Ayush Min, CSIR pact to boost Indian herbal drug industry

The Ayush Ministry and the country's premier research agency, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), have joined hands to explore modern scientific methods for integration with traditional medicine to boost prospects of Indian herbal products in the global market.

According to the MoU between the two organisations, emphasis will be on research and development, ayush-specific diagnostic tools, multi-ingredient herbal formulations and their standardisation among others, said a ministry official.

Various CSIR labs have already taken initiatives in this direction in the past too, for instance, scientists from the Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP) and the National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), had jointly developed anti-diabetic herbal drug BGR-34 a few years ago, another official said.

The scientifically validated poly-herbal ayurvedic blood glucose regulator BGR-34 has been prepared from six medicinal plants including Daruharidra, Giloy, Gudmar and bitter gourds which are known for their anti-diabetic and anti-hyperglycemic properties. It is being marketed by Delhi-based AIMIL Pharmaceuticals.

The MoU was signed recently by Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Union Ayush Secretary and Dr Shekhar C Mande, Director General, CSIR.

As per the pact, the collaboration in preserving and protecting traditional knowledge related to the Indian systems of healthcare will also be strengthened through existing platforms and development of international standardized terminologies (disease-morbidity codes) in Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani (ASU), database on medicinal plants, foods, etc.

Talking about importance of such handholdings, Kotecha said in view of the growing interest in traditional medicines worldwide, there is a need for multi-pronged and innovative approaches for acceptance of this science.

The combination of traditional healthcare and modern basic science has a huge possibility for innovative and path-breaking researches which can be used for the explanation of various basic concepts.