Ayurveda: Medicine Of The Past, Medicine Of The Future

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Dear Colleagues, Please click the link and visit the california college of ayurvedaAyurveda: Medicine Of The Past, Medicine Of The Future Once upon a time, some 5,000-10,000

years ago, there lived an ancient people who inquired of the world they

lived in. They looked to the skies and saw the celestial lights and

wondered in awe of their origin and meaning. They looked around at the

world on which they lived and wondered, why am I here and what is the

meaning of my life? They knew the world around them was fraught with

challenges and potential dangers. How can I stay safe and healthy they

pondered. These ancient people lived in the land known as India today.

They were among the earth's oldest human inhabitants. To answer these

questions, the wisest and most learned of the clan went forth to seek

answers of these questions from the Gods. They were known as rishis or

seers, the ones who had the gift to attune themselves to Gods ways.

Deep in meditation the Gods came and answers were given. They learned

about astrology and astronomy, about health, about air, fire and water,

and they learned about ritual. This knowledge was passed down through

generations through songs and chants and then written down in the

oldest of books existing on the planet. These books are the Vedas.

The

Knowledge of the Vedas is vast. The knowledge pertaining to health is

known as Ayurveda or the knowledge of life. The knowledge of Ayurveda

was given to the rishis so that they might know how to stay physically

and emotionally healthy so that they could pursue their deeper

spiritual goals.

The

Vedic teachings thrived in India and Ayurveda thrived as well for

several millennia. Scholars, philosophers, and doctors journey from a

far to India to study and each took pieces of this knowledge home with

them. Then between 700AD and 1000AD, India was invaded by the Middle

East. The Muslims went on anti-Hindu crusades and destroyed many of the

ancient books and the knowledge of Ayurveda began to slip away. Later,

in the 1800's the British invaded India, destroying what was left.

Schools were closed and books were destroyed until Ayurveda vanished

into the corners of society. In place of the Ayurvedic schools, Western

medical schools were established. In 1947, when India gained her

Independence, interest in Ayurveda was renewed and scholars and

spiritual teachers tried to pick up the pieces of this profound

science. Schools re-opened and began to train Ayurvedic physicians. By

the early 1990's there were several hundred small schools in India.

Still, India is a vast country and the number of Ayurvedic

practitioners relative to the population is very small. Ayurveda

remains a secondary system of health care to the Western influence

health care system. In the mid 1980's great interest emerged in the

West about the science of Ayurveda as Westerners began to question the

tenants of their own health care system. Profound writers like Dr.

Deepak Chopra and Dr. Vasant Lad, along with Dr. Frawley and the

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, began to enlighten readers and listeners about

this ancient wisdom. Interest mushroomed, and now we see the very first

Ayurvedic Colleges opening in the United States offering formal study

of this ancient knowledge.

Ayurveda

is a science that is first and foremost about creating harmony with

one's environment. Ayurveda teaches us that when we live in harmony we

shall be healthy, and that disease is the normal expression of living

out of harmony. Hence, Ayurveda is a health care discipline that first

and foremost asks us to look inside of ourselves so that we may

discover how we are living out of harmony. Only then can we make the

life changes necessary for healing to take place. Ayurveda gives us

back both responsibility for our well being and the power create our

state of health. Ayurveda teaches us that we are all unique individuals

and that each individual's path toward perfect health is equally

unique. Ayurveda is not a dogma of “how to, ” rather it is a system

which illuminates our unique journey and helps to guide us to our

destination. Ayurveda utilizes diet, herbs, aromas, colors, meditation

and yoga, along with special cleansing techniques known as Pancha Karma

to assist each person in his or her process. Most importantly, however,

Ayurveda helps each person to look at their lifestyle, discover areas

that are disharmonious, while empowering greater harmony. Where there

is harmony, there is health. Best Regards Mohammad Bashaar

From: Vijay <drvijaythawani@ .co. in>Subject: Re: Safety & efficacy of Ayurvedic formulationsnetrumgroups (DOT) comDate: Friday, 9 January, 2009, 2:59 PM

