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COVID19 is the prime threat to the human race now. Currently the world faces Covid-19 out-break across all continents and it is characterized by its membrane proteins due to mutations. Siddha Medicine is one of the oldest medical system in the world which is believed to be originated more than 10,000 years ago which is prevalent in the ancient Tamil land. Siddha medicine classifies disease and disorders into 4448 types and has remedy for more than 64 types of fever. Among these Kabasura Kudineer and Thonthasura Kudineer are two siddha formulations used against fevers due to respiratory infections. The present study was carried out to evaluate these two formulations against COVID 19 using in silico docking methods. For that the active principles/phytocompounds from the ingredients of the formulations were docked against coronavirus spike glycoprotein trimmer (PDB ID: 3JCL) using iGEMDOCK software. 10 phytocompounds showed promising activity against COVID spike glycoprotein. This study showed that 10 phytocompounds which act as ligands to bind with viral proteins to prevent the binding of host receptors. Of these Cucurbitacin B (-112.09), Cardiofoliolide (-111.5), Apigenin (-98.84) and Pyrethrin (-92.98) were observed as more effective with less bind energies required for binding with spike proteins to prevent the fusion lead viral replication. Since Kabasura Kudineer contains more active phyto constituents, the higher activity was observed than Thontha sura Kudineer. The study demonstrated that Kabasura Kudineer could be a potential siddha medicine for COVID 19 provided further preclinical and clinical confirmatory studies.

There has always been question mark on the Medical Education and health care in India right from the time of British India. Ever since its inception in 1858 the General Medical Council (GMC) of Great Britain, the regulatory authority and the British Government intentionally worked with double standards keeping the allopathic education and health care in the countries ruled by them including India at a low profile than in Britain so as to maintain a quest to go to UK for better knowledge and skills in medicine. To rectify Bhore and Mudaliar Committees were constituted in 1943 and 1959 respectively to survey and recommend development and planning for up gradation of medical education and health care in India. The MCI inherited substandard infrastructure form GMC and kept playing the same role. It failed to realise that before British came, many systems of medicine existed in India like, Ayurvedic, Homoeopathic, Unani, Siddha, Yoga, Pranic healing etc. which English people ignored and the MCI needed to address them. They never thought to integrate allopathy with other systems of medical care for holistic approach. The concept of Integrated Medicine could never evolve. On account of wrong policies and vested interest wrong decisions were taken one after the other. The standards of medical education and health care kept deteriorating with passing time. Consequently Indian Medical degrees got derecognised in the developed countries. The recommendations of Bhore and Mudaliar Committees did not do any good. Right from yesteryears till date most of the doctors in India from every sphere caused self-inflicted life threatening injury to the MCI and the medical profession as a whole. The National Medical Commission is about to replace MCI very shortly. This article highlights some of the major evils in the present system with suggested reforms keeping in mind the Golden Philosophy which could be embodied in the new system for better results.

Background: Reporting adverse drug reactions (ADRs) is an important part of pharmacovigilance practice. Considering the significance of this area, the Ministry of AYUSH has introduced a new Central Sector scheme for promoting pharmacovigilance of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy (ASU&H) drugs. Being key health‑care professionals, physicians, pharmacists, technicians, and nurses have immense responsibility in effective implementation of pharmacovigilance programs through the surveillance and reporting of ADRs. Objective: The present study was planned with an objective to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of Ayurveda pharmacists toward pharmacovigilance and ADR reporting. Materials and Methods: A total of 22 pretested questions about KAP regarding ADRs and pharmacovigilance in a Google form were made available to 170 Ayurveda pharmacists at their workplace by e‑mail. Results: In the present study, total, 80 responses were received, yielding a response rate of 47%. Most of the participants (81.5%) had knowledge about the pharmacovigilance program for ASU&H drugs and also the location of their nearest pharmacovigilance center. At the same time, 34.6% among them were not aware that a specific format is available for reporting ADRs and only 42% had the knowledge that the Ministry of AYUSH is monitoring the pharmacovigilance program for ASU&H drugs in India. However, most of them (95.1%) thought that it was their responsibility to report ADRs and 92.6% of the participants wanted to make ADR reporting mandatory to pharmacists. More than half of the participants (55.6%) had come across ADRs at their workplace, and the majority of them (72.8%) had reported them. More than half of the pharmacists (51.9%) who were involved in the program revealed that they had faced problems while reporting ADRs at their workplace. Conclusion: Even though there was a positive attitude toward ADR reporting, limited knowledge about the importance of the program needed to be addressed through educational initiatives, regular sensitization, and awareness programs.

