CHAIRMAN'S MESSAGE

 

Considering the global scenario, the percentage of the population making use of Ayurveda for its therapeutic applications is still below 8%, which is quite alarming for us and we must devise innovative strategies and disruptive approaches to achieve its sobering possibilities.When we analyse the SWOT, it is conspicuous that the strengths and opportunities of Ayurveda are admirably subduing its adversary attributes, weaknesses and threats. Global acceptance, safety beliefs, age old traditions, novel manufacturing techniques, and the inculcation of modern standards are some of the strengths of Ayurveda. However, lack of proper standardisation in raw materials and finished products is still a backlash to the growth of Ayurveda. Though we are putting immense effort into mitigating this hostility, the waiting for meaningful results is in long haul.

 

Implementing standards in cultivation, collection, storage, and effective utilisation of raw materials has got relevance. Moreover, to get widespread public acceptance and appreciation, the finished products should also maintain industry standards and quality assurance. Despite its millennia-old traditions and all the assumed disregards, Ayurveda's incredible survival and endurance demonstrates our system's strong scientific and divine foundation.

 

CARe KERALAM, a consortium of nearly 150 Ayurvedic manufacturing companies and Govt. of Kerala (KINFRA) was conceived and came into existence only to address all these above challenges as part of this movement. At CARe KERALAM, we have been doing lots of activities which attributed strong base to our system and yet to get acceptance from our fraternity. As the AYUSH Ministry (Govt. of India) envisages, more evidence based Ayurvedic products are to be brought in with more scientific validation to make Ayurveda compliant with modern standardisation and methodologies. This will enlighten the modern fraternity about the safety and efficacy of our drugs. When the modern fraternity is properly educated about the quality of Ayurveda, we can deviate from the elusive propaganda to some extent, which I believe is a critical prerequisite for our survival.

 

With the rapid changes of globalization, Āyuṛveda has failed to meet the current scientific trend with conceptually old scientific validations and due to this lack of scientific validations, in various concepts, this science is trailing behind. Hence, evidence-based, collaborative medical research is highly needed for global acceptance and recognition of Āyuṛveda. Thus, this age old science of philosophical and experimental essence is a self-healing science with a holistic approach to health and personalized medicine. To test and validate upon its fundamental principles, to evaluate the mode of action of drugs, Pharmacology, Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacovigilance, more advanced techniques and in depth screenings should be encompassed in Ayurveda research methodology, if this science is to be truly explored. Now, with medical research being the primary need for modern Ayurveda, efforts should be made to bring more valuable scientific results from budding and skilled research scholars through start-up conclaves and summits. CARe KERALAM we have all the fundamental and advanced facilities to carry out various research activities for the validation of Ayurvedic products, thus raising their standards to international level. In addition to this, we will use modern pharmaceutical techniques and standardisation methods for the upliftment of traditional Ayurveda without losing its age-old values. The CARe KERALAM should also ensure the cooperation and willingness of biomedical scientists to work in parallel with Ayurveda research. Thus, by empowering research through all these means, it will only add up to refresh and upgrade the solid knowledge that was diffused during the colonial reigns. Finally, CARe KERALAM will always be a first line responder against the various allegations that are smearing the credibility of Ayurveda, a world-renowned medicinal system that has been practised for several centuries with significant benefits to people.

 

R&D is imperative for any pharmaceutical company’s future. But advanced R&D facilities are still a dream for the small scale Ayurvedic industry. Our focus is to continue investing in R&D to develop differentiated generics and innovative specialty research for the promotion of the research activities of any type of Ayurvedic industry. At CARe KERALAM, we have multiple R&D centres and a strong R&D team to cater to these requirements.

 

Let us put our brains together to bring more quality standards to our system and when we are able to convince modern society about the true values of Ayurveda with scientific backup, I am sure, Ayurveda will become the most useful, safe and acceptable system of healing in the future, as it did in the yester centuries.

 

Let us hope for the best to come.