Hi,Thanks Shazia for the contribution.Yes, most of the things in the article are correct.Unfortunately Ayurveda of yester years was good but currently it is mostly the corrupt version, except in case of few manufacturers.In Ayurvedic literature poly herbal, herbomineral combinations have been given. But the formulations that we see in market today, all are not based on the scriptures and standard text.I am also aware that Ayurvedic formulations should be used according to the "prakriti" of the individual but it is not practiced.Big movie stars advertise Ayurvedic formulations for self use, which are available OTC.So people do not know what is their prakriti and whether they should consume it.Similiarly Ayurveda does have use of heavy metals but the processing is important so that the presence of the "bhasmas" does not lead to heavy metal toxicity. It is unfortunate that

commercial interest has sacrificed the purity of this age old science.Vijay >> > Good morning Dr Vijay and all members,> > Interesting topic to read and contribute> > > NIM-2008-05 > > http://203.190. 147.122/NIM/ souvenir. aspx?nimid= NIM-2008- 05> Scientific approach to Ayurveda> Lavekar GS1, Prasad M2> 1CCRAS, Opp. ¡D¢, Block, Janakpuri, New Delhi-110058; 2CRIA, Road No. 66, Punjabi Bagh, New Delhi 110 026> Ayurveda is the science of life and life has many aspects. Life is a period from birth to death, during this period one is involved in

and has

to face varied situations. Being a science of life many related biological and physical sciences are involved in Ayurveda. Further Ayurveda believes in holistic approach involving body, mind and spirit as an integral unit. This philosophy is also an essential part of Ayurveda. Ayurveda is nature friendly science and believes that human being is a miniature replica of universe and there is a constant interaction between these two. There is a conglomeration of varied but related sciences in Ayurveda. To know the concealed wisdom of Ayurveda, a comprehensive and intelligent, scientific multi disciplinary probing is required.> Ayurveda is a pragmatic science. During the span of time many innovative timely advances are adapted without deviation to the basic concepts. Most of the Ayurvedic formulations are herbal based. About 95 % plant source material is used in drugs, food & cosmetic

preparations. In Ayurvedic ancient text 1200 Ayurvedic plants are described. Apart from this, many more plants are in practices particularly in tribal and folk medicine. Another important aspect is that many exotic plants are also used as medicine, cosmetics and food material. In Ayurvedic materia medica i.e. in Dravyaguna, many medicinal and aromatic plants are described and Ayurveda considers that aromatic plants are not merely aromatic in nature but they are effective in therapeutic practices as medicine. In the present time, Ayurveda is getting acceptance widely, in many developed countries. The community is opting herbals, botanicals which are the part and parcel of> Ayurveda. > The wisdom of Ayurveda is therapeutically evident in presence of multiple active ingredients in plants like Curcuma longa, garlic, Withania

somnifera etc. In present situation the features of medical profession have changed. In the olden days the medical profession was a personal mission exclusively for the welfare of humanity without any personal gain. In later period the health care practice was assumed a professional form and at present it has become a business assuming industrial status. In olden days the medicine was procured and prepared by the practitioner himself, as quantity of medicine required was limited, he was adherent to limited standards. In present situation the requirement of medicine is in large quantity and the manufacturing is at industrial level. Hence all the parameters, which are prevalent, are applicable to the medicine. For reproducibility of results, the quality of raw material and the processes involved in the> manufacturing of medicine are to be standardized. The

adoption of advanced and prevalent scientific instruments, equipments and methodology is essential for scientific approach.> ·The identity of plant material is important for safety and efficacy purposes. If by mistake, due to morphological similarity a wrong plant is identified and used in medicine that may prove to be harmful. For proper identification the ancient descriptive & organoleptic parameters along with pharmacognostic methods are essential to adapt. The DNA finger print technique is more scientific and reliable but cannot be practiced widely.> ·The procurement of plant material in proper season & in proper time is essential to maintain the quality, eg. the collection of latex material is more suitable in view of quality and quantity, if it is procured in summer before sun rise. The Curcuma longa is to be collected in the night time so as they are

more rich in active phytochemicals. These practices are to be validated by assessing the phytochemicals in odd and proper suggested season and time.> ·The preservation of plant material in a suitable container and condition is also important. Before preservation some processes are also required otherwise material may loose its medicinal value due to degradation by microbial growth and other causes.> ·Due to changed ecological conditions the air, water, soil etc. are more or less polluted in many parts of the world. Due to indiscriminate uses of chemical fertilizers, pesticides etc., the soil micro flora and chemistry is changed. > ·The percentage of heavy metals and Arsenic in soil and water are also alarmingly increased. > All these changes are reflecting in the plant grown in such polluted soil. Mostly this pollution is due to industrial

