Healing From The Ramayana

A mainstream doctor tests out a legendary herb that could revolutionise plastic surgery

Interest in Ayurveda is multiplying because of increased interest in the west. Ayurveda is now cow dung physicians have stopped taking interest in it.

Ayurveda is a bigger science than its modern counterpart. It is not just a system of medication it is a lifestyle. Modern medicine is merely a preventive approach.

Dr Jagan Nath Sharma, retired professor of pharmacology, doesnt see much amiss with his contradictory stance. As any ayurveda practitioner knows, the secret lies in a balance and how better to counteract the believers fervour than a pinch of salt? Particularly when youre mixing modern drugs with an ancient science.

 

In 1993, Sharma made headlines with his discovery of Sandhani, one of the four plants that make up the legendary Sanjivani in the Ramayana. He also sparked off a furious debate. Some doctors insisted that the herb that Hanuman moved mountains for was a myth, while others pointed out that this wouldnt be the first time grandmas recipes had value.

In the past, ayurvedic discoveries have had a dubious reputation most have not made it past lab trials. But four years down the line, Sandhani has passed stringent tests and awaits patenting as an application that could revolutionise plastic surgery.

The 65-year-old Sharma made his discovery in 1987 thanks to a hobby the former All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) assistant professor used to take off on a herb-hunting spree every two months. Like other would-be Getafixes, he scoured the happy botanical hunting grounds of Madhya Pradesh.

I simply identify tribal healers, says Sharma, admitting that the technique isnt unique. First you have to build confidence, since most healers are secretive. I try to make a scientific evaluation of what they know.

On one of these journeys, Sharma stumbled across a plant from the Nanthium family. It was called Sandhani by locals, and the doctor made the logical connection with the Sandhan karni of ancient texts. After running tests, he found that its wound repairing properties were incredible it could heal a 1 cm gash in 24 hours.

Clinical trials were conducted at AIIMS, Jaipur and Lucknow between 1987 and 1993. The herb, which can also aid skin grafts, was applied on wounds on the backs of rabbits which healed in less than a day. Says Sharma, Hair started sprouting over the wound far quicker than it would have with modern treatment. But he wont disclose the botanical name of Sandhani: The multinationals will descend on the plant. Then theyll sell it back to us under a different name.

It would be only fitting if Sandhani proved to be of use in plastic surgery, points out Sharma: Did you know that plastic surgery originated in India? He cites a report in the September 1794 issue of the UK magazine, Gentlemen. Tipu Sultan had sliced off the nose of a traitor called Kawasjee. The quisling had a rudimentary rhinoplasty performed on him by an ayurvedic doctor. The case was brought to light by Lucas, a British doctor who performed five similar plastic surgeries in Madras a full 30 years before Constantine, the father of plastic surgery, took up his knife.

Sandhan karni is 100 per cent applicable in plastic surgery, mainly for post-surgery healing, asserts Sharma. Once it is marketed, the cost of surgery will come down dramatically. What costs Rs 100 now will cost Rs 1.

Thats a tall claim, but Sharma is reaching even higher. In a bid to restore Susrutas image, he is setting up an Ayurveda research institute. The planning commission has offered a Rs 10 crore grant for the proposed Delhi Research Institute for Modernised Promotion of Ayurveda (DRIMPA).

It aims to prove the therapeutic efficacy of Ayurvedic drugs with controlled clinical trials and identify the active principles of plants. Even Lucknows Central Drug Research Institute does not have anything like this, says Sharma proudly.

But the physician has his work cut out for him. There has been no systematic study in Ayurveda, says Sharma. The literature has come down to us corrupted in parts. Distortion of information was quite common. And naturally, the Holy Grails of modern science beckon him the hope of discovering remedies for diseases such as asthma and AIDS.

Sharma is now waiting for his patent on Sandhani to come through, with some reservations. All patent rights in India end up in the furnace. The rules are framed by lawyers without consulting scientists or physicians. The drug is not yet in marketable form, and hes scouting for a company that could help.

It remains to be seen how revolutionary Sharmas discovery will be, but he has already pulled off a major feat by uniting allopathic and Ayurvedic doctors against him. The allopaths raise eyebrows at his unorthodox discovery, while Ayurveda purists dismiss his claims. He is from the modern drug stream and has not specialised in Ayurveda. They are two separate entities, snorts a doctor at the Central Council for Research in Ayurveda & Siddha.

Sharma has his reply ready. Most people dont know what theyre talking about. But whatever kind of medicine it is, the fundamentals will never change. Today, 96 per cent of the funds for medical research come from the government. Just four per cent is reserved for alternative medicine. Reverse that figure and Ill change the face of Ayurveda, I tell you.

For the moment, though, the doctor and his miracle drug will have to be content with that four per cent.