Has Science Defeated AYUSH?

Has the modern science ever helped the faith-based Ayurveda and Siddha to build their science and credence or has it affected them adversely?

For example, the faith in God has helped the society to a greater extent. It also has affected the society adversely. Many people purely due to fear of god restrain from doing many harmful things in the society. From the above point of view, god and the fear of god has really helped to keep our society orderly and reasonably disciplined. But the same faith of people in god also has made them gullible and vulnerable to several ‘godmen’. Many ‘godmen’ use the faith of people in god to exploit. It means god and faith in god have both beneficial and harmful effects.

Similarly, science also has both negative and positive effects on the growth and acceptance of Siddha and Ayurveda.

People may wonder how science can negatively affect the progress and credibility of Siddha and Ayurveda.

If we use science in its entirety/totality, certainly science would only help any system to surpass space, time, a continuum. But if we apply the same science in a very fragmented way or use it in bits & pieces and engage in extrapolating our imagination with such cherry-picked science and tends to prove the faith-based system to be true, in fact the science can spoil the truth and fact.

If we review the voluminous research work done on various herbs listed in the ancient texts of Siddha and Ayurveda, we may wonder for which disease on earth that man suffers today, plants mentioned in Siddha and Ayurveda does not have solution/remedial value. Then the natural question would be why still the disease burden in India is quite high when plenty of simple herbal remedies are available to solve most of the medical problems of man.

From cancer, to arthritis, Psoriasis, Vitiligo, Viral fever, Malaria, Tuberculosis, HIV, Dengue, Diabetes mellitus, Immune booster, Blood purifier…what the ancient systems under AYUSH cannot cure/treat!!!

The antiviral activity shown by one of the active constituents of the plant Andrographis paniculate present in one Siddha preparation – Nilavembu kudineer got great attention. The above finding was obtained at cell line based screening. The compound that shows positive result at screening tests to become a drug, it has to travel long journey. But much before that, several Archimedes have jumped with joy to over show the scientific merit of Nilavembu kudineer as preventive, treatment and curative drug for Dengue and Chikungunya. Interestingly the Nilavembu kudineer has 8 more plants other than Andrographis paniculate.

The question is whether such hype using a tiny bit of science ever help to build scientific credence either to Nilavembu kudineer or Siddha system?

The specific question on how Nilavembu kudineer would prevent Dengue and if it can prevent, how it can have treatment and curative values as well when asked to Siddha experts, they claim that Nilavembu kudineer has antipyric & analgesic effects, it has antiviral effects and is clinically effective etc. Further they claim that when Nilavembu kudineer is given along with other main line allopathic drugs, the prognosis become faster that they have observed in their limited clinical practice. It means Nilavembu kudineer does not seems to have any stand alone therapeutic effect that the medical fraternity can undisputedly believe.

On the one side, the science is hyped and on the other side when specific questions are asked, the answer becomes vague and confusing or might burry under own philosophy and legacy.

Can we afford to distort science to promote Siddha and Ayurveda systems? Even if we succeed partially, will such success last long and prove the credibility and merit of the ancient systems?

We should feel nice and proud about every positive finding that comes from Siddha and Ayurveda. But can we over claim and over show such science to prove our point and personal agenda?

If antiviral drugs can be developed so easily means, virus would have got eliminated long before.

Another over play of science also we can see in herbal research. If we look at the research findings on the antimicrobial activity of large number of herbs from the kitty of Ayurveda and Siddha, finding a single species of bacteria or fungi or parasite that has not shown sensitivity to some herbal extract is almost impossible. It means, for every bacterial or fungal or parasitic infection, complete treatment is possible just with some combinations of herbs listed in Ayurveda or Siddha.

Why with so much of antimicrobial agents from plant sources, no scientist could become another Sir Alexander Fleming, discover new antibiotics from plants listed in Ayurveda or Siddha? No antibiotic has ever emerged from herbal source. From the plenty of research articles, Ph.D degree thesis and monographs etc., that are housed in most universities in India, we can find that all most all plants have antimicrobial activity against some species of microbes.

Another mind boggling claim that fall beyond the expertise of all scientists on earth is the immune boosting drugs as claimed in AYUSH. Some Siddha experts even claim that such immune boosting preparations would act as immune modulators i.e., they would elicit or suppress the immunity according to the need of the patients. Can we find any shred of science in these claims? When the immunity is increased where is the chance for one falling ill? If the immune boosting drugs of Ayurveda and Siddha are really scientific, where is the scope for other AYUSH products because just with immune boosting products of Ayurveda and Siddha many diseases can be easily treated. Do these products just boost the immunity like healthy food or are like specific vaccines?

Interestingly we have several scientific supports to the above claim. If an immune boosting drug can be developed so easily through some simple laboratory screening by using phagocyte culture, most of the drug industries would have closed down their operations by now due to the superb protective effects of Siddha and Ayurveda immune boosters.

The blood purifiers as claimed by Siddha and Ayurveda do bewilder science because no one understands either the definition of blood purifiers or what they really do to the patients. Starting from treating acne to many other diseases, the usefulness of blood purifiers are claimed and promoted.

What impurity the blood has and how these blood purifiers purify the blood, do they perform the role of dialysis and if so, why don’t we replace dialysis with simple blood purifiers of AYUSH and ease the financial burden of several renal failure patients, all remains a mystery.

Another pre-historic question also beg an answer and the question is why a large number of AYUSH vaidyas in private practice are engaged in cross pathy than prescribing own supernatural drugs to patients?

Why the AYUSH vaidyas who have studied the course for 5 ½ years demand and request to the Government to have right to practice allopathic drugs?

The AYUSH must first prove the science of its fundamentals i.e. Tridosha, how to measure it, how to differentiate it, how its role in various diseases can be established, how the imbalances can be corrected, understood etc. The real existence of Ayurveda and Siddha rests in home remedies, the fundamental philosophy and its paramedical health and wellness practices.

Instead of establishing the science of Tridosha, many experts of the system are searching for some academic research reports on herbs to catapult own imagination to convince the world. May be when they realize the truth that such rat race will not help their survival in private practice, engage in cross pathy.

The government of India must promote AYUSH more for paramedical benefits and home health management than as drug and cure based medical science. The science of the fundamentals of Siddha and Ayurveda must be established than get bullied by some scientific findings obtained at screening level by some academic institutions.

When AYUSH experts attempt to cherry pick science to prove their products are drugs, they often not just distort science (may be due to innocence and or ignorance), but demean the credence of own system.

Siddha and Ayurveda have own legacy and tradition, own faith and spiritual code of conduct. Instead of attempting to translate some research findings, they must try to translate the science of fundamentals of Siddha and Ayurveda and how it can be translated to modern language so that everyone can understand.

Cross paty, proving own expertise and identity as a doctor, claiming the system as drug and cure based medical science etc., will never help the system to prosper.

Having a separate Ministry of AYUSH is created, efforts should be taken to promote AYUSH based on its true merit and not based on false promises or assurances. Similarly legalizing cross pathy and allowing the AYUSH vaidyas in private practice to use allopathic drugs as burka to cover the weakness of AYUSH will not help the system to grow.

Dr. S Ranganathan