Professor Emeritus
Ayurveda in one of
the oldest systems of medicine and health-care in the world, its antiquity
going back to the Vedas. Ayurveda is considered as the Upaveda
of Atharvaveda. Besides its historicity, the most
pertinent feature of Ayurveda has been its continued unbroken practice for
thousands of years till date. Because of limitations of the main-stream system
of medicine and questioned safety risk of its medications a large proportion of
the world-population is now attracted to use Ayurvedic medications and natural
products for their health needs. Such an upsurge of interest in this sector
has, on one hand, led to an amazing boom in the world market of natural products, while on the other hand, it has warranted quality
assurance and reasonable guarantee for the efficacy and safety of these
products. Such is the genesis of the need of “Evidence based Ayurveda”.
Many organizations and individuals
including WTO have time to time attempted to define "Evidence" in
this context. The following is the range of evidences for Ayurveda
as a system of medicine: 1. Scriptural Evidence, 2. Professional
Evidence, 3. Profound acceptability by the
masses and 4. New
Scientific Evidence.
The descriptions available in authentic scriptures regarding the concepts, principles, material-medica and their practical applications, claimed to have been developed through Pramana Vijnana viz Pratyaksa, Anumana and Aptopadesa, are considered as important evidence for contemporary Ayurveda, of course it needs to be supported by new additional evidences. Similarly the continued practice of Ayurveda for thousands of years till date in the hands of about 500000 registered practitioners is in itself an evidence. However, new scientific evidence for safety and efficacy of medications and validity of the concepts, theories and principles of Ayurveda, is being sought all over. Many institutions and individual scientists are already addressing to this issue. Science Initiative in Ayurveda by DST and Golden Triangle program of ICMR, CCRAS & CSIR are new scientific endeavours. The researches conducted during last 50 years by Postgraduates and research students all over the country documented in the form of thousands of dissertations and research papers need to be scanned and submitted for meta analysis to gather leads for further studies on sound scientific footings.
The present paper will discuss and
evaluate the available evidences theoretically illustrating the same with
observations of the author on treatment of certain chronic diseases.