Ayurvedic research, wellness and consumer rights

The growing interest in using Ayurvedic medicine as a gentler, safer option to using modern medicine drugs with attendant side effects continues to be thwarted because claims about effectiveness and safety are not backed with evidence and clinical data. The focus of Ayurveda practice and research should be on building bridges to this knowledge for public benefit. The consumer is being denied basic knowledge, access to product information as well as the benefit of a common prescription written by a single treating physician because of three factors – Ayurvedic OTC medicine is generally sold with names and labels which cannot be understood by the consumer despite being easily available without prescription; the treating modern medicine doctor is being prevented from writing the name of a herbal product even when he is individually convinced about its usefulness (in given circumstances) and the absence of biomedical research using objective parameters proving the effectiveness of the drugs. Contemporary Ayurveda needs to be packaged to reach the modern consumer in a way that he gets the benefit of access to treatment options that assist healing within the ambit of the law. These obstacles have to be removed. Patient- based effectiveness studies using retrospective case material as well as research using interdisciplinary approaches are needed for public benefit. This has to be facilitated.