The Department of Indigenous Medicine of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) has created a herbal steam chamber to ensure the protection of employees of CMC, who reported back to work on the 11th of May approximately 7 weeks after the curfew was enforced. The herbal steam chamber was declared open by Mayor of Colombo Mrs. Rosy Senanayake at CMC premises today (13th).
The chamber consists of indigenous herbals of medicinal value and a temperature of 50 centigrades is maintained in it. It is said that inhaling the steam is an equivalent to the “dum hattiya” treatment which is popular in Ayurveda, and it results in the purification of the respiratory system.
However, it must be noted that the stalwarts in western medicine have brushed off such “treatments” as myths, emphasizing that Covid-19 can only be contained by the steps which have proven to be effective so far. Further, a few days ago, Sri Lanka Microbiologists Association also came forward, stating that the spraying of disinfectants on humans is injurious to them, hence not a recommended practice.