Clinical trials on ayurveda refers to any clinical trials done on ayurvedic treatment. Ayurveda is a traditional medicine system in India and like other cultural medical practices includes both conventional medicine and also complementary and alternative medicine. When there are clinical trials in ayurveda, the focus tends to be on practices in alternative medicine.
A 2017 essay described that in India, ayurveda is inadequately equipped to manage many modern diseases, owing to insufficient research and development. [1] The essay argued that clinical trials in ayurveda should focus on areas outside the scope of modern medicine. [1]
Also, while there is a short history of clinical research on ayurvedic treatments, there is no existing systematic review available which identifies all the studies and interprets them as a whole. [2]
Educational organizations which teach Ayurveda require training if they are to design clinical trials on ayurvedic treatments. [3]
As of 2016 the Clinical Trials Registry – India contained approximately 200 records of clinical trials on ayurvedic treatments. [4]
Of all the recorded clinical trials, the following treatments are those for which there are meta-analyses of multiple trials:
Ayurveda is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. It is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population report using ayurveda. The theory and practice of ayurveda is pseudoscientific.
Maharishi Vedic Approach to Health (MVAH) is a form of alternative medicine founded in the mid-1980s by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who developed the Transcendental Meditation technique (TM). Distinct from traditional ayurveda, it emphasizes the role of consciousness, and gives importance to positive emotions. Maharishi Ayur-Veda has been variously characterized as emerging from, and consistently reflecting, the Advaita Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy, representing the entirety of the ayurvedic tradition.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a type of degenerative joint disease that results from breakdown of joint cartilage and underlying bone. It is believed to be the fourth leading cause of disability in the world, affecting 1 in 7 adults in the United States alone. The most common symptoms are joint pain and stiffness. Usually the symptoms progress slowly over years. Other symptoms may include joint swelling, decreased range of motion, and, when the back is affected, weakness or numbness of the arms and legs. The most commonly involved joints are the two near the ends of the fingers and the joint at the base of the thumbs, the knee and hip joints, and the joints of the neck and lower back. The symptoms can interfere with work and normal daily activities. Unlike some other types of arthritis, only the joints, not internal organs, are affected.
In medicine, a joint injection is a procedure used in the treatment of inflammatory joint conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, gout, tendinitis, bursitis, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, and occasionally osteoarthritis. A hypodermic needle is injected into the affected joint where it delivers a dose of any one of many anti-inflammatory agents, the most common of which are corticosteroids. Hyaluronic acid, because of its high viscosity, is sometimes used to replace bursa fluids. The technique may be used to also withdraw excess fluid from the joint.
Prolotherapy, also called proliferation therapy, is an injection-based treatment used in chronic musculoskeletal conditions. It has been characterised as an alternative medicine practice.
Bacopa monnieri is a perennial, creeping herb native to the wetlands of southern and Eastern India, Australia, Europe, Africa, Asia, and North and South America. It is known by the common names water hyssop, waterhyssop, brahmi, thyme-leafed gratiola, herb of grace, and Indian pennywort. Bacopa monnieri is used in Ayurveda. In 2019, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned manufacturers of dietary supplement products containing Bacopa monnieri against making illegal and unproven claims that the herb can treat various diseases.
Withania somnifera, known commonly as ashwagandha or winter cherry, is an evergreen shrub in the Solanaceae or nightshade family that grows in India, the Middle East, and parts of Africa. Several other species in the genus Withania are morphologically similar.
Bacopa is a genus of 70–100 aquatic plants belonging to the family Plantaginaceae. It is commonly known as waterhyssop.
Therapeutic ultrasound refers generally to any type of ultrasonic procedure that uses ultrasound for therapeutic benefit. Physiotherapeutic ultrasound was introduced into clinical practice in the 1950s, with lithotripsy introduced in the 1980s. Others are at various stages in transitioning from research to clinical use: HIFU, targeted ultrasound drug delivery, trans-dermal ultrasound drug delivery, ultrasound hemostasis, cancer therapy, and ultrasound assisted thrombolysis It may use focused ultrasound (FUS) or unfocused ultrasound.
Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (B.A.M.S.) is a professional degree focused on Ayurveda offered in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.
The Ministry of Ayush, a ministry of the Government of India, is responsible for developing education, research and propagation of traditional medicine and alternative medicine systems in India. Ayush is a name devised from the names of the alternative healthcare systems covered by the ministry: Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa, and Homeopathy.
