The dynamism of Traditional Medicine in South India -A Focus on Practices and Livelihood Patterns in the Informal Sector-

India's current medical policy advocates medical pluralism, and Indian systems of medicine(ISM) such as Ayurveda and Siddha are recognized as official medical systems, as is biomedicine. In addition to these medical systems, there are informal practitioners (vaidya in the local language) who provide non-standardized ISM. ISM is not practiced today as a direct embodiment of classical literature, and external influences have changed the state of ISM knowledge as well as its social meaning and role.

This presentation examines how modern ISM has been affected by changes in the external environment, such as disease structures and socioeconomic conditions, and how it has developed in its interrelationship with vaidyas and institutional ISM, using data from a literature review and data from fieldwork on four vaidyas in Kerala.

It was clarified that the vaidyas were not simply passive to the currents of the times, but they flexibly secured their place in an ever-changing society, and while keeping up with the currents of the times, they maintained their original values as vaidyas. They also served as a source of knowledge for institutional doctors in their quest for better medical care. As a result, we found that institutional medicine and vaidyas knowledge intersected, and a new way of medical care was offered to patients and the community.

The main objective of this study is to shed light on the debate about how traditional medicine can be renewed and how it can contribute to contemporary issues regarding health and well-being.