Directorate of AYUSH 
The term Siddha means achievements and Siddhars were saintly persons who achieved resuts in medicine.Eighteen Siddhars were said to have contributed towards the development of this medical system. Siddha literature is in Tamil and is practised largely in Tamil speaking parts of India and abroad. Principes and doctrines of this system, both fundamental and applied, have a close similarity to Ayurveda, with specialization in Iatr-chemistry. According to this syatem, the human body is the replica of the Universe and so are the foods and drugs irrespective of their origin.
“Sowa-Rigpa” commonly known as Amchi system of medixcine is one of the oldest, living and well documneted medical tradition of the world. It has been popularly practised in Tibet, Mangolia, Bhutan, some parts of China, Nepal, Himalayan regions of India and few parts of former Sovier union etc. In India, this system has been practised in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Darjeeling, Lahaul and Spiti (Himachal Pradesh) and Laddakh region of Jammu & Kashmir. There is Central council for Tibetan Medicine in Dharmashala to regulate the practice of Sowa-rigpa in India. It looks after the registeration of practitioners, standard of Colleges and other mechanisam to regulate Sowa-Rigpa.