Kumar D. Suresh - Ayurveda in the New Millennium

Ayurveda in the New Millennium

Ayurveda in the New Millennium

Emerging Roles and Future Challenges

Edited by
D. Suresh Kumar

First edition published 2021
by CRC Press
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Suresh Kumar, D., 1949- editor.
Title: Ayurveda in the new millennium : emerging roles and future challenges / edited by D. Suresh Kumar.
Description: 1. | Boca Raton, FL : CRC Press, 2021. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020032988 | ISBN 9780367279547 (hardback) | ISBN 9780429298936 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Medicine, Ayurvedic. | Herbs--Therapeutic use. Classification: LCC R605 .A8873 2021 | DDC 615.5/38--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020032988

ISBN: 978-0-367-27954-7 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-429-29893-6 (ebk)

Typeset in Times
by Deanta Global Publishing Services, Chennai, India

yurvd rakati rakita

He who protects Ayurveda shall, in turn, be protected by It.

Contents

N.K.M. Ikbal, D. Induchoodan and D. Suresh Kumar

V. Remya, Alex Thomas and D. Induchoodan

Nishanth Gopinath

V. Remya, Maggie Jo Alex and Alex Thomas

S. Ajayan, R. Ajith Kumar and Nirmal Narayanan

G.R. Arun Raj, Kavya Mohan, R. Anjana, Prasanna N. Rao, U. Shailaja and Deepthi Viswaroopan

Sanjeev Rastogi, Arindam Bhattacharya and Ram Harsh Singh

S. Noorunnisa Begum and K. Ravikumar

Prachi Garodia, Sosmitha Girisa, Varsha Rana, Ajaikumar B. Kunnumakkara and Bharat B. Aggarwal

Atreya Smith

D. Suresh Kumar

Ayurveda or the sacred knowledge of longevity has been practiced in India and many Asian countries since time immemorial. Names of the celestial physicians, Avinikumra ( Dasra and Nsatya ) appear in the documents excavated from Boghaz Koyi in the Cappadocia region of present-day Turkey. Similarly, the discovery of the Ayurveda text Nvantakam from a ruined Buddhist monastery near Kuchar in Chinese Turkestan indicates the popularity of Ayurveda in that faraway land. In India, this medical system occupied a lofty position as a result of royal patronage.

Western medicine was introduced into India by the Portuguese in the 16th century. Alfonso de Albuquerque, the Portuguese commander and conqueror of Goa, founded the Hospital Real (Royal Hospital) in 1510, which was converted in 1842 into the School of Medicine and Surgery. Although it was the Portuguese who introduced Western medicine into India, it was the British who later established and consolidated both its practice and study in the subcontinent. The history of Western medicine in India is almost exclusively that of the development of medicine during British rule. The report of the committee (1943) headed by Sir Joseph William Bhore was put into practice in independent India. Consequently, Western medicine became the dominant medical system of the country.

Interest in Ayurveda started growing all over the world in the late 1970s. To encourage national and international efforts to develop and implement primary healthcare throughout the world, the World Health Organization convened the International Conference on Primary Health Care (612 September 1978) at Alma Ata, in the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan. This conference adopted the famous Alma Ata Declaration, which called on member nations to formulate national policies, strategies and plans to launch and sustain primary healthcare. The member states were especially encouraged to mobilize their own national resources. The Western world was thus inspired to study in depth the various traditional medical systems of the world. Ayurveda was an important one among them, having a sound theoretical basis.

The enthusiasm generated by spiritual organizations, such as the Chinmaya Mission, International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center, International Society for Krishna Consciousness (I.S.K.C.O.N.), Isha Foundation, Maharishi Foundation, Osho Foundation and the Art of Living International Center, was also a reason for the newfound interest in Ayurveda. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Ayurveda is one of the fastest-growing complementary and alternative medical systems.

In spite of the growing interest in Ayurveda, a closer look at the system prevailing in India reveals that it is suffering from many shortcomings. The theory of Ayurveda is based on unique concepts, which are very different from those of Western medicine. This fundamental difference between the two systems is ignored in contemporary Ayurveda to such an extent that Ayurveda is taught and practiced along the lines and with the help of Western medicine. Many stumbling blocks have to be removed if Ayurveda is to cater to the needs of a wider audience. This book attempts to identify such areas. Much progress has been made since the Alma Ata Declaration in understanding the theoretical constructs of Ayurveda. This book reviews that progress as well.

, entitled What We Learn from the History of Ayurveda , traces a few of the missions undertaken by ancient personalities to rediscover Ayurveda, and presents for the first time some evidence that is very valuable from the perspective of the history of medicine. The chapter objectively unravels the genesis of Unani medicine, the popular medicine of the Muslim society of northern India. What Ayurveda and Unani learned from each other is also highlighted. The chapter concludes with a call to revive the culture of inquisitiveness and questioning for advancing the Ayurveda renaissance.

The various regulations concerning the commercial manufacture of ayurvedic medicines are generally known only to those related to the industry. Not much published literature is available on the regulatory aspects of the manufacture of ayurvedic medicines. describes the various steps to be undertaken to obtain a manufacturing license or loan license, good manufacturing practices, an inspection of the facility, labeling of products, the shelf-life of ayurvedic medicines, punishment for violation of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act (1940) and regulatory problems that require solutions.