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| Thankamma, DCM Complex, near bus stand, Erattupetta Ph: 04822- 274138, 275598 |
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For many years, Thankamma has kept apart the time between 5am and 6 am for treating patients suffering from intense pain due to kidney stone and migrane. And the patients - many of them given up by other doctors - wait for this housewife to administer them the herbal remedy that seems to work wonders for their condition.
Wife of Chakkochan of Erattupetta, she had never dreamt of becoming a doctor of herbal medicine. But as fate would have it, her father-in-law Mathai Varkey had learned the secret combination of 5 herbs capable of curing the 2 diseases from an adivasi leader in Attappady where he was a dealer in woods. He came back and tried the medicine on patients with success. At that time Thankamma used to assist him in preparation of the medicine. And when age caught up with him, he told the secret combination to her. Later she started practicing the medicine with the hope that no side effects would occur.
2 of the herbs used by her are available only in Attappady and Silent Valley and are thus costly. But Thankamma, who runs an ice cream parlour and bakery in Erattupetta is not prepared to commercialise her humanitarian effort. Nor does she have the habit of looking for remuneration. She only accepts whatever is given voluntarily by those cured of the diseases.
In her treatment, the patient is given the herbal dose before sunrise. For 2 days, the patient has to observe certain precautions like avoiding non vegetarian and heavy food. For migrane, the herbal paste together with oil is applied before sunrise and washed away after 1 hour.
Before getting employment in Goa and Delhi, her sons Praveen and Kishore used to help her. Now she gets assistance from her husband Chakkochan.
Courtesy: G.Arun, Kanyaka, April 15, 2004
Contributed by: Administrator
