Saint Antony Vashachikilsalayam (Poison Treatment Center)

Besides scholar physicians with knowledge of canonical Indian medical texts, Vaidyas who are experts in reginal medicinal plants, physical medical techniques, poison therapies, diseases of the mind and such specialized practices come from all communities in India and provided the majority of traditional medical care in rural India until recently. A poison treatment clinic in Central Kerala maintained by Christian Carmalite monks is one such example. For almost a century and a half, the monks of the order have maintained poison therapy practice, and knowledge of poison treatments have been passed on from an elder monk healer to an apprentice selected for qualities of compassion and interest in the healing traditions of the order. Patients come directly to the clinic or are referred there by biomedical physicians unable to cure long-term ulcerations of the skin resulting from some poison snake bites. A vast collection of clear glass jars with insects and snakes common to the area, preserved in formaldehyde, help the patients identify the source of the poisons so the monk physicians can prepare necessary treatments without delay from the medicinal plants in the clinic garden. One of the monk physicians of the order, Rev. Anthony Panackal, was honored with the "Nagarjuna Trophy for Heritage Preservation" for his work as a healer and for cultivating rare and endangered medicinal plants from far and wide. And as with the Ashtavaidya scholar physicians, these physician monks maintain that the study and practice of healing is a spiritual quest, and service is an important aspect of their practice.