Siddhars or Siddhas
Siddhars had an unparallel knowledge of medicine.
They had the knowledge of processes like the calcination of the mercury minerals
and metals and transmuting them for use as medicines even in the remote past
when chemical technology was not fully developed.
Siddhas are said to have
supernatural powers. They were capable of performing alchemy-the act
of converting base metal into gold. Their ability includes the art of
making dead persons enter the body of the living for a few minutes, to give
expression to certain ideas. Being men of vision who know the past, the present and the
future, the Siddhas are supposed to be capable of living and dying at will.
They are
reputed to have used certain herbal leaves to intoxicate themselves and get into
a trance or hypnotic state. 
It is on record that the Siddhas who lived in Kanjamalai
converted base metal into gold and experts certified that the gold
made by the Siddhas with their miraculous powers contained seven parts of Gold
as against ten parts of gold recovered in gold mines.
Certain Siddhas have
powers even to nullify the fatal effects of snake poison.
The use of 'Yantras'
for curing diseases is widespread. These are certain mystic magical diagrams
engraved on the arm or with the chain around the neck. A special prayer is held
to instill divine powers into it. The Yantra is then assumed to be able to
protect the worshippers from evil and to bestow on him health and wealth.
The first two of the
18 Siddhas, Nandi Thevar and Agasthya are said to have
found out the medicinal value of herbs by a process of trial and error. And
when the herbs turned out to cure diseases, the Siddhas planted the seedlings
of the herbs in high altitudes and other inaccessible places. Bogar was
another famous Siddhar who used chemicals for treating diseases.
Folklore belief is that there is
no disease which cannot be cured by them. They are credited with the ability to confer longevity
and eternal youth.
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