Introduction: The novel Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), has been considered a major life-threatening danger to the human population worldwide. The traditional Indian medicines also play an important role as possible novel therapeutic approaches, exclusively targeting SARS-CoV-2 and its pathways. Among the Siddha medicines, Kabasura kudineer is a formulation composed of 15 ingredients used against fever caused by respiratory infections. Aim: To determine the outcome of Kabasura kudineer, among SARS CoV-2 patients admitted in a tertiary care hospital of Tamil Nadu with mild to moderate symptoms or asymptomatic patients. Methods: A prospective observational study was carried out in Covid care Hospital, Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital, Tirunelveli after the approval of Institutional Ethics Committee. Written informed consent forms were obtained from the patients. A total of 100 patients with positive Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) for SARS-nCov-2 with asymptomatic and mild to moderate symptoms were included in this study. Among them, 50 patients were included in the control group and the other 50 patients were provided with 60 mL Kabasura kudineer for 5 days. Again on the sixth day, RT-PCR was repeated. Results: Among 50 participants in each group, by the sixth day, RT-PCR converted into negative for 27 patients in group B, by 10th day 25 in group A and 22 in group B, by 14th day 25 in group A and remaining 1 in group B became negative. Conclusion: The present study showed Kabasura kudineer was effective when compared with the control group against SARS-nCoV-2 patients with no symptoms and mild symptoms and also the conversion of RT-PCR.

Diabetes mellitus is a major health problem for the world in the 21st century. The side effects of medicines and persistent complaints make diabetic patients seek alternative therapy. Basti (~therapeutic enema) acclaimed as Ardha chikitsa, is an important Shodhana (~detoxification) procedure in Panchakarma. In general, Basti is contraindicated in Prameha, but many special types of Basti are described in the literature that can be used in distinct cases. This study aims to explore the prospects of Basti chikitsa in the treatment of Prameha. A 56-year-old male suffering from diabetes taking metformin 500 mg tablet twice daily for five years presented with the complaints of polyuria, burning sensation in both upper and lower limbs, weakness and cramps aggravating gradually. HbA1C level (11.6) revealed an uncontrolled blood sugar levels. He was treated with Somavalkala kashaya siddha basti regimen for three months. The patient had significant relief in symptoms such as Prabhuta mutrata, Pipasa, Karapada daha, Karapada supti, Avil mutrata, Klaibya, and Daurbalya after complete course of therapy. The HbA1C level of patient which was 11.5 at the time of registration which lowered to the 6.9, i.e. nearly normal range. Fasting blood sugar and postprandial blood sugar levels were 121 mg/dl and 232 mg/dl, respectively, at the time of registration which reduced after Basti regimen. Thus, Somvalkala kashaya siddha basti appears to be useful in the treatment of diabetes mellitus.

In India, the medical system is developed in terms of “Ayurveda.” It is an unconventional medicinal system developed in India many years ago, now being practiced as alternative medicine worldwide. The understanding of medicinal plants has been gathered for hundreds of years, based on different curative methods such as Ayurveda, Unani, and Siddha. The field of dentistry has also started making use of the medicinal properties of herbal plants for the purpose of relieving dental pain, periodontal problems, and canker sores. Antiseptics, antibacterial, antimicrobial, antifungal, antioxidant, antiviral, and analgesic agents derived from plants are of extensive interest in dentistry. Herbal plant extracts are also available in many forms which can be utilized. As the herbal medicines do not cause addiction or allergic reactions, they can be used for a long time with properly prescribed dosage and time. However, some of the herbal plants may also cause some side effects to the human population.

