Tiger
Felis tigris
Vernacular Names:-
English - Tiger
Malayalam - Kaduva
Tamil - Puli
Most of the parts of Tiger are used in Siddha medicines. Skin, flesh, blood, bile, fat, nail, bone, excreta & whiskers are used in medicine.
All the body parts, posess hot potency because of its intense nature, habit of taking flesh and its strength.
The Yoga practitioners usually use the skin of tiger because it produces heat. The heat is very important to raise the serpent power or kundalini shakti. Flesh and blood of tiger are easily digestible and absorbable one. So these are used in Tuberculosis (Ilaipunoi or Kayam) as well as other diseases which cause emaciation of the body. Flesh is used in Insanity (Unmatham) or distracted state of mind. Flesh and blood of Tiger are not available in all seasons, so the blood is collected in a pot & a cloth is soaked in it and dried, whenever it is available. This piece of cloth is soaked and dissolved in water and this is used when it is needed. Like this, flesh are cut in to small pieces, dried and sold in market. This can be used when it is needed for treatment.
Flesh of red tiger is used as prophylactic treatment in viral infections (Mumps, measles and chickenpox) by the Maharashtra’s. Abcess in the sole and palm can be treated with the bandage of flesh of the tiger. Fat of the tiger is applied in arthritis swelling, sprain and hemiplegia (pakshavatham). In nervous stability, fat is applied, then massaged and hot water fomentation is given. 130mg of fat is given with banana as a prophylactic treatment in viral infections. For expectorant action in whooping cough, fumigation with the fat is very useful. It also subsides the cough. In impotency (Napunchakam) it is used as lepam(Application of paste on body).
Bile: - Cloves are soaked in the bile and dried. This clove is taken one for three times with milk. This is a good remedy in bronchial asthma(Suvasa Kasam).
Nails:- Nails of Tiger are purified, grinded with the juice of Prosopis spicigera - Cikura pod(Vanni) leaves and dried. Placed in akal and subjected to pudam(calcination process). This parpam is given with honey in complication of the pitha janni(Fits). Parings of nails heated to char by adding it with gingely oil. Then the oil is filtered, this can be applied in pimples.
Tiger nails are tied in gold or silver and worn by children in Evil eye (Kanneru).
The skin is tied with a black silk thread and tied on the left hand of children to control cry out of fear.
Whiskers of tiger is very poisonous one. One hair is enough to kill a person. This is used as Philters(A drink with magical powers which can make the one who takes it love the one who gave it). If it is used like this, the symptoms like cough and emaciation of the body can be seen in that persons. So after killing tiger the whiskers are burned and discarded. Milk is boiled with these whiskers. Curd is prepared. The butter obtained from this curd is used externally instead of fat. These buttermilk and whiskers should be discarded.
Bones:- Bones of both sexes of tigers are prepared as parpam with the juice of Aloe vera. Parpam of female toger bone is used in vatha diseases.
Adjuant:- Fermented fruit juice (Pazhacharayam).
Excreta:- A tiger is used to prepare Thalaga Parpam.
