In the Maldives, the boundary between medicine, ritual, and belief has never been rigid. Herbs are gathered not only for their chemical properties but because the landscape itself is understood as alive with forces that can heal or harm depending on how one approaches them.
Healers once gathered wild leaves and roots under a full moon, believing lunar phases increased the potency of their remedies. This practice, known as Dhivehi Beys, is the indigenous medical tradition of the Maldives, thriving well before modern healthcare reached the remote islands in 1931.
Dhivehi Beys — from Dhivehi (the Maldivian language) and beys (medicine) — is not a single codified system but a living, orally transmitted body of knowledge that blends local plant lore with elements of Ayurveda, Unani medicine, and Islamic remedies introduced by traders crossing the Indian Ocean over centuries. For travelers curious about how island communities have managed health, illness, and uncertainty for generations, the tradition offers a window into a worldview where a coconut palm can be a pharmacy, a warning, and a ritual container all at once.
Dhivehi Beys is a syncretic, orally transmitted healing tradition that draws on local plants, lunar cycles, and spiritual practices. It remains alive today in some wellness resorts and community practices, but urbanization and environmental change are pressing hard on the knowledge and the plants themselves.
| Plant (Dhivehi name) | Part used | Primary healing application | Ritual / protective role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coconut palm / Ruh | Oil, water, shell | Massage base, burn soother, hair nourishment | Ritual cleansing; oil as protection; shell as container for spoken formulas |
| Neem / Hingan | Leaves, oil | Wound treatment, rash relief, insect bite remedy | Purification and protective cleansing |
| Moringa / Muranga | Leaves, pods | Energy-boosting tonic, digestive aid | Bridges daily food and medicine |
| Banyan / Nika | Leaves, bark | Poultice ingredient (Bondithaan Kurun) | Sacred tree; symbol of endurance and spiritual authority |
| Screw pine / Kashikeyo | Leaves, fruit | Used with caution; illness if approached after dusk | Warning plant; not cut for rituals |
| Turmeric / Rey | Root | Anti-inflammatory paste, skin brightening | Purification; strengthening bodily boundaries |
| Lemon basil / Gandhakolahi | Leaves | Soothing fevers, ailments from spirit disturbance | Protective against unseen forces |
| Aloe vera | Gel | Sunburn relief, hydration, wound healing | General skin protection |
Each of these plants is more than an ingredient. In Maldivian folk belief, effectiveness depends on timing, freshness, and the intention of the gatherer.
What Is Dhivehi Beys? A Syncretic Island Medicine
Dhivehi Beys developed in isolation across the atolls, where each island community relied on what grew nearby. The tradition shows clear traces of Ayurvedic humoral theory, Unani concepts of balance, and Islamic healing practices brought by Arab and South Asian traders. The name itself — beys — is thought to share roots with the Sanskrit vaidya (physician), though the system has evolved its own distinct character over centuries of island life.
Knowledge was passed orally within families and between practitioners. No single written canon exists. The legendary healer Queen Buraki Ranin, said to have ruled in the 16th century, was reputed to cure sword wounds overnight with special remedies. A more recent figure, El-Sheikh El-Hakeem Ahmed Didi from Seenu Atoll, is recognized as a founder of contemporary Dhivehi Beys practice. The HIDMC notes that oral transmission remains the primary mode of learning, which makes the system vulnerable as older practitioners pass away and younger generations migrate to urban centers.
The Living Pharmacy of the Islands
The coconut palm, called the Tree of Life in the Maldives, is the most versatile plant in the Dhivehi Beys pharmacy. Its oil serves as the base for almost all massage preparations, its water is used for ritual cleansing, and its shell can be charged with spoken formulas to carry protective energy. The cultural significance of coconut in Maldivian life extends far beyond the kitchen.
Neem leaves are crushed into antiseptic pastes for wounds and rashes. Moringa leaves are folded into daily meals as a tonic. The banyan tree, with its spreading aerial roots, is regarded as sacred and its leaves are used in the traditional poultice ritual called Bondithaan Kurun. Lemon basil and mint are brewed for fevers thought to arise from spirit disturbance. Turmeric and lime are combined into anti-inflammatory pastes for swelling and skin brightening.
