Sri Lanka, Sept. 13 -- People co-habit with diverse other creatures in the world; the poisonous and the non- poisonous; the ferocious and the meek.

In current times of human arrogance reaching its peak in ruining the planet and modernity costing the forests its green garments, animals its freedom and man his breadth, we have eliminated from our collective consciousness the memory of life lived differently; when animals, including the poisonous were accepted by us as an integral weaving of the tapestry of life.

This acceptance is recognised in our Deshiya Chikitsa (Sinhala Wedakam/ Hela Wedakam) medicinal tradition that pre-dates Ayurveda, which has a branch of treatment known as Visa Wedakama which we have used for thousands of years to...