Since the beginning of the year, the deadly coronavirus pandemic, better known as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), brought the entire world to an unprecedented halt. In tandem with the global scenario, researchers in India are actively engaged in the conduct of clinical research to counter the pandemic. This review attempts to provide a comprehensive overview of the COVID-19 research in India including design aspects, through the clinical trials registered in the Clinical Trials Registry - India (CTRI) till June 5, 2020. One hundred and twenty two registered trials on COVID-19 were extracted from the CTRI database. These trials were categorized into modern medicine (n=42), traditional medicine (n=67) and miscellaneous (n=13). Of the 42 modern medicine trials, 28 were on repurposed drugs, used singly (n=24) or in combination (n=4). Of these 28 trials, 23 were to evaluate their therapeutic efficacy in different severities of the disease. There were nine registered trials on cell- and plasma-based therapies, two phytopharmaceutical trials and three vaccine trials. The traditional medicine trials category majorly comprised Ayurveda (n=45), followed by homeopathy (n=14) and others (n=8) from Yoga, Siddha and Unani. Among the traditional medicine category, 31 trials were prophylactic and 36 were therapeutic, mostly conducted on asymptomatic or mild-to-moderate COVID-19 patients. This review would showcase the research being conducted on COVID-19 in the country and highlight the research gaps to steer further studies.

Background: After the outbreak of Covid-19, a set of guidelines for boosting immunity and self-care measures were promoted by the Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha Sowa Riga, and Homeopathy (AYUSH) department. Pune has surpassed many metro cities of India and is recognized as one of the worst-hit places of Covid-19. Ayurveda is very popular among the citizens of Pune, but there is a lack of systematic data regarding the demand for Ayurveda products and the impact of the pandemic on the sales of Ayurveda medicines. Objective: This survey was planned to collect information from Ayurveda medicine retailers regarding the trends in the usage and demand for Ayurveda medicines among the citizens of Pune in the background of Covid-19. Materials and Methods: It was a semi-structured questionnaire-based survey study consisting of 43 questions to assess the demand for Ayurveda medicines during the Covid-19 pandemic in Pune city. The study was conducted from August 2020 to September 2020, and the respondents were selected by the convenience sampling method. Data were collected from a total of 33 respondents (retailers and wholesalers of Ayurveda medicine). Analysis: The data of the completed questionnaire were systematically summarized in Microsoft excel sheet 2007, and descriptive analysis, including percentages, was used. Result: The survey shows that certain raw herbs such as Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera L.), Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia Miers), and finished products such as AYUSH Kwatha (Formulation to be prepared as a decoction), Chyavanprasha were in high demand during the Covid-19 outbreak. However, the demand for Amritarishta, Guduchi Ghana Vati, and Ashwagandha tablet was also high. Conclusion: These preliminary data of the survey study demonstrate the need for conducting similar studies in larger sample sizes across the country, which would enable the concerned authorities to frame policies.

Background Herbal aphrodisiacs has a long traditional history in all systems of medicine such as Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani. However, their effectiveness has been questioned time to time. It is believed that action of these herbal and Unani medicines are milder and a prolonged treatment with these therapies is required to cure the problem. With fast onset and quick relief phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) inhibitors were able to overshine these traditional medicines and generated huge profits for their manufacturers. Therefore, in order to increase their sale from herbal aphrodisiacs some of the manufacturers have resorted to malpractices of adulterating their herbal formulations with phosphodiesterase inhibitors. Aim The aim of the study is to find the adulteration of herbal aphrodisiac formulations with synthetic PDE-5 inhibitors. Method Liquid chromatographic method, namely HPLC, was developed for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of undeclared phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors in herbal aphrodisiac preparations. Results Fifteen herbal aphrodisiac preparations, marketed in Delhi-NCR, were screened for sildenafil and tadalafil. Five of them were found to be adulterated with sildenafil citrate while tadalafil was detected in 14 preparations. HPLC analysis revealed that a single dose of one of the adulterated sample contain 27.95mg of tadalafil. Conclusion The use of such preparations could result in fatal side effects, particularly with nitrates, knowing that the maximum daily dose for sildenafil and tadalafil is 100mg and 20mg, respectively. Thus, to protect herbal consumers from unethical practicing, more effort should be elicited to make the present regulations more effective.