wastage diverted in to the river water. These heavy metals & Arsenic are hazardous to the health. Hence the raw material is to be tested for the presence of excess amount of heavy metals, Arsenic and pesticides. WHO has prescribed the limits of heavy metals and Arsenic. The genuineness of raw material, the presence of chemical marker is very much reliable but the chemical markers of most of the plants are not available. Hence, this practice is difficult to adopt by all. The other methods like HPLC, HPTLC, -thin layer chromatography is easy and can be practiced widely. The TLC profile of polyherbal formulations consisting of more than twelve ingredients is not that reliable. > The safety measures are well described in Ayurveda but in present situation all are not practicable. Many a time safety of plants and proprietary formulations is required to be

tested in animals. Considering the dose, dosage form and duration of the treatment, the safety study of choice like acute, sub acute, chronic, genotoxicity is to be conducted. > The action of the drug is described in Ayurveda in much detail, a single drug or formulation is described having varied actions. These pharmacological or biological actions are to be validated in vitro & in vivo as per the necessity. The pharmacodynamics of single plants & formulations is well described in Ayurveda but the pharmacokinetic study i.e. drug passage in the body is not available in detail. This pharmaco-kinetic study can be conducted or validated by involving molecular biological approaches> The Ayurveda has classified the human beings into seven Prakritis, which may be called a bio-identity of an individual. The Prakriti can be studied in view of genomics to co-relate macro

with micro level to reveal the characteristic features and to develop a drug suitable for a particular prakriti considering genomic nature. This is a part of Pharmaco- genomics. Ayurveda gives more importance to the subjects rather than objects. The clinical protocols are to be developed of a comprehensive nature consisting of objective as well as subjective parameters because what patient feels is important than what laboratory reveals. > In nutshell a multi disciplinary approach involving all related sciences is required to reveal the wisdom of ancient science Ayurveda for the welfare of ailing humanity.> > > > > > > Shazia Jamshed> PhD Scholar> Social and Administrative Pharmacy> School of Pharmaceutical Sciences> Universiti Sains Malaysia> Penang > Malaysia> Core Member Medicine

Pakistan International> E-mail: shazia_12@.. .> http://medicinespak istan.org/ projects/>

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Hi,

Where there is Bashaar, there is qality content in the post.

Proves Mcluhan's theory that " media does become the message " .

Vijay

> >

> >  

> > Good morning Dr Vijay and all members,

> >  

> > Interesting topic to read and contribute

> >  

> >

> > NIM-2008-05

> >  

> > http://203.190. 147.122/NIM/ souvenir. aspx?nimid= NIM-2008- 05

> > Scientific approach to Ayurveda

> > Lavekar GS1, Prasad M2

> > 1CCRAS, Opp. ¡D¢, Block, Janakpuri, New Delhi-110058; 2CRIA,

Road

> No. 66, Punjabi Bagh, New Delhi 110 026

> > Ayurveda is the science of life and life has many aspects. Life

is

> a period from birth to death, during this period one is involved

in

> and has

> to face varied situations. Being a science of life many

> related biological and physical sciences are involved in Ayurveda.

> Further Ayurveda believes in holistic approach involving body,

mind

> and spirit as an integral unit. This philosophy is also an

essential

> part of Ayurveda. Ayurveda is nature friendly science and believes

> that human being is a miniature replica of universe and there is a

> constant interaction between these two.  There is a conglomeration

> of varied but related sciences in Ayurveda. To know the concealed

> wisdom of Ayurveda, a comprehensive and intelligent, scientific

> multi disciplinary probing is required.

> > Ayurveda is a pragmatic science. During the span of time many

> innovative timely advances are adapted without deviation to the

> basic concepts.  Most of the Ayurvedic formulations are herbal

> based. About 95 % plant source material is used in drugs, food &

> cosmetic

> preparations.  In Ayurvedic ancient text 1200 Ayurvedic

> plants are described. Apart from this, many more plants are in

> practices particularly in tribal and folk medicine.  Another

> important aspect is that many exotic plants are also used as

> medicine, cosmetics and food material. In Ayurvedic materia medica

> i.e. in Dravyaguna, many medicinal and aromatic plants are

described

> and Ayurveda considers that aromatic plants are not merely

aromatic

> in nature but they are effective in therapeutic practices as

> medicine.  In the present time, Ayurveda is getting acceptance

> widely, in many developed countries.  The community is opting

> herbals, botanicals which are the part and parcel of

> > Ayurveda.        

> > The wisdom of Ayurveda is therapeutically evident in presence of

> multiple active ingredients in plants like Curcuma longa, garlic,

> Withania

> somnifera etc. In present situation the features of medical

> profession have changed.  In the olden days the medical profession

> was a personal mission exclusively for the welfare of humanity

> without any personal gain.  In later period the health care

practice

> was assumed a professional form and at present it has become a

> business assuming industrial status.  In olden days the medicine

was

> procured and prepared by the practitioner himself, as quantity of

> medicine required was limited, he was adherent to limited

> standards.  In present situation the requirement of medicine is in

> large quantity and the manufacturing is at industrial level. 