Local herbs, often unnamed beyond individual islands, are gathered for washing rituals and protective practices. Their effectiveness is believed to depend on the phase of the moon and the freshness of the picking. The island of Fuvahmulah, with its unusually rich soil and wetlands, supports a particularly diverse range of culturally and medicinally important plants, including some linked to local sorcery practices.
Rituals of Healing: Umbuliveyo Banun and Bondithaan Kurun
Two traditional full-body treatments remain in practice today, both documented by the Green Seashells guide to Maldivian healing.
A paste made from Velambuli and Thanburu Veyo (local herbs) is applied to the body. The person is then wrapped in banana leaves to trap warmth and moisture, while warm herbal oil is poured over the head. A full-body massage follows using coconut oil infused with neem, moringa, ginger, hibiscus flowers, and aloe vera.
Warm poultices made from banyan leaves, tamarind leaves, neem, castor leaves, fresh coconut gratings, lemon, cloves, and ginger are applied through rhythmic massage techniques. The poultices are changed as they cool, working the body systematically.
Both rituals treat the body as a whole — addressing physical symptoms, energy flow, and the person’s relationship with their environment. Moonlight plays a role too: healers traditionally gathered wild herbs under a full moon, believing the lunar phase amplified the medicine’s potency.
The Spiritual Dimension: When Medicine Meets the Unseen
Maldivian folk medicine does not separate the physical from the spiritual. The practice known as faṇḍithaverikan — a form of sorcery or spirit work — draws from the same plant environment as healing. The boundary between medicine and ritual is fluid, as Maldives My Islands explains: plants form a landscape of signs and containers that mark, hold, and sometimes warn of power rather than command it.
A common outsider misconception is that Dhivehi Beys is “just” herbal medicine. In practice, it is a holistic system that integrates physical treatment, spiritual protection, and social connection. Ignoring the ritual dimension misrepresents how most Maldivian practitioners understand their own tradition.
Screw pine trees, for example, are not cut for rituals — they serve as warnings. Time spent near screw pine groves after dusk is believed to bring illness or confusion. Lime and lime water are used after suspected spirit encounters to cut or break unwanted influence. These practices are not superstition tacked onto medicine; they are the framework within which the herbs work.
Dhivehi Beys Today: Between Resorts and Rising Seas
Urbanization and rising sea levels are threatening the biodiversity that sustains Dhivehi Beys. Some practitioners now import herbs from neighboring countries because local plants have become scarce. The knowledge itself is at risk as oral transmission weakens in younger generations.
At the same time, several wellness resorts have integrated Dhivehi Beys-inspired treatments into their programs. At Sun Siyam Iru Fushi, a Dhivehi Beys Verikan treatment is part of a longevity program that also includes Ayurvedic therapies, Traditional Chinese Medicine, yoga, and meditation. Proceeds from the treatment support island community initiatives. Soneva Fushi, Six Senses Laamu, and Gili Lankanfushi also offer nature-based wellness programs using local ingredients.
If you book a Dhivehi Beys-inspired treatment at a resort, ask the practitioner which local herbs are used and whether they are grown on the island or sourced from elsewhere. Purchase handmade wellness products from local practitioners when possible rather than mass-produced versions. Dress modestly on inhabited islands and always ask permission before photographing or documenting any ritual.
Context and Comparison: Dhivehi Beys, Ayurveda, and Unani
Dhivehi Beys shares DNA with both Ayurveda and Unani medicine, but it is not a derivative of either. The table below highlights the key similarities and differences.