Purpose: In India, people with diabetes (PwDM) often seek care in the government-approved alternative medicine system, AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy). The purpose of this pilot study was to assess whether health education plus retinal imaging for diabetic retinopathy (DR) within an AYUSH hospital increased the uptake of screening for DR compared with health education and referral. Methods: The study was a nonrandomized pilot conducted in two AYUSH hospitals. Both hospitals received intervention on educating the AYUSH practitioners about DR screening and distributing health education materials to diabetic patients. In one hospital in addition to education, retinal imaging by a trained technician with remote grading by an ophthalmologist was provided, while in another hospital PwDM were referred to nearby eye hospitals for screening. The uptake of screening was assessed through registers and phone calls. Results: At baseline, only 10.7% of 178 PwDM were aware of DR and only 8% had undergone DR screening. After the intervention, in the hospital where screening was provided, all (100%) eligible patients (101) underwent digital imaging, whereas in the other hospital only 25% of 77 eligible patients underwent screening in eye hospitals (P < 0.001). Conclusion: AYUSH hospitals could provide a feasible and acceptable location for providing DR screening services. Further studies are required to assess scale-up of such intervention.

Plants are used as medicine since ancient time, in organized (Ayurveda, Unani & Siddha) and unorganized (folk, native & tribal) form. In these systems, drugs are described either in Sanskrit or vernacular languages. Avartani (Helicteres isora Linn.) is a medicinal plant which is used in several diseases. It is commonly known as Marodphali, Marorphali, Enthani etc. due to screw like appearance of its fruit. Avartani is used as a folk medicine to treat snake bite, diarrhoea and constipation of new born baby. In the research, antioxidant, hypolipidaemic, antibacterial and antiplasmid activities, cardiac antioxidant, antiperoxidative potency, brain-antioxidation potency, anticancer activity, antinociceptive activity, hepatoprotective activity, anti-diarrheal activity and wormicidal activity in this plant were reviewed.

Human beings are using herbal and herbomineral drugs since ancient era. Majority of the herbomineral medicines and formulations are used in different disciplines of medicine such as Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani. According to the WHO, about 25% of modern medicines are descended from plant sources first used traditionally. Furthermore, 70% of modern medicines in India are derived from natural products. Developing countries fail to create a major contribution in the international market of herbal medicine, due to lack of global standards for evaluating efficacy, toxicity study, and quality control of the herbal preparations. This creates a need to standardize the evaluation protocols, including quality control and quality assurance of the herbal and herbomineral drugs. Formation of standard operational protocols for evaluation of herbal and herbomineral drugs will have a great impact on manufacturing of highly potent and universally acceptable herbal medicines. This will not only help in generating revenue for the developing countries, but also in creating reliability in the herbomineral preparations, across the world. This article intends to focus various ethical issues faced by researchers in Ayurveda and suggest a unique approach for the preparation of standard operating procedures for the standardization of all herbomineral formulations. Factors contributing to problems related to research on herbal medicines can be summarized as use of improper dosages of herbal medicines, lack of standardization and quality control of the herbal drugs, improper methods of randomization, insufficient number of patients for the gaining statistical significance, problems in making placebos because of the taste and smell, and wide variations in the crude drugs collected from different area, season, etc. Formation and adoption of universal guidelines for the research on ayurvedic drugs is a need of time. All the drugs administered during the research must go through pharmacovigilance, and the database must be updated regarding the same. All the analytical tests applied to the formulations should be gold standard. All herbal preparations should be manufactured and marketed under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. The herbal formulations as well as treatments containing oral and local procedures, which are not standardized, should follow the universally accepted WHO guidelines for research. The clinical trials on ayurvedic drugs must be strictly registered under Clinical Trials Registry – India, even for the researchers at the level of graduation and postgraduation education. The data obtained through these studies must be documented and published in the pharmacopeia.

Thirvalluvar was a Tamil Philosopher belonging to the pre Christian Era. The government has given his birth date as late as 31 BC. Some scholars date Thiruvalluvar and his work “Thirukural ”as early as 500 BC. Vethathiri Maharishi is a Yogi and Spiritual leader of the 21st century. He was a Siddha, Ayurvedic, Homeopathic practitioner and Founder of the World Community Service Center. This study tries to compare the message of the 2500 year old Thirukural with the teaching of the modern day yogi Vethathiri Maharishi. Maharishi always stressed on the “Art of Living ”as a way to balance and achieve inner as well as world peace. He took this term from the message of Thirukural and in this study we will compare how successfully Maharishi has preached the essence of Thirukural to the modern world.

