1.10 Research at the International Level
At present, there are no international collaborative studies to validate the therapeutic claims of Ayurvedic preparations except for some studies carried out on medicinal plants used in Ayurveda. A recent review9 points out that more than 13,000 plants have been investigated during the past 5 years. A number of medicinal plants have been shown to possess important pharmacological activities in preclinical testing; however, the generated leads have not been adequately followed up with double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trails. The following drugs are identified for such studies based on existing biological and clinical data: Curcuma longa, Boswellia serrata, Picrorhiza kurroa, Terminalia chebula, Emblica officinalis, Bacopa monnieri, Boerhaavia diffusa, Phyllanthus niruri, Celastrus paniculatus, Oci- mum sanctum, Gymnema sylvestre, Momordica charantia, Commiphora mukul, Withania som- nifera, Pterocarpus marsupium, Tinospora cordifolia, Trichopus zeylanicum, and Terminalia arjuna. One of the main lacunae that becomes apparent for any reviewer of this sector is that most of the studies are undertaken on an individual pharmacologic-effect basis. These studies need to be organized and reviewed. Such a review of these studies is likely to provide scientific basis to the traditional usage of Ayurvedic therapies. It is also of utmost importance that sufficient attention be paid to the conceptual basis that underlies selection of a drug or group of drugs to treat a particular disease condition. Furthermore, many more studies are required to be undertaken on multicomponent formulations and assess- ment of possible drug interactions when a person who is already on modern drugs takes herbal preparations. If the recent trends are any indications, interest in medicinal plant- based preparations and traditional medical systems is bound to increase.
Soure: Lakshmi chandra Mishra, scientific Basis for Ayurvedic Therapies; 2004 by CRC Press LLC
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