Exploring Traditional Medicine: A Look at Dhivehi Beys and Herbal Remedies

Walk onto almost any inhabited island in the Maldives and you might notice a coconut palm being tapped, a leaf poultice being prepared, or an elder massaging warm oil into aching joints. This isn’t just home care — it’s Dhivehi Beys, the archipelago’s indigenous medical tradition, a system of herbal and physical therapy that predates modern healthcare in the islands by centuries. While resort spas now offer “Dhivehi Beys-inspired” massages, the living practice faces a more complicated reality: environmental pressure, generational knowledge loss, and the challenge of being taken seriously alongside biomedicine. This article traces what Dhivehi Beys actually involves, where it came from, and what its survival tells us about cultural resilience in a nation on the front lines of climate change.

The practice developed long before the first hospital opened in the Maldives in 1931. Healers, known as beyfulun, passed down knowledge orally, selecting leaves, roots, and spices according to lunar phases — a detail that still shapes some traditional preparation today.

No single authority governs what “authentic” Dhivehi Beys looks like. Regional variation is the norm, and practitioners often adapt to whatever grows locally.

The Roots of Dhivehi Beys: Ayurveda, Unani, and Island Innovation

Dhivehi Beys didn’t develop in isolation. The Maldives sat at the crossroads of Indian Ocean trade routes for centuries, and its healing practices absorbed influences accordingly. Ayurvedic principles from northern India and Sri Lanka are clearly visible in the emphasis on herbal oils, massage, and balancing bodily humours. Unani medicine, brought by Persian traders, contributed humoral theory and specific preparations. After the islands’ conversion to Islam in the twelfth century, Islamic remedies and prayers were integrated — some healers still recite verses during treatment.

Two legendary figures anchor the tradition’s history.

Queen Buraki Ranin, a sixteenth-century queen of Sultan Mohammed, is said to have cured sword wounds overnight using herbal poultices. More concretely, El-Sheikh El-Hakeem Ahmed Didi from Seenu Atoll is widely regarded as the founder of modern Dhivehi Beys practice. He systematised knowledge that had been passed down orally and trained a generation of practitioners.

Today, one of the most prominent living practitioners is Dr. Ali Rasheed, who holds qualifications from The Maldives National University and the Institute of Health Sciences. With over 34 years of experience, he has treated more than 25,000 patients and trained numerous students. He received the National Award of Recognition from the Maldivian government. Dr. Rasheed now consults at Nova Maldives in South Ari Atoll, where he collaborated with Eskape Spa to introduce Dhivehi Beys massage using locally sourced ingredients — a bridge between traditional knowledge and modern wellness tourism.

Two Core Rituals: Umbuliveyo Banun and Bondithaan Kurun

Research identifies two primary treatment protocols within Dhivehi Beys, though many local variations exist.

Umbuliveyo Banun

This treatment begins with a herbal paste made from Velambuli and Thanburu Veyo applied to the body. The patient is then wrapped in banana leaves — a technique that traps heat and allows the herbs to penetrate the skin. Warm herbal oil is poured slowly over the head, followed by a full-body massage using coconut oil infused with botanicals such as neem, moringa, ginger, hibiscus flowers, and aloe vera. The treatment is intended for muscle relaxation, pain alleviation, and general rejuvenation.

Bondithaan Kurun

This second major protocol uses warm herbal poultices. Ingredients include banyan leaves, tamarind leaves, neem, castor leaves, fresh coconut gratings, lemon, cloves, and ginger — all bundled into cloth pouches that are heated and applied through rhythmic massage techniques. The poultices are pressed into sore muscles and joints, and the treatment is considered particularly effective for arthritis, muscle strain, and chronic pain.

Both rituals rely on the coconut palm — called the “Tree of Life” in Maldivian culture — as a base. Coconut oil is the primary carrier for herbal infusions, and the grated coconut used in poultices provides both texture and medicinal properties.

One aspect that remains debated is the role of lunar phases. Some traditional healers insist that herbs gathered under a full moon are more potent. Others dismiss this as folklore. Dr. Rasheed’s approach, for instance, focuses on the pharmacological properties of the plants rather than celestial timing. This tension between empirical herbalism and cosmological belief is unresolved within the tradition itself.

Environmental Threats to a Plant-Based Tradition

Dhivehi Beys depends entirely on biodiversity that is now under direct threat. Urbanisation — particularly the concentration of population in Malé and a few other islands — has reduced access to the wild plants that healers traditionally gathered. Rising sea levels and saltwater intrusion are degrading the soil in low-lying islands, making it harder for native medicinal plants to thrive.