Mental illness and mental health are concepts that have existed from time immemorial. In India, the Atharvaveda and Vedic texts and traditional medical systems such as Siddha, Unani, and Ayurveda have described mental health and disorders, in detail. The advent of the mental hospital brought in the 'chemical revolution' in psychiatric management. The early nineties witnessed the birth of psychiatric rehabilitation in India. These developments saw a shift from a biological to a biopsychosocial model. It embraced the individual, family, community and society into the treatment process. The present rehabilitation process is geared towards providing quality of life, community living, accessible and suitable care.

Bhoot vidya (ayurvedic psychiatry) is one of the specialties of Ayurveda and it deals with various psychiatric conditions caused by affliction of evil spirits or mythological personalities. Unmada (a broad term which consists of various psychiatric problems) is a major psychiatric condition described in Ayurvedic classical texts and it is characterized by deranged mental functions. Bhootonmada is caused by affliction of evil spirits or supernatural powers or extraterrestrial forces. Vetaala grahonmada (VG) is one among the 18 types (deva, asura, rishi, guru, vruddha, siddha, pitru, gandharva, yaksha, rakshasa, sarpa, brahma rakshasa, pishacha, kushmanda, nishada, preta, maukirana, and vetala) of bhutonmada. Till date, there were no studies available on VG, and the present study aims at better understanding along with the clinical applicability of VG. VG is characterized by Satyavaadinam (truthfulness/honesty), Parivepanam (tremors), Dhoopa gandha maalya ratim (fond of perfumes and garlands), and Ati nidraalum (excessive sleepiness). Parkinson's disease (PD) is traditionally regarded as a movement disorder. Behavioral and psychological symptoms or neuropsychiatric syndromes associated with PD are frequent. They include anxiety, depression, psychosis, sleep, sexual and impulse control disorders, apathy, and cognitive dysfunction. The various features of VG have shown similarity with PD comorbid with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and excessive daytime sleepiness. VG also has shown similarity with various other conditions such as “autoimmune neuropsychiatric movement disorders.” VG is having similarity with a comorbid condition of PD with OCD.

Background: Recently, under National Health Mission alternate systems of Medicine are mainstreamed in public health care system. Effective action plan generation, logistic arrangement and roll out of these alternate systems of Medicine needs understanding on profile of morbidities among attendees who come to these facilities. Objectives: This study was planned to report profile of morbidities, age and sex differentials in specific morbidities among geriatric attendees in secondary level siddha health facilities. Materials and Methods: A facility based cross sectional study was conducted among elderly person (60 years and above) attending Siddha outpatient department (OPD) from two of the randomly selected sub district level siddha facilities in Erode district, Tamil Nadu, India. Information on socio-demographic variables like age, gender, education and clinical profile (diagnosis) were collected from records already maintained in the siddha OPD. Morbidities were summarized in terms of proportions based on age and gender. Age and sex specific differentials on specific morbidities were compared using 'z' test. Results: Of 2710 patients who visited these two siddha facilities during the reference period, 763 (28.1%) patients were elderly. Arthritis (45.2%), neuritis (8.8%), diabetes (6.6%), bronchial asthma (5.2%), hemiplegia (3.7%) were the top five morbidities diagnosed and treated among elderly attending the siddha OPD. There was a predilection towards elderly male for morbidities such as bronchial asthma and hemiplegia compared to elderly female. Similarly, higher proportions of lumbar spondylosis, hypertension and fungal skin diseases were reported among aged 80 years or more compared to elderly aged 60-79 years. Conclusion: Elderly constitute more than one fourth of outpatients load from siddha health facilities. Degenerative diseases like arthritis and non-communicable diseases were the common morbidities in this age group. Geriatric clinics and mobile clinics under siddha system may help in improving health care services.

