|
 |
| EDITORIAL |
|
| Year : 2018 | Volume
: 39
| Issue : 1 | Page : 1 |
|
|
Ayurveda research: The present status and prospects
Anup Thakar
Director and Head, Department of Panchakarma, IPGT and RA, Gujarat Ayurved University, Jamnagar, Gujarat, India
| Date of Web Publication | 3-Dec-2018 |
Correspondence Address:
Prof. Anup Thakar
Director and Head, Department of Panchakarma, IPGT and RA, Gujarat Ayurved University, Jamnagar - 361008, Gujarat
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/ayu.AYU_269_18
How to cite this article:
Thakar A. Ayurveda research: The present status and prospects. AYU 2018;39:1 |
Ayurveda proposes individualized constitution (genotype as well as phenotype) and individualized pathogenesis (which is although well acknowledged by contemporary life sciences still less applied and advocated in health sector), thus advocating personalized (individualized) health management or treatment. Hence, case studies and case series, a less emphasized research modality by Ayurvedic scholars, may play an integral role in exploration of the role of Ayurvedic treatment protocol, drugs in diverse clinical setup, disease condition, stage, severity, associated complications and associated diseases/pathological involvement etc. Clinical pharmacology is a neglected sector having great potential as an option to in vitro studies and animal experimentation. Firm adherence merely to randomized controlled clinical trial may be often unfit for basic principles of disease management which are dynamic and individualized.
The conventional approach of new drug development is unsuitable and unaffordable for Ayurvedic research, rather reverse pharmacological approach (prioritizing clinical research) is preferable as the drugs/formulations are well experienced against in vitro studies and animal experimentations.
Institutional academic research is presently often conducted in confined manner without optimization of interdisciplinary and interspecialty/interdepartmental, institutional and nationwide approach, hence, outcomes in different specialties are underutilized.
Institutions and governing bodies need to identify and specify core areas of scope of research with foreplanning and monitor its implementation, communication to stakeholders and application of outcomes measurably. Thus, long-term projects should be divided into a chain of sequential short-term projects.
Long-term retrospective studies (deep data mining [from several decades and centuries] and long-term prospective studies [for decades ahead]), population studies, correlation studies, multicentric, multiracial, phased studies, meta-analysis, pharmacovigilance of Ayurvedic drugs and medical documentation (quality publications and record keeping) are lacking core areas.
Research in Ayurvedic academic sector is being focused toward drug research, and fundamental research for which the world is looking toward this ancient most health science is lacking. Fundamental principles of Ayurveda such as genome-wide study (Prakriti), chronology of life science (daily and seasonal regimen) and its therapeutic implications, Ayurvedic epidemiology and demography, basic physical (materialistic) and nonmaterialistic sciences of Ayurveda (Padartha Vijnana), physiology, anatomy, diagnosis and pathology, basic principles of pharmaceutical and pharmacological sciences, Rasayana, surgery, psychiatry, Ayurveda education, interdisciplinary utility and use of Ayurvedic principles, techniques, technology, instruments, drugs in other contemporary sectors of life (food industry, nutraceuticals, agriculture and related sectors, cosmeceutics, human resource development, sports and sport medicine, veterinary, engineering, social sciences and contemporary basic sciences) and society are less often intervened and thus remained underexplored and underutilized.
Often the researches by scholars are multi aimed or poorly designed or designed with less rigorous, less stringent protocol or the protocol completion falls short to the available financial and other resources, time frame, hence remain under explored, lacks concrete conclusions and thus are under utilized.
Interdisciplinary collaboration with other sciences and contemporary sciences and optimized utilization of available advancements of contemporary science are also major setbacks for lack of high-quality research.
One of the important aspects of Ayurveda clinical research is to develop the standard treatment protocols of various common disorders after undertaking rigorous validation and revalidation on varied population in the country followed by globally.
Optimize use of in silico methods, appropriately justified and where ever needed use of in vitro studies along with animal experimentations with proper interpretation, bioinformatics, justified and proper use of statistics and optimization interdisciplinary collaboration can boost and upgrade the present status of Ayurvedic research.
|
Search Pubmed for