EXPERT: QUALITY "A MUST" TO PROVE EFFICACY OF AYURVEDIC MEDICINES
The Times of India (by Navodita Mishra)
Jan 16, 2014, 11.34 AM IST

Varanasi: Proactive role by Ayurvedic medicine practitioners and a little caution by the consumers can play a vital role in putting an end to the prevailing suspicion in mind of scientists and western medicine practitioners about the quality, safety and efficacy of Ayurvedic medicines. Good Manufacturing Procedure (GMP) certification and Quality Control of India (QCI) certified AYUSH premium and standard Ayurvedic medicines should be prescribed by the practitioners and consumers should also ensure that they get genuine medicines.

Regional coordinator, Pharmacovigilance of Ayurvedic medicines, northern, Anand Chaudhary

i>, who is also a professor of Rasa Shastra (Ayurvedic Pharmaceutics), faculty of Ayurveda, Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS), Banaras Hindu University (BHU), said that the issues regarding the safety of Ayurvedic medicines is addressed through the framework provided by the government in the form of GMP and QCI certifications.

"There are as many a 190 Ayurvedic medicines that are GMP certified and available in the market. It will be in the benefit of both the doctors and the patients to go for these medicines, instead of uncertified similar compositions. Recent researches in India and abroad are corroborating the genuineness of these medicines and age old fundamentals of Ayurvedic pharmaceutics," observed Chaudhary. If Ayurvedic medicines are prepared with authentic raw material, then the quality, safety and efficiency can be beyond question.

Chaudhary recently presented a paper on 'Safety Issues of Ayurvedic Medicine' during the International Conference on Multidisciplinary Healthcare, organized by All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS), New Delhi.

He said that it was agreed in principle by all the scientists and doctors present there that to serve the mankind in best possible way, the best medical practices pertaining to particular ailments should be adopted.

"For example, the trauma cases and surgical requirements should be dealt through allopathic practices. For lifestyle disorders, mental disorder, skin ailments and geriatric cases should be treated through Ayurvedic, Unani and homeopathic medicines," he said. During the conference, he also drew attention towards a case where a German scientist demanded patent in 2010 on the methods for converting mercury into mercury sulphide to reduce its toxicity. "These methods have been in use by Indian Ayurvedacharyas since eighth century AD and because of passive approach of the Indian practitioners and the government, people from other countries are trying to patent them. In fact, following the mention of this case at the conference, I have been asked by the government health officials to submit my inputs along with the report of department of AYUSH on this particular matter," he said.

The proposed ban on business of mercury was also discussed at the conference in the light of a paper published in a reputed journal of US in 2013 recognizing Indian technology of converting mercury to form a medicine. Following this and some other publications in India, the government had formed a working group in collaboration with the department of AYUSH and department of environment to look into the matter.