Hela Wedakama is one of the oldest Ayurvedic healing methods practised in Sri Lanka. It draws on ancient original medical literature passed down from generation to generation for 3,000 years. In fact, Sri Lanka was the first country in the world to establish systematic hospitals – even for animals. This is also attested by ancient inscriptions on rock faces, which prove that organised medical services have existed in the country for centuries.
For centuries, even kings devoted themselves to traditional medicine. In his time (398 AD), King Buddhadasa wrote the manuscript Sarartha Sangrahaya – a comprehensive scholarly work from which Sri Lankan physicians still draw valuable knowledge today.
Historically, Ayurvedic physicians enjoyed a noble position in the country's social hierarchy. In Sri Lanka people still say: “If you cannot be a king, become a healer” – that is how respected Ayurvedic doctors are there. And the fame of the island's traditional Ayurvedic medicine, which combines healing methods and techniques, precious remedies, yoga, beliefs and meditation, is spreading ever further beyond Sri Lanka and gaining popularity in the Western world too.
One of the leading representatives of traditional Hela Wedakama Ayurvedic medicine is Dr Mahesh de Silva. He runs his own Ayurvedic clinic in Sri Lanka, makes remedies according to recipes up to 5,000 years old and, among other things, teaches meditation. If you are planning a trip to Sri Lanka, you should definitely visit his clinic and learn, for example, about therapy using Marma Points. Activating these vital points (by acupressure or massage) has a positive effect on anatomical structures (ligaments, eyesight, joints, blood vessels, nerves) as well as on physiological processes (breathing, metabolism, organ function, the autonomic and central nervous system) in the human body.
You can get a consultation with Dr Mahesh de Silva even if you are not going to Sri Lanka. This Ayurvedic doctor offers online consultations in English or German. One 60-minute consultation costs 90 euros.