Context: While lack of physicians and surgeons in rural India has received wide publicity, minimal attention has been spared for lack of ancillary personnel, such as surgical assistants. Personnel with no formal training often play the role of surgical assistant. This study evaluates the efficacy of In-service training of orthopedic surgical assistants in a rural mission hospital. Methodology: A retrospective, one group pre- and post-test experimental study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the In-service training program for surgical assistants who participated in orthopedic procedures conducted over a 5-year period (2011-2016), at a rural mission hospital. Data were collected from the hospital's Orthopedic Department database from July 2011 to March 2016. All orthopedic surgical assistants included in the study were classified according to their highest educational qualification and duration of In-service training program. Initial and final level of competence of each orthopedic surgical assistant after In-service training was evaluated. Paired t-test was used for statistical assessment. Results: A total of 1156 orthopedic procedures were carried out from 2011 to 2016. Twenty-eight personnel including nine General Nursing and Midwifery nurses, two Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy doctors, one dentist, one physiotherapist, one MBBS doctor, 12 medical student volunteers and two college graduates participated in In-service training program as orthopedic surgical assistants in the rural mission hospital. The participants had no prior training in operation theater technique or orthopedic procedure. Mean initial competence score was 1.00357 (standard deviation [SD] = 0.1889) and mean final competence score was 3.3928 (SD = 0.9165). This difference was statistically significant with P

Background: “Bhuta vidya” (Ayurvedic psychiatry) is one of the eight branches of Ayurveda. The person afflicted with bhuta/graha gets grahonmaada/bhutonmaada and he will exhibit superhuman abilities or qualities without any nown/visible etiopathology. Among the 18 types of bhutonamaada's explained by Vagbhata, “Guru, Vriddha, Rishi and Siddha grahonmaada” (GVRSG) is one. Till date, there is no clear understanding about etiopathology, symptomatology, and management of GVRSG. No works have been conducted on this topic. Aim and Objective: The present article aims at better understanding of GVRSG. Discussion: Geschwind syndrome is characterized by hypergraphia, hyper religiosity, hyposexuality, circumstantiality, and intensified mental life. People like Guru, Vriddha, Rishi, and Siddha in ancient India are known to have qualities such as, “knowledge,” “teaching,” “moralistic,” “disciplined,” “religious,” “ethical,” “experienced,” “having super natural owers,” “counselor,” “guide,” and “following celibacy,” which resembles with the symptomatology of Geschwind syndrome such as, hyper-religiosity, hypergraphia, hyposexuality, emotional liability, grandiosity, and obsessive-compulsive like symptoms. Conclusion: There is marked similarity found between GVRSG and Geschwind syndrome and Ayurvedic diagnosis of Guru, Vriddha, Rishi, and Siddha bhootonmada/grahonmada is suitable for Geschwind syndrome.

Premna integrifolia Linn. (Verbenaceae) is an important woody, medicinal plant and has been prominent place in Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani system of medicines. Objective of the present review is to avail the comprehensive information on ecological biodiversity, traditional uses and phytochemistry of P. integrifolia. Information of the plant was searched using various electronic databases in reference to the terms Premna integrifolia, ecological biodiversity, traditional uses and phytoconstituents of P. integrifolia along with Ayurvedic books, Indian classical texts, pharmacopoeias, journals, etc. There is an inherent difference within the three Ayurvedic Formulary of India (AFIs) published with regard to the botanical sources of Agnimanthā. Complete data of the plant has been collected manually since from the years 1947-2015 and was arranged accordingly. Available data have reports that roots of P. integrifolia are widely used for the preparation of Ayurvedic formulations like Daśamūlakvātha, Ariṣṭa, Cūrṇa and Chayawanprashavleh for the treatment of a variety of afflictions. It has also reported to have p-methoxy cinnamic acid, linalool, linoleic acid, β-sitosterol and flavone luteolin, iridoid glycoside, premnine, ganiarine and ganikarine, premnazole, aphelandrine, pentacyclic terpene betulin, caryophellen, premnenol, premna spirodiene, clerodendrin-A, etc., phytoconstituents in its various parts. There is need to validate its traditional uses, isolation and confirmation of reported phytoconstituents, biological and clinical efficacy by modern analytical and biological techniques which could be recommendation for further scientific research.

