There is a vast growth opportunity for the Ayurveda sector if the rich potential of the traditional Indian medicinal system could be disseminated globally by addressing concerns of international society like “safety, efficacy and purity”, Dr S Sajikumar, Chief Physician & MD, Dhathri Ayurveda, said.

“Every challenge is an opportunity … The global health crisis has led to much awareness of the preventive cure and Immunity development properties of Ayurveda among the global audience. It’s projected that the Indian Ayurveda market will witness a four-fold increase in growth in the next five years, touching one lakh crore by 2025,” the former Chairman, CII-Kerala, pointed out.

“The Ayurvedic community has conviction about its efficacy and potential. Now efforts should be made for globalization of Ayurveda… For that we need a shared vision of the many stakeholders and make investments in strategic areas like Research and standards, Quality testing and adequate raw-material supply. The goal should be to develop Ayurveda globally as a parallel system (along with modern medicine) and not as an alternative one,” Sajikumar added.

The topic 'Ayurveda Medicine Manufacturing: Challenges and Opportunities post Covid-19’ was discussed in detail during the second episode of the National Webinar Series ‘AYUSHVICHAR’, organized by the Ayush Valley Foundation in association with the Ayurveda & Health Tourism Magazine on Saturday.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in breaking of the dogma (against traditional medicine) universally. Now people started believing in immunity and adopting the ‘Back to Nature’ strategy. The industry should stay in-tune with changing times. For instance, Ayurveda doctors should be more informed and understand medicinal chemistry or Immunology. The pharmaceutical industry should try new areas products like Immunity diagnostic kits,” observed Dr Hrishikesh Damle, MD & CEO, Atrimed Pharmaceuticals (P) Ltd.

Dr Narasimham Jammi, CEO, Jammi Pharmaceuticals, stressed that time is right for making the world aware of the rich potential of Ayurveda and its treatment scope against a whole lot of diseases.

“The effectiveness of ‘Rasaaushadi’ (mettalo medicine) in treating chronic medical conditions like Liver Cirrhosis should be highlighted. Similarly, the traditional medicinal system proves more handy in certain areas like Gynecological solutions or sexual wellness, thanks to it having no side-effects,” he said.

However, challenges are many – standardization, burden of proof, bonafide raw-materials, quality control mechanism, Marketing savvy and Regulatory hurdles for exports among others.

The intense parleys discussed how the global regulatory authorities take a biased approach against the Indian medicinal system which so far restricted its entry into the global market. “For instance, the FDA regulators wrongly criticized the Indian medicines, citing presence of heavy metals like Mercury. This without any knowledge of ‘Rasaaushadi’ and its safe treatment procedures. Our authorities should take measures in proving the safety and efficacy of such treatment systems through case studies globally,” said Dr Bhaswati Bhattacharya, a Fulbright Specialist in Public Health-Integrative Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, New York.

The webinar was moderated by Dr Madan Thangavelu, noted Genome Biologist from the University of Cambridge, UK, and co-moderated by Dr Harikumar Bhaskaran Nair, Ayurvedic Physician, Research and Co-ordinator, NSS Ayurvedic Hospitals.