what is lacking in Ayurveda research today ? what is originally important? Why?

1. Ayurveda Research- What matters and Why?
Dr. Remya Krishnan PhD (Ay)
Associate Professor & Head
Dept of Applied Pharmacology of Ayurveda,
RGAMC, Mahe

2. Re-search
• Research is a voyage discovery or a journey
from known to unknown.
• Hence “ the known” is the starting point of
research
• No research can “initiate from the
unknown”as “Re-search” means once again
looking thoroughly through existing
knowledge to explore deep .

3. Patient Oriented Research
• The objective of research in Ayurveda is to attain
Pratipatti jnana
• Pratipattijnana technically refers to highly specific and
specialised knowledge which guides the physician to
arrive at accurate diagnostic an therapeutic decisions
based on every unique clinical situation.
• Hence in Ayurveda , every research problem is
ultimately meant to be “of the patient- for the
patient” and not “of the medicine- for the medicine”
• Thus it is evident that Ayurveda emphasises upon
Patient Oriented Research only and not the Medicine
Oriented one

4. Research problem
• A research problem is a statement about an
area of concern, a condition to be improved,a
difficulty to be eliminated, an unclear issue
that exists in scholarly literature of Ayurveda
in theory or in practice that points to the need
for meaningful understanding and deliberate
exploration.(https://library.sacredheart.edu/c.
php?g=29803&p=185918)

5. Re-search in Ayurveda
• Is the research question relevant for clinicians or
patients ?
• Are the design and methods abide by the inbuilt
standards of science of Ayurveda ?
• Is the transparency and reproducibility of the
study ensured by the innate core diagnostic and
therapeutic principles of science of Ayurveda and
thus unbiased?
• Is the study and its outcome clinically meaningful
?

6. Objectives of Ayurvedic research
• To explore and optimise the scientific
knowledge of Ayurveda to meet specific and
specialised health care needs of society.
• To attain and improve the health of people
world wide .
• To expose the innate potential and scientificity
of Ayurveda as most deserving independent
medical system and not misinterpret as
Traditional/ Complementary Medicine

7. • The current research environment in Ayurveda is not
for thinking about such noble goals.
• Funders have adopted long drawn out bureaucratic
processes for their grant giving based on western
research methodologies and not the innate scientific
ones.
• Funders operate within political/ vested interests and
hardly care to make Ayurvedic research policies
unbiased to expose Ayurveda as it is.
• The economic benefits and commercial potential of
research is only considered today without any
involvement of science or ethics and Ayurvedic
research is currently counted as mere economic
engine for financial prosperity of individuals or
organisations

8. Rethink
• It is high time to stop and reflect on how we got
to this point and how we can restructure and
reframe Ayurvedic research for the benefit of
science and humanity.
• It is high time to remind ourselves about the true
purpose of Ayurvedic research.
• We need to adopt the ways to decide what kind
of research is required in Ayurveda , why and
how and what impact it is likely to have in the
targeted beneficiaries?

9. Basic/ Pure research
• Research conducted to increase the base knowledge
and understanding of fundamental biological and
functional mechanisms of life processes and disease
in man.
• Basic research begins by deeply learning and
comprehending laws, theorems and principles of
basic science of humanbeing explained in Ayurvedic
science.
• Though it is fundamental, as it is completely
functional and applied knowledge , it can be directly
effectively applied for solving different biomedical
problems in humanbeings .

10. Examples for basic research
• Basic research in Ayurveda – Re-learning
shasthraarthas based on Yukti led
Prathyaksha and Yukti led Anumana
Examples of learning :
• What are the Atma roopas of Vata?
• What are Saama kapha lakshanas?
• What are Kaphaavritha Samaana lakshanas?

11. Basic research
Example of application- Prathyaksha & Anumana
 Observing features of rooksha aruna twagaasyatha and confirming
Vata jwara in a jwara patient.
 Bad odour and cloudy urine with chills in the patient– Confirming
Saama pittaja jwara
 Hence unlike modern science , Basic research in Ayurveda is 100
percent applicatory enterprise.
 Unlike modern science , it cannot be performed in animals or
computer models or tissue cultures because the science of
Ayurveda is thoroughly explained based on working of man and his
own unique intrinsic and extrinsic cause circumstances .

12. Applied research
• Research that is directed towards specific
objectives such as the development of a new
drug, therapy or procedure.
• It involves the application of existing knowledge,
much of which is obtained through basic
research, to a specific biomedical problem.
• Applied research is encouraged in Ayurveda to
attain Pratipattijnana – To discover the best
means to reverse a disease condition

13. Pratipattijnana
• Pratipattijnana is not inventing new
medicines/procedures .
• Pratipattijnana is acquired by the process of
scientifically optimising the knowledge of
shasthraarthas to diagnose or resolve a specific
/many biomedical problems in a human subject.
• As the knowledge of shasthraarthas explained in
Ayurveda pertains to solely the humanbeing and
his cause- circumstances, it is impossible to do
applied research in animals or isolated tissues .

14. Examples for Applied research
• Applied research is defined as effective translation and
implementation of shasthraarthas into the unique cause –
circumstances of every individual patient.
• Is Doosheevisha / Amavisha guideline of Ayurveda applicable in
Autoimmune disorders ?Why and How ?
• Is my particular DUB in my patient fit for Pachana - Anulomana or
Snehana ? Why and How ?
• Is my particular Hypertensive patient fit for Vataanulomana or
Pittaanulomana ? Why and How ?
 Culturing brain in shasthraarthas and deriving right conclusions by
their proper appraisal is to be done by Applied research in
Ayurveda.