Decades back AYUSH systems of medicine were limited to their own field with few exceptions in some states as health in India is a state issue. This took a reverse turn after the initiation of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in 2005 which brought the concept of “Mainstreaming of AYUSH and Revitalization of Local Health Traditions” utilizing the untapped AYUSH workforces, therapeutics and principles for the management of community health problems. As on 31/03/2012 AYUSH facilities were co-located in 468 District Hospitals, 2483 Community Health Centers and 8520 Primary Health Centers in the country. Several therapeutics are currently in use and few drugs have been included in the ASHA drug kit to treat common ailments in the community. At the same time Government of India has recognized few principles and therapeutics of Ayurveda as modalities of intervention to some of the community health problems. These include Ksharasutra (medicine coated thread) therapy for ano-rectal surgeries and Rasayana Chikitsa (rejuvenative therapy) for senile degenerative disorders etc. Similarly respective principles and therapeutics can also be utilized from other systems of AYUSH such as Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy. Akin to Ayurveda these principles and therapeutics can also help in managing community health problems if appropriately implemented. This paper is a review on the role of AYUSH, as a system, in the delivery of health care in India with special reference to National Rural Health Mission.

Background: The usage of Siddha medicine in Tamil Nadu and several parts of Southern India has considerably increased over the past two decades and it is steadily crossing the various geographies owing to its inexpensiveness compared to conventional medicines and has fairly high acceptance rates because of its herbal origin and therefore its nontoxic nature. Aim: This study aims to investigate the anti-hepatotoxic and antioxidant potential of the Karisalai Karpam formulation. Materials and Methods: Karisalai Karpam tablet at 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg/day, p.o. doses were administered orally to rats for three consecutive days. Single dose of acetaminophen (3 g/kg, p.o.) was administered on the 3 rd day. Animals were sacrificed 48 h after the administration of acetaminophen, and their serum bilirubin, different hepatic enzymes and in vivo antioxidant activity were estimated. Statistical Analysis: Data were evaluated using analysis of variance, followed by Tukey tests. A level of P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Pretreatment with Karisalai Karpam tablet showed dose-dependent hepatoprotective activity. Karisalai Karpam tablet (200 mg/kg) reduces serum glutamic oxaloacetate transaminase, serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase, alkaline phosphatase and total bilirubin, direct bilirubin by 67.8%, 72.3%, 47.6%, 61.3% and 62.9% respectively compared to disease control group. A significant increase (P < 0.001) in antioxidant enzyme level was observed in Karisalai Karpam treated animals. At higher doses, Karisalai Karpam prevented the depletion of glutathione in liver tissue. Conclusion: Results confirmed that Karisalai Karpam tablet could protect the liver against acetaminophen-induced oxidative damage possibly by increasing the antioxidant defence mechanism in rats.

Ayurvedic and Siddha medicinal preparations containing mercury have been used over centuries in India. The recent WHO guidelines on the use of mercurials as well as actions by other international organizations into eliminating mercury in all forms have put the people practicing Rasa Shastra in a quandary. Active research in the mechanism of curative actions of mercurials is very much essential, to have widespread acceptance of the ancient practice. The toxicity of a substance depends on its bio-availability; the chemical form in which it is present and the biochemical reactions it participates. Mercury is usually administered as mercuric sulfide (Rasasindura or Linga Chendooram) which has a KSP value of 10(-54). Despite this extreme insolubility, how mercury becomes bio-available under enzymatic conditions needs to be studied. Its bioaccumulation in critical organs and excretory pathways are to be ascertained. Research is also needed to establish whether Rasasindura or equivalent medicines induce the (excess) synthesis of sulfur containing biomolecules in human systems, which act as cell protectors against free radical-induced cell damage. The antioxidants themselves could be the curative agents; mercury being just a catalyst. It may also be possible that the exposure to mercury, even in very small amounts, could lead to the synthesis of specific metallothioneins in the human system, helping to detoxify the mercury exposure. The author is of the opinion that Ayurvedic practitioners/researchers should carry out long-term follow-up studies on human patients. The superiority of mercury based Ayurvedic preparations, as against modern allopathic medicines, in providing rapid and long lasting cure for specific diseases needs to document and published. In the absence of such supportive research literature, the use of mercury will become untenable, even for medicinal purposes.

