Hela Suwaya Dum Hattiya is a dried herbal mixture produced in Sri Lanka under the Hela Suwaya brand, prepared for use in the traditional steam-pot practice known in Sinhala as dum hattiya. The mixture is made up of dried leaves, stems, roots, twigs and small flower fragments, all in brown and tan tones, and is packaged in a clear resealable bag with a yellow label and a decorative insert card bearing a peacock motif and Sinhala script — a presentation that reflects the product's roots in Sri Lanka's indigenous hela wedakama tradition.
The practice of the dum hattiya sits within Sri Lanka's own school of indigenous medicine, a tradition distinct from, though related to, the more widely known South Asian Ayurvedic systems. A pot of water is brought to the boil with the herbal contents added; once steam rises steadily, the pot is removed from the heat and placed close to a seated person, who is covered together with the pot beneath a single cotton cloth so that the warm, herb-infused steam makes full contact with the body. After steaming, the remaining hot herbal water can be used to soak a thick cotton cloth, which is then applied as a warm compress to the body.
Ingredient names visible on the packaging itself include ගෙද තොරතු (Malabar Nut leaves), කෙහෙල් දණ්ඩ (banana stem) and අණි මුට්ටි, alongside further plant materials whose Sinhala names are partly obscured on the label. The full composition extends across a range of dried botanicals, as the loose mixture of leaves, coarser stems and fine rootlets visible through the clear bag makes plain.
According to the usage guidance associated with this product, a single pack is intended to serve an entire household over two days, with up to three steam sessions per day possible from one preparation. The pack is resealable, keeping the dried herbs dry between sessions. If a member of the household is unwell, the guidance recommends steaming separately rather than communally.
The product originates from Sri Lanka and carries the batch code MS-03. It is sold as a single resealable pack and is suited to anyone wishing to bring a well-established Sri Lankan herbal steam tradition into a home setting, whether in Sri Lanka or abroad.
