mainly plant and herbal preparations for the treatment of diseases--the former uses about 2000 species, the latter about 500. The plants are used singly or as mixtures. The traditional systems of medicine have a vast literature, mainly in the form of manuscripts. The principle of the Ayurvedic system is to consider the body as a whole, ailments of different organs not being treated separately as in modern medicine. Similarly, Ayurveda takes into account the actions of the drug in its entirety. Research therefore must be carried out in hospitals or biological laboratories and not in chemical laboratories where plant extracts are subject inevitably to chemical reactions. Therefore the chemical approach to identify active principles is a complete deviation from the principles of traditional medicine. Research on plants should be carried out for the further development of traditional systems of medicine and not to their detriment. The threat of extinction of certain species of plants and herbs is stressed, the causes being the destruction of jungles, the greater demand for raw materials for increased manufacture of traditional medicinal preparations, the absence of organised cultivation of medicinal plants, and unscientific harvesting. The compilation of encyclopaedias of plants used in traditional medicine is highly recommended for every country interested in preserving the traditional systems of medicine.
阿育吠陀医学、悉达医学、尤那尼医学和本土医学。阿育吠陀医学和本土医学体系主要使用植物和草药制剂来治疗疾病——前者使用约2000种植物，后者约500种。这些植物单独使用或混合使用。传统医学体系有大量文献，主要以手稿形式存在。阿育吠陀医学体系的原则是将身体视为一个整体，不像现代医学那样分别治疗不同器官的疾病。同样，阿育吠陀医学全面考虑药物的作用。因此，研究必须在医院或生物实验室进行，而不是在化学实验室，因为在化学实验室中植物提取物不可避免地会发生化学反应。所以，通过化学方法鉴定有效成分完全背离了传统医学的原则。对植物的研究应该是为了传统医学体系的进一步发展，而不是对其造成损害。强调了某些植物和草药物种面临灭绝的威胁，其原因包括丛林遭到破坏、传统药物制剂产量增加对原材料的需求增大、缺乏药用植物的有组织种植以及不科学的采收。强烈建议每个对保护传统医学体系感兴趣的国家编纂传统医学所用植物的百科全书。