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP), also known as autologous conditioned plasma, is a concentrate of platelet-rich plasma protein derived from whole blood, centrifuged to remove red blood cells. Though promoted to treat an array of medical problems, evidence for benefit is mixed as of 2020, with some evidence for use in certain conditions and against use in other conditions.
Bhushan Patwardhan is a Distinguished Professor of Health Sciences, biomedical scientist, and ethnopharmacologist. He serves as the chairman of the Interdisciplinary AYUSH R&D Task Force on COVID-19 and India Lead, WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine Task Force. He is also a member of the Lancet Citizens' Commission on Reimagining India’s Health System. Until March 4, 2021, Patwardhan served as the Vice Chairman of the University Grants Commission, New Delhi, and Chairman i/c of the Indian Council of Social Science Research. He is Cochair for the Expert Group on Traditional Medicine constituted by World Health Organization, Geneva.
The AVP Research Foundation was established in 2003 as a research department under The Ayurvedic Trust and became an independent not-for-profit research institution registered under section 25 of The Companies Act, 1956 in 2012. The foundation is known for its excellence in clinical research on Ayurvedic medicines, initiatives on practice based evidence, developing research and education oriented software for Ayurvedic fraternity and its journal indexing service in Ayurveda. The department of scientific and industrial research, Government of India has recognised the institution as a Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation.
Nasya is a Panchakarma treatment for body cleansing used in Ayurvedic medicine. Administration of drugs by the route of nasal cavity is termed as nasya, nāvana, nasya karma, etcetera are synonymous to nasya. Randomized controlled clinical trials have shown reduction in the signs and symptoms of cervical spondylosis by nasya. Clinical trials of nasya have been carried out for myopia. Pradhamana nasya is used by ayurvedic physicians and have been found useful to treat chronic sinusitis. Nasya is a sanskrit word, which means " related to nose". So in this Nasya therapy, ayurveda treatment is performed through the nostril. Ayurvedic medicine either in the oil or smoke forms is infused into the nostrils. Nasya panchakarma therapy is very useful to address the disease related to head region, e.g. insomnia, stress, anxiety, early greying of hair, allergies.
Vaidya Balendu Prakash is an Indian Ayurveda practitioner. He is a former physician to the President of India and the founder of Paadav, a specialty Ayurvedic hospital in Dehradun. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian award of the Padma Shri in 1999.
P. R. Krishna Kumar was an Indian Ayurveda expert and managing director of The Arya Vaidya Pharmacy (Coimbatore) Ltd. He founded the AVP Research Foundation, a non-profit organisation promoting research in the Ayurveda. He was the chancellor of the Avinashilingam University, and the chairman of CARe Keralam, a resource centre involved in efforts to standardise Ayurvedic medicines. The Government of India awarded him the fourth-highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2009, for his contributions to Ayurveda.
M.D.(Doctor of Medicine in Ayurveda) or Ayurveda Vachaspati is the three-year master's course in the Indian medical system of Ayurveda. MD/MS (Ayurveda) is offered in many medical colleges in India and Sri Lanka. The selection to the MD/MS (Ayurveda) course is generally done by a competitive National level written entrance examination which is called AIAPGET - All India AYUSH Post Graduate Entrance Test, which is open to candidates with BAMS.
BGR-34 is an Ayurvedic-derived product that is sold in India as an over-the-counter pill for the management of type 2 diabetes. It was developed in 2015 by two government-owned laboratories and launched commercially in 2016. It has been tested in only one, modest-sized, human trial. The drug has been heavily criticized, and without more clinical trials, its efficacy remains unproven. The manufacturers have refused to acknowledge the claims of inefficacy and other concerns.
The medical ethnobotany of India is the study of Indian medicinal plants and their traditional uses. Plants have been used in the Indian subcontinent for treatment of disease and health maintenance for thousands of years, and remain important staples of health and folk medicine for millions. Indians today utilize plants for both primary medical care and as supplementary treatment alongside modern medical science. It is estimated that 70% of rural Indians use traditional plant based remedies for primary healthcare needs. This reliance of plants for medicine is consistent with trends widely observed in the developing world, where between 65% and 80% of people use medicinal plant remedies.