Paper short abstract:

This paper deals with the the folk healing behaviour of Narikuravan, a semi-nomadic community of South India who are also healers to many rural and urban folk. There is much external influence not only on their health seeking behavior but also on the profession of traditional healer.

Paper long abstract:

Folk medicine involves the accumulated knowledge through generations regarding the concepts, perception and treatment of disease. The remedies are usually magico-religious or even involve locally available herbs, imposing structures on food and activities of the patient. These semi-nomadic people passing through more or less fixed routes touches country side as well as the urban areas. They usually do not depend upon the modern medical facilities and draw upon their own health seeking practices, which developed over the generations. Accordingly some symptoms of ill health may not have any significance among them and often left to natural or super natural care. However for certain ailments they provide herb as remedies especially for venereal disease and sexual dysfunction. In this respect the Narikuravan became traditional healers for rural and urban folk who cannot afford biomedical treatments and who also continue to have confidence on the traditional healers. Under these conditions the Narikuravan are caught in between the socially accepted traditional health care system and the over imposing modern medical system that involves not only their health but also their business as healers.