The practice is traditionally used to counteract complex illnesses, including those attributed to spirit harm or nagas , such as epilepsy, leprosy, skin diseases, and even modern epidemics like Ebola or COVID-19.

The is considered the ultimate "antidote cocktail" for modern afflictions that Western medicine labels "autoimmune" or "psychosomatic." In Buddhist cosmology, many chronic illnesses stem from naga spirits—serpent-like beings disturbed by environmental pollution, digging, or broken vows.