As a result, many modern practitioners now import herbs from India and Sri Lanka. This changes the practice in fundamental ways: imported plants may have different potency, and the knowledge of where and when to harvest locally is being lost. Some younger Maldivians are taking steps to reverse this. Community-led projects, sometimes supported by resort partnerships like Sun Siyam Iru Fushi’s Dhivehi Beys Verikan treatment (whose proceeds go to island community initiatives), are documenting plant knowledge and cultivating medicinal gardens.

The relationship between Dhivehi Beys and modern healthcare is complex, not adversarial.

Many Maldivians use biomedical treatment for acute conditions and consult traditional healers for chronic pain, musculoskeletal issues, and preventive wellness. Dr. Rasheed himself holds formal medical qualifications and sees no contradiction between the two systems. This pragmatic coexistence is common across South Asia and the Indian Ocean world, where pluralistic healthcare is the norm rather than the exception.

Context and Comparison: How Dhivehi Beys Fits Into Broader Healing Traditions

Understanding Dhivehi Beys means placing it alongside the traditions that influenced it and those it resembles across the region.

The comparison reveals that Dhivehi Beys is not merely a derivative of Ayurveda or Unani. It synthesises elements from both but adapts them to the specific ecology of the Maldives — a low-lying coral archipelago with limited soil and a distinct set of native plants. The coconut, for instance, plays a far more central role than in inland Ayurvedic traditions.

Questions Readers Ask

Is Dhivehi Beys safe for visitors to try?

Generally yes, but with caveats. The herbal ingredients are natural but can cause allergic reactions in some people. Always inform the practitioner of any allergies, especially to coconut, neem, or spices. At reputable resorts like Nova Maldives or Sun Siyam Iru Fushi, treatments are supervised by qualified practitioners.

Does Dhivehi Beys have scientific backing?

Some individual ingredients — neem, ginger, moringa — have documented anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. But no large-scale clinical trials have been conducted on Dhivehi Beys protocols specifically. The practice relies on empirical tradition rather than biomedical evidence, which is a point of both strength and limitation.

Can I learn Dhivehi Beys as a visitor to the Maldives?

Not formally. Knowledge transmission remains largely oral and community-based. However, some resorts offer workshops or demonstrations. Dr. Ali Rasheed has trained students, but these programs are not generally open to short-term visitors. The best way to engage is to receive a treatment and ask respectful questions about the ingredients and their uses.

Is Dhivehi Beys the same as the spa massages at Maldivian resorts?

No. Many resort treatments are “inspired by” or “incorporate elements of” Dhivehi Beys but are adapted for a spa environment. Authentic Dhivehi Beys, as practiced in island communities, is often more intensive, uses raw herbal preparations, and may involve prayer or ritual elements absent from the resort version.

Why isn’t Dhivehi Beys more widely known?

The practice has historically been oral and family-based, with little written documentation. It also operates in the shadow of more famous traditions like Ayurveda. The Maldives’ small population and geographic spread have limited its visibility. Recent efforts by practitioners like Dr. Rasheed and partnerships with resorts are changing this, but slowly.

What the Survival of Dhivehi Beys Tells Us

Dhivehi Beys matters beyond its medicinal value. It is a record of how people adapted to a specific environment — learning which leaves eased fever, which roots reduced swelling, which oils soothed burns. But it’s also a tradition in flux, negotiating between the demands of tourism, the pressures of climate change, and the aspirations of a younger generation. The practice won’t survive by being frozen in amber; it will survive because people like Dr. Rasheed find new ways to pass it on, and because travellers who encounter it leave with more than a massage — they leave with a story about how knowledge travels across oceans and generations. For more on how Maldivian culture is adapting to change, read about how Maldivians are fighting to preserve their heritage in the face of climate change.

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Sources and further reading

Visit Maldives. “Traditional Maldivian Medicine: Knowledge Worth Preserving.” 🔗

Green Sea Shells. “What Is Dhivehi Beys? Traditional Healing in the Maldives.” 🔗

Travel Dreams Magazine. “Cultural Healing at Nova Maldives: New Dhivehi Beys Rituals at Eskape Spa.” 🔗

Oaga Resorts. “Ancient Secrets of the Maldives: Moonlit Healing with Dhivehi Beys.” 🔗

Related reading on IslandHopperGuides

A Family Affair: The Central Role of Kinship in Maldivian Society — How family networks sustain traditional knowledge transmission, including healing practices.

Maldivian Folklore: Unraveling Myths and Legends Passed Down Through Generations — The oral storytelling tradition that also carries herbal knowledge.

Sustainable Seas: Exploring Traditional Fishing Practices in the Maldives — Another example of traditional ecological knowledge facing modern pressures.