To review the evidence on efficacy of Ayurvedic treatment taken either orally, topically, per rectum, or all routes in the management of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) based on published scientific literature. Systematic search of the online bibliographic database known as Digital Helpline for Ayurveda Research Articles (DHARA) was conducted to collect the data for all studies related to RA. The search has included the data from December 1945 to June 2012. A summarized and classified overview of prior research on RA in Ayurveda was generated from the collected data of published articles. Three hundred twenty five citations met our keyword search criteria. Out of these, only 127 citations were found directly relevant to RA. The trend of published articles in RA has shown that original research papers (70%) outnumbered review papers (20%) and only few surveys and position papers (2%) were found. Amongst the original research papers, 56% were clinical studies followed by 41% of preclinical studies. Most of the clinical studies were observational in nature (39%) and the rest were randomized uncontrolled trials (33%), or controlled trials (15%), and case studies (7%). It was found that clinical studies were predominant but of poor quality in terms of rigor and research design. Especially, research studies that addressed the holistic principles of Ayurveda were almost absent. However, Ayurvedic formulations were studied more than medicinal plants and external therapies.

Andrographis paniculata [Burm. F] Nees is a potent drug used in Ayurveda, Siddha and Homoeopathy in many formulations and is effective in the treatment of various diseases like malaria, diabetes, viral hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver cancer, etc. For the long-term use in these conditions, establishment of safety of any given intervention is crucial. Hence in the present review the various journals, e-books, monographs, books, data base on medicinal plant, etc. from 1986 to 2010 and Ayurvedic classical text/ earliest literature on Indian Medicine like Charaka Samhita (400-500 A.D.), Sushruta Samhita (400-500 A.D.), Nighantus (500-1600 A.D.), etc. were searched manually and electronically for extracting the complete information about the plant. The particulars of pharmacological activities, drug interactions and contraindications were extracted from the published preclinical and clinical study reports focusing on the keywords, i.e. reported adverse effects and safety profile of the plant. Finally, the therapeutic safety of the plant extracts was concluded. The literature showed that in some preclinical animal studies, due to the bitter taste when the herb was given in very high dose it caused gastric discomfort, vomiting, loss of appetite, etc. However there are no adverse effects reported clinically when the plant is administered in human beings.

Purpose: In the ancient siddha literature various herbomineral components individually and in combination are documented to have wide spectrum of activity against allergic disorders of skin like pruritus, urticaria, eczema etc. The aim of the present study was to establish the effect of G7 on IL 8, IL alpha 1 and histamine both in vivo and in vitro studies. Method: The cultured keratinocytes were exposed to uv irradiation and the release of IL 8, IL alpha 1 and histamine were established by ELISA. The effect of G7 on histamine induced wheel and flare reaction were established in human subjects. Capasicin and substance P were used as positive control with intra dermal histamine. Result: G7 had significantly interfered in the release of IL 8, IL alpha 1 and histamine in vitro studies and in vivo studies G7 had significantly reduced wheal and flare reaction in human subjects. Conclusion: The findings of the study have clearly established the anti-allergic effect of G7 and its mechanism of action. Siddha system of medicine was contemporary to ayurvedic system of medicine. Siddha system however was confined to Tamil nadu while the ayurvedic system was prevalent throughout India.

Development of drugs from plant sources (botanicals) for the treatment of cancer has not been successful in India, despite a plethora of medicinal plants and an equal number of experiments demonstrating anti-cancer activity of plant principles in vitro. There are several pitfalls in our approach to botanical drug development. Foremost is the lack of industry-academia collaborations in this field. Research goals in Indian academic institutions are generally short-term and mostly aimed at fulfilling the minimum requirements of a doctoral/MD or MPharm thesis. Secondly, quality assurance of herbal formulations is difficult to achieve and good manufacturing practices are expensive to implement. This could introduce bias during the biological evaluation of botanicals. A systematic approach covering a wide range of investigations including but not limited to mechanistic studies, potential herb-drug interactions, pharmacokinetics and bioavailability could help in the optimization of herbal formulations in the preclinical stage of development before they can be considered for clinical trials. Government initiatives such as Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathic have encouraged research in these areas, but are insufficient to promote focused and aggressive evaluation of potential herbs. Particular emphasis should be given to clinical pharmacokinetics, drug interactions and clinical trials in specific cancers for the evaluation of dosage, safety, efficacy and concomitant use with chemotherapy. Only such policies can result in meaningful evaluation of botanicals for cancer therapy.