| Attribute | Dhivehi Beys | Ayurveda | Unani |
|---|---|---|---|
| Origins | Maldives, evolved through oral tradition over centuries | Indian subcontinent, codified in Sanskrit texts (c. 1500 BCE onward) | Greco-Islamic tradition, systematized by Persian and Arab scholars (9th–13th centuries) |
| Core theory | Humoral balance (blood, phlegm, yellow bile, black bile) with strong spiritual component | Three doshas (vata, pitta, kapha) | Four humors (blood, phlegm, yellow bile, black bile) |
| Role of lunar cycles | Central — herbs gathered under full moon for potency | Present in some texts but not universal | Minimal |
| Spiritual / ritual dimension | Integrated (faṇḍithaverikan, protective formulas, spirit disturbance) | Present (prayer, mantra, purification) but often separated | Islamic prayer and spiritual hygiene, but less emphasis on local spirit beliefs |
| Primary transmission | Oral, family-based, no written canon | Text-based (Charaka Samhita, Sushruta Samhita) with oral tradition | Text-based (Avicenna’s Canon, Al-Hawi) with institutional teaching |
| Status today | Declining due to urbanization and biodiversity loss; preserved in some resorts | Widely practiced across India, Nepal, Sri Lanka; government-recognized | Practiced in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh; recognized by WHO |
The humoral framework in Dhivehi Beys likely arrived via Unani medicine, which was brought to the Maldives by Arab and Persian traders. The Ayurvedic influence came through South Indian connections. The Maldivian genius was to adapt these imported frameworks to local plants and spiritual beliefs, creating something that is neither Indian nor Arab but distinctly islander.
- Dhivehi Beys is a syncretic, orally transmitted tradition that cannot be reduced to “herbal medicine” — it integrates physical, spiritual, and protective dimensions.
- Key plants like coconut, neem, moringa, and banyan serve multiple roles as food, medicine, and ritual objects.
- Urbanization and climate change are threatening both the plants and the oral knowledge, making respectful engagement with living practitioners more valuable than ever.
Questions Readers Ask
Is Dhivehi Beys still practiced in the Maldives today?
Yes, though it has declined significantly since modern healthcare arrived in 1931. Some practitioners still operate in the atolls, and several wellness resorts offer Dhivehi Beys-inspired treatments. The knowledge is most intact on islands like Fuvahmulah, where oral tradition remains strong.
Can visitors participate in or observe Dhivehi Beys rituals?
Some resorts offer treatments inspired by the tradition. On inhabited islands, participation is less common and should be approached with respect. Always ask permission before documenting anything, and support local practitioners by purchasing handmade products rather than mass-produced alternatives.
Is Dhivehi Beys the same as sorcery or black magic?
No, but the line is not always clear-cut. The same plant knowledge used in healing can be used in faṇḍithaverikan (sorcery). Most practitioners distinguish between the two, but the boundary is understood differently by different communities. This is a debated topic even among Maldivians.
What happens to the tradition as sea levels rise?
Rising sea levels and urbanization are already forcing practitioners to import herbs from neighboring countries. The biodiversity of the islands is shrinking, and with it the raw materials of Dhivehi Beys. The Oaga Resorts article notes that this is one of the most urgent threats to the tradition’s survival.
How does Dhivehi Beys compare to modern medicine?
It is not a substitute for modern healthcare. Maldivians use both systems depending on the situation — modern medicine for acute conditions, traditional remedies for chronic issues, skin ailments, and spiritual or stress-related complaints. The two coexist rather than compete.
Why Plant Knowledge Matters Beyond the Islands
Dhivehi Beys is not a relic to be preserved in a museum. It is a working system of knowledge that has helped islanders manage uncertainty in a fragile environment for centuries. The plants that feed, heal, and shelter Maldivians are part of a living landscape of signs — some warn, some protect, some restore. In an era when global health systems are wrestling with the loss of biodiversity and traditional knowledge, the resilience encoded in this island tradition offers a quiet but powerful lesson. The challenges and resilience of Maldivian island communities are not just local stories; they are a mirror for how any culture holds onto knowledge when the ground beneath it — literally — is shifting.
Sources and further reading
Maldives My Islands. “Herbs, Belief, and the Living Landscape of the Maldives.” 2026. 🔗
HIDMC. “How to Experience Maldives’ Traditional Herbal Healing Rituals.” 🔗
Oaga Resorts. “Ancient Secrets of the Maldives: Moonlit Healing with Dhivehi Beys.” 2024. 🔗
Green Seashells. “What Is Dhivehi Beys?” 🔗
Related reading on IslandHopperGuides
The Maldives Maritime Legacy: Sailing and Fishing in Island Culture — how trade routes shaped the arrival of Ayurvedic and Unani influences in the islands.
Protecting Maldivian Culture: Sustainable Tourism for a Vibrant Future — how tourism can support or undermine traditional knowledge systems.
Maldivian Cuisine: A Culinary Journey Through Time and Tradition — the food-medicine connection in daily island life.
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