Hidaklon

Hidaklon is the traditional Meitei science of medicine and healing practiced in the Manipur region, its name combining hidak, meaning medicine, with lon, meaning science or treatise. The system records detailed knowledge of medicinal plants, animals, and minerals, including exact proportions and dosages, compiled across a five-volume body of traditional manuscripts, and it paired physical remedies with spells and incantations addressed to spiritual causes of illness. Documented treatments include ginger for colds and coughs, garcinia applied to burns, python gall bladder mixed with alum taken orally for leprosy, and the thumba plant used against snakebite, with an emphasis on natural, dietary-compatible preparations meant to limit side effects. The knowledge was maintained and applied by traditional healers called Maiba and Maibi, and historians credit the system with helping protect the Meitei people through historical disease outbreaks and epidemics. Wild medicinal plants used in the tradition are now disappearing and the knowledge itself is fading, prompting calls from heritage organizations for government-backed institutes to preserve it.