15. Clinical research
• Clinical research is Applied research done in
clinical setting.
• Clinical research in Ayurveda builds upon the
knowledge learned through applied and basic
research and is done to ensure the results of
Applied research by repeating the scientific logic
in identical conditions.
• Clinical research in Ayurveda does not require
new formulations and does not evaluate benefits
and risks

16. Clinical research
• Clinical research is based on deeply standardised logics
derived in Applied research and not new medicines or old
ones.
• The innate logics determines the diagnosis, medicine/
treatment .
• The objective of Ayurvedic clinical research is to confirm
and establish the standardised logical guidelines and
protocols to diagnose or reverse a disease condition or
both and not claiming efficacy of any formulation or
procedure based on benefits and risks.
• The only side effect intended for scientific mode of reversal
of any pathogenesis in Ayurveda is health.

17. The classical medicines of Ayurveda
• The classical medicines of Ayurveda are not generalised ,
vague or baseless.
• As they are documented under variable disease contexts with
specific guidelines and not in a generalised manner, it is sure
and certain that they are formulated and established by both
basic and applied research before their documentation.
• The samhithas (Brihathrayees) are not documented as blind
therapeutic formularies with “this medicine in that disease”
• There are complex algorithms and principles to choose and
confirm the right medicine / treatment for every situation in
Ayurveda

18. The Scientific medicine – parameters
• SCIENTIFICALLY CHOSEN -Approved by logics of
science of Ayurveda for particular situation in
particular subject in paticular time.
• SCIENTIFICALLY ADMINISTERED – Administered in
optimum dosage and optimum time of
administration of medicine
• SCIENTIFICALLY ASSIMILATED – Intended Assimilation
happens only in optimised internal environment

19. • The Basic- Applied – Clinical Research in
Ayurveda is to ensure the administration of
Scientific medicine to every patient .
• Scientific medicine is defined as scientifically
chosen, scientifically administered and
scientifically assimilated medicine
• The scientificity can be ensured only by the
core principles and practice of Science Based
Medicine of Ayurveda.

20. Scientific verses – True intentions
• The trusted body of knowledge in science of Ayurveda
explains logical cause – effect relationship and not
mere observation of association.
• Ayurveda incorporates scientific knowledge which
provides a sound scientific basis for learning to be a
physician .
• But currently those scientific verses in samhithas are
merely confined for rewarding those who combine
hard work of mugging up verses with a well trained
memory and do nothing to enhance the right
comprehension of implication of those verses that may
in long term or career long most valuable

21. Conventional versus Intended
 Conventional research methodology is meant to develop new
drugs and market them.
 A true medical research methodology should be a
scientifically planned enterprise that will help in practically
resolving a health problem of man rather than extending the
problem.
 Conventional medical research focuses on temporary risk-
benefit analysis and data building of the same and hence
extend the problem and do nothing to resolve.
 A true medical research on the other hand must focus on
discovering new facts based on existing knowledge of science
, to verify and test their authenticity, to identify and establish
their cause effect relationship by testability and predictability,
to develop new algorithms to understand and solve clinical
problems which stay unresolved.

22. Research must explore and establish embedded logics
• A disease has some generalised cause(s) but every patient
acquire it by different reasons of susceptibility based on his
own unique cause and circumstances which may vary from
subject to subject.
• The course of the disease and response of treatment are
based on multiple intertangled intrinsic and extrinsic
components of his body as well as extrinsic factors which
he interacts with.
• Hence the research methodology applied should be able to
effectively intervene upon the working of these subtlemost
components and their scientific appraisal to emerge valid
conclusions

23. Science
• Science is not that which constantly changes ,
rather science is that which explains the changes .
• Hence conclusive evidences of cause mechanisms
attained by repeated experimentation of logics in
science in variable circumstances are theorems
and not the temporary valid theories / hypothesis
• Ayurveda incorporate theorems and no theories

24. Scientific theorems
• Scientific theorems are hence transparent and
predictive .
• They allow us to predict the unknown
phenomena and thus to focus research on more
narrowly defined areas.
• As the same cause mechanisms are observed to
yield same predictions (effects in
perception)yesterday and today, they are
regarded as science and not mere observations

25. No scientist in Ayurveda
• A scientist is originally bound by a set of values and
standards that embody honesty, integrity, objectivity,
and collegiality.
• These values are to be based on the innate principles
and practices characteristic of specific scientific
discipline.
• If there is no right education and comprehension of
background science and its intentions, there is no
integrity, objectivity of collegialilty in research and
therefore no scientist also.
• As no science is applied, there is no scientist in
Ayurveda today.

26. Current serious flaws in Ayurvedic reesarch
• Errors in comprehension of attitude and
approach of science
• Errors in comprehension of scientific verses and
their true intentions resulting in variable opinions
on same topic.
• Blind mimicking of modern research
methodology, its attitude and objectives in
Ayurveda.
• The scientific method of Ayurveda and not
modern medicine is to be applied in Ayurvedic
research

27. Physicians should update their science led intelligence
• sU(mai` ih do8O82dU*ydexblkalanl-AaharrssaTMy-
sTvp/¡itvysamvS4aNtrai` yaNynuicNTymanainivmlivpulbu²erip
buRi²makulIkuyRu: ik. punrLpbu²e:||
Hence Shaasthraartha-karmaanusheelana is advocated
for physician scientists for prajnaa-shodhana and
samskarana.

28. TAKE HOME MESSAGE
– yStu rogmiv)ay kmaR~yarwte iw8k|
APyO82iv2an)StSy isi²yRd<C7ya||
– yStu rogivxe8): svRwE8Jykoivd:|
dexkalp/ma`)StSy isi²rs.xym||
(Caraka Sootra 20/21-22)

29. CONCLUSION
• Just anybody may use Ayurvedic medicines / plants / resources.
• But Ayurveda is Science Based Medicine and not Medicine Based
Science.
• We no more need new drugs, we need
reformed intelligence .
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