Journey of AYUSH products to drugs – emotion surpassed science

Although scientifically none of the AYUSH products ever qualify even the bare minimum definition of the drug with reference to the key pharmacologically active content (s) and its purity, mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics etc., but our law has already recognized all such products as drugs more from a regulatory perspective. All AYUSH products are non-prescription products need not sales license. The debate is not about the scientific or technical aspects of whether AYUSH products are drugs or not. If they are drugs, will any of the following promotional style justify the drug nature of AYUSH products? Every one of us must ask such question.

If we look at the way the AYUSH products are promoted and popularized by most industries in general, of course, the Government and certainly by many AYUSH vaidyas, one may wonder how AYUSH products can be called drug from the above approach and practice.

All AYUSH products are promoted and popularized directly to the public and to patients. If we carefully listens to the speeches of most Siddha vaidyas in television debates and interviews, instead of describing the disease, how it can be diagnosed accurately by Tridosha, often the AYUSH vaidyas refer for example, ginger, beetle leaf, pepper combinations, their relative proportions, how to prepare such combinations etc., as excellent drug to treat certain diseases. Most of their descriptions will be directed towards self-medication and home preparations.

For any of us, ginger, beetle leaf, and pepper etc., are nothing but common commodities available in the bazaar or can be found in some unattended corner in our kitchen.

It means, the promotional approaches of most of the AYUSH products are directed more towards patients, self-preparations of the so-called AYUSH drugs and self-medication.

Won’t such promotional approaches of AYUSH products targeted towards public at large encourage self-medication? It reveals nothing but the truth i.e., none of the AYUSH products are drugs. Further, the ingredients used for making most of the AYUSH products can be easily procured easily from bazaar or from some petty shops or vegetable vendor. Hence promoting using such products will not harm the health of the patients. This simply substantiates the truth that AYUSH drugs are prepared using herbs, condiments, spices, leaves, rhizomes etc., as key ingredients. The question is how such products qualify the status and definition of ‘DRUG’? What way most such preparations differ from the preparations like Sambar, Rasam, Roti, Kofta etc.,?

The above truth may the reason why many AYUSH vaidyas promote and popularize AYUSH and its products directly to the public. They always use several adjectives such as ‘wonder drug’, ‘miracle benefit’ etc., as bait to catch patients. Their repeated emphasis also will be on the merit of their system, its products with a plaza of promises.

When it comes to Government, they too adopt a similar method. The so-called gala event ‘Arogya Mela’ is nothing but taking the products of AYUSH and its concept directly to public. If AYUSH products are drugs, how come promoting drugs to people can be considered safe. The hidden truth is that all of them know the truth that none of the AYUSH products are drugs and they cannot qualify even the kindergarten eligibility of drug as per modern definition or from the perspective of pharmacokinetics.

Look at the way some industries function. If we study the marketing approach of personal care product industry or companies that market AYUSH products often use catchy phrases, terms or imageries to captivate the attention of customers. Further, many companies also engage in the online sale of various AYUSH products either as cosmetics or as food supplements etc. These companies give all details of how to use the product, how many times a day and how long one needs to use, how best it is from other products etc. If all details of the product usages and indications are available, then where is the need for AYUSH vaidya? People can directly source AYUSH products for Psoriasis or Vitiligo etc., directly from some portal and can use and get cured. They need the intervention of doctor may be initially only to know the diagnosis, that is all. How this strategy and approach will define, defend and justify AYUSH products as drugs?

The other aspect is that all AYUSH products are promoted always with the buzz word that they are safe and have no side effects. It means, even if they are not effective they are safe. So no one would ever need to worry about the side effects.

Are the AYUSH products drugs, anyway, certainly not? Products with some medicinal value are not drugs. Based on such logic, we neither should glorify and coronate every health care practices followed centuries ago as a system of medicine and nor should we produce graduates from such system as a doctor.

The drug, diagnosis of diseases, treatment etc., are the subject matter of qualified doctor and at best patients should resort to self-medication is the fundamental approach of allopathic system of medicine. That is how science defines drug and treatment. On the contrary, AYUSH philosophy is totally different which is targeted more towards patient than vaidyas because AYUSH is not drug and cure based medical science.

The rampant cross pathy and quackery by many institutionally qualified AYUSH vaidyas in private practice are only the result of the perennial confusion we have created since independence. With the advancement of scientifically proven medical system, we should have shelved/restricted/re-defined AYUSH and its use. But we failed to do so and instead still we are promoting AYUSH as medical science by recognizing several products of AYUSH as drugs and have produced graduates from such system as a doctor.

Can we ever find any allopathic doctor giving an interview in Television highlighting the list of drugs to be used for treating any disease? They focus on different stages of diseases and what care and caution one must follow, what are the advancements in diagnosis etc. They will never speak much about drugs as such practice would risk self-medication and may produce harmful results.

But on the contrary, most AYUSH vaidyas in Television interviews would speak more about their so called drugs such as Curcuma, Aloe vera, pepper, ginger etc.

Now the question before our nation is that can we continue to treat AYUSH as medical science or as paramedical wellness practice. Once AYUSH is defined as paramedical practice automatically its acceptance will increase because everyone would expect only such paramedical benefits from AYUSH products.

Time has come AYUSH must be given its due respect, recognition and value for serving the humanity by providing its wonderful paramedical benefits and let scientifically proven allopathic drugs and doctors treat diseases.

S Ranganathan