Hence

> all the parameters, which are prevalent, are applicable to the

> medicine.  For reproducibility of results, the quality of raw

> material and the processes involved in the

> > manufacturing of medicine are to be standardized.  The

> adoption

> of advanced and prevalent scientific instruments, equipments and

> methodology is essential for scientific approach.

> > ·The identity of plant material is important for safety and

> efficacy purposes.  If by mistake, due to morphological similarity

a

> wrong plant is identified and used in medicine that may prove to

be

> harmful.  For proper identification the ancient descriptive &

> organoleptic parameters along with pharmacognostic methods are

> essential to adapt.  The DNA finger print technique is more

> scientific and reliable but cannot be practiced widely.

> > ·The procurement of plant material in proper season & in proper

> time is essential to maintain the quality, eg. the collection of

> latex material is more suitable in view of quality and quantity,

if

> it is procured in summer before sun rise.  The Curcuma longa is to

> be collected in the night time so as they are

> more rich in active

> phytochemicals.  These practices are to be validated by assessing

> the phytochemicals in odd and proper suggested season and time.

> > ·The preservation of plant material in a suitable container and

> condition is also important.  Before preservation some processes

are

> also required otherwise material may loose its medicinal value due

> to degradation by microbial growth and other causes.

> > ·Due to changed ecological conditions the air, water, soil etc.

> are more or less    polluted in many parts of the world.  Due to

> indiscriminate uses of chemical fertilizers, pesticides etc., the

> soil micro flora and chemistry is changed.

> > ·The percentage of heavy metals and Arsenic in soil and water

are

> also alarmingly increased. 

> > All these changes are reflecting in the plant grown in such

> polluted soil. Mostly this pollution is due to industrial

> wastage

> diverted in to the river water. These heavy metals & Arsenic are

> hazardous to the health.  Hence the raw material is to be tested

for

> the presence of excess amount of heavy metals, Arsenic and

> pesticides. WHO has prescribed the limits of heavy metals and

> Arsenic.  The genuineness of raw material, the presence of

chemical

> marker is very much reliable but the chemical markers of most of

the

> plants are not available. Hence, this practice is difficult to

adopt

> by all.  The other methods like HPLC,  HPTLC, -thin layer

> chromatography is easy and can be practiced widely.  The TLC

profile

> of polyherbal formulations consisting of more than twelve

> ingredients is not that reliable. 

> > The safety measures are well described in Ayurveda but in

present

> situation all are not practicable.  Many a time safety of plants

and

> proprietary formulations is required to be

> tested in animals. 

> Considering the dose, dosage form and duration of the treatment,

the

> safety study of choice like acute, sub acute, chronic,

genotoxicity

> is to be conducted. 

> > The action of the drug is described in Ayurveda in much detail,

a

> single drug or formulation is described having varied actions.

These

> pharmacological or biological actions are to be validated in vitro

&

> in vivo as per the necessity. The pharmacodynamics of single

plants

> & formulations is well described in Ayurveda but the

pharmacokinetic

> study i.e. drug passage in the body is not available in detail.

This

> pharmaco-kinetic study can be conducted or validated by involving

> molecular biological approaches

> > The Ayurveda has classified the human beings into seven

Prakritis,

> which may be called a bio-identity of an individual.   The

Prakriti

> can be studied in view of genomics to co-relate macro

> with micro

> level to reveal the characteristic features and to develop a drug

> suitable for a particular prakriti considering genomic nature.

This

> is a part of Pharmaco- genomics. Ayurveda gives more importance to

> the subjects rather than objects.  The clinical protocols are to

be

> developed of a comprehensive nature consisting of objective as

well

> as subjective parameters because what patient feels is important

> than what laboratory reveals.

> > In nutshell a multi disciplinary approach involving all related

> sciences is required to reveal the wisdom of ancient science

> Ayurveda for the welfare of ailing humanity.

> >  

> >  

> >  

> >

> >

> >  

> > Shazia Jamshed

> > PhD Scholar

> > Social and Administrative Pharmacy

> > School of Pharmaceutical Sciences

> > Universiti Sains Malaysia

> > Penang

> > Malaysia

> > Core Member Medicine

> Pakistan International

> > E-mail: shazia_12@ .

> > http://medicinespak istan.org/ projects/

> >

>

>

>

> Connect with friends all over the world. Get India

Messenger.

>