Mindset on traditional medicines changing for the better

The belief in Ayurveda and other traditional medicine systems has been growing as people benefit from these. Post Covid-19, citizens have become better aware of the benefits of Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Homeopathy (AYUSH) and Sowa Rigpa as preventive medicinal systems. Misleading advertisements related to AYUSH drugs, treatments and related services are also coming down because of monitoring. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has established an independent Ministry of AYUSH, persuaded the UNESCO to include Yoga on its list of intangible cultural heritage and successfully appealed to the United Nations to observe 21 June as International Yoga Day. This proves that a strong political will can raise indigenous medicines and traditional medicinal knowledge systems to a level of prominence. The foundation stone of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Centre for Traditional Medicine at Jamnagar, Gujarat in 2022, laid by Prime Minister Modi is but a step to take India’s traditional medicinal knowledge systems to the world.
The recognition accorded to Yoga as a universally relevant knowledge system and its adoption as a therapy module in preventive medicine, drug de-addiction and rehabilitation through asanas, pranayamas, shatkriyas and meditation is a global achievement for India. Also, India has started bilateral cooperation with nations such as China, Germany, Malaysia, Trinidad & Tobago, Hungary, Bangladesh, Nepal, Mauritius, Mongolia, Myanmar and Zimbabwe for collaborative research and training in the area of traditional medicines. It has set up a BIMSTEC task force on traditional medicines, involving the group of countries bordering the Bay of Bengal. So far termed as the “medicine of last resort” and “alternative healthcare system”, AYUSH, the traditional medicinal knowledge system, is entering the mainstream of preventive medicines globally because of its longevity, quality and affordability. Science stands at a point where Ayurveda and Allopathy are acknowledged as complementary to each other.
Traditional medicinal knowledge systems play a vital role in preventing and holistically treating lifestyle-induced diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and heart-related ailments. By making small adjustments in our daily routines, we can effectively combat numerous non-communicable diseases. Concurrently, AYUSH systems can now create indigenous drugs in compliance with drug guidelines and procedural requirements.
Four autonomous Central Research Councils have been established for Ayurvedic sciences, Homoeopathy, Unani medicine and Siddha. These councils serve as the primary organisations for formulating and developing traditional medicines, leading to the creation and commercialization of numerous drugs. Examples of successful Ayurvedic science-based drugs include AYUSH-64 for malaria, AYUSH-82 for diabetes mellitus and AYUSH-SG for rheumatoid arthritis, all of which underwent clinical trials. AYUSH-64 was repurposed for Covid-19 due to its antiviral and immune-modulating properties. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) also developed BGR-34, a diabetes drug, while D-5 choornam, a Siddha-based medicine, was created for Type II diabetes management. Developed homoeopathy drugs include Coleus forskohlii, Catharanthus roseus, Cyclosporinum, Azathioprium, Buxus sempervirens, Cynara scolymus, Persea Americana and Withania somnifera.
The Ministry of AYUSH has taken steps to regulate medicinal products, ensuring quality, packaging and distribution, enabling significant exports.
The cultivation, harvesting, and procurement of aromatic and medicinal plants in India for natural organic drug development have gained importance. This is due to the increasing number of people adopting AYUSH systems for healthcare and disease prevention. Greater awareness of AYUSH systems has expanded the potential for medical tourism both nationally and globally, benefiting the entire AYUSH workforce through new investments and employment opportunities. The large-scale farming of herbs and medicinal plants is crucial, with the National Medicinal Plants Board of the Ministry of AYUSH providing subsidies to farmers for nursery establishment, post-harvest management, processing infrastructure and marketing.
India is home to over 8,000 species of herbs and medicinal plants. Ministry of AYUSH’s general measures, immunity boosters, and Covid-19 prevention advice were effective and assisted in the psychosocial rehabilitation of Covid-19 patients. The Siddha medicine Nilavembu kudineer received significant media attention as an immunity booster, and several state governments distributed it to the public.
Traditional medicinal knowledge faces a significant challenge in the form of incorrect patents granted for its constituents and medicinal formulations by various International Patent Offices over the past several decades. To address this issue, the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) was established by CSIR and Ministry of AYUSH. TKDL has international access agreements with national patent offices in the United States, Europe, Canada, Germany, Japan, Russia, Peru, the United Kingdom, Australia, Malaysia, Chile and India.
TKDL contains an extensive list of over 335,260 medicinal formulations from Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, and Yoga, available in English, Japanese, French, German and Spanish. As per the agreement, international patent offices consult TKDL for “prior art evidence” before granting patents for medicinal applications based on biological materials. This enables global patent examiners to verify whether a patent applicant’s claim is a novel invention or is pre-existing knowledge.
Over the years, the TKDL has successfully prevented 220 incorrect patent grants, including those involving medicinal, therapeutic and cosmetic properties of turmeric, neem, Indian gooseberry, ginger, cucumber, giloy, pepper, aloe vera, banana, fenugreek, tamarind and asafoetida. In addition, India has been consistently working to promote traditional and folk medicines through research, scientific validation, certified healer creation and integration into the healthcare services.
These efforts demonstrate the global desire for a new healthcare dimension, where PM Modi reshapes the perception of traditional medicinal knowledge systems through India’s “One Earth, One Health” vision.
Dr Sabareesh P.A. is a PhD in Science Policy Studies from the Centre for Studies in Science Policy, JNU, and author of “A Brief History of Science in India”. Write to him at sabareesh.